Overview & Reviews

Lexus has earned a well-deserved reputation for turning out utterly refined luxury vehicles. The hallmarks of this brand are a quiet, well-crafted cabin, a plush ride and commendable performance from powerful, nearly silent engines.

Lexus began out of a desire by parent company Toyota to create a world-class luxury car brand. Groundwork for Lexus was laid in the mid-1980s, when the company began tapping U.S. focus groups in an attempt to define design concepts best suited for American consumers. Hundreds of prototypes were built and tested on Germany's autobahn and on U.S. roads.

In early 1989, the company unveiled its first two models (which would debut for the 1990 model year) -- the entry-level ES 250 sedan and the flagship LS 400 sedan. The LS 400 was lauded by both journalists and consumers alike for offering a stellar luxury-car experience, with a remarkably silent cabin, superb build quality and a refined V8 engine. At the same time, the LS was priced considerably lower than smaller, lesser-equipped, six-cylinder European rival luxury sedans.

By the early 1990s, the Lexus brand was expanded to other markets, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. More models were added to the lineup, including the SC 300 and SC 400 coupes and the brand's first luxury performance sedan, the GS 300. By decade's end, the company had added SUVs (in the form of the LX 450/LX 470 and RX 300) and had sold more than a million vehicles in the U.S.

The first decade of the 2000s saw Lexus proving itself a trend setter with the launch of many hybrid-powered versions of its vehicles such as the RX 400h and the GS 450h. And by 2011, Lexus even introduced a world-class supercar, the LFA.

In the years since its inception, the Lexus brand has distinguished itself time and again in quality and reliability surveys. The brand's vehicles may not offer as much passion as some Teutonic rivals, but for drivers interested in vehicles that emphasize quality, dependability and comfort, the Lexus marque is hard to beat.

User Reviews:

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  FSport - 2017 Lexus RX 350
  By Lo Carren - June 16 - 6:29 pm

  Had a 2010 RX. This is a lot more car and the technology is fantastic.

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  A Very Good Sedan - 2005 Lexus GS 300
  By OC_Sedan - June 14 - 10:00 am

  An excellent sedan. Quiet, roomy, comfortable, great steering and brakes. Controls are logical and have the right feel. Not as fast as a G35, but much quieter, better ride, much more logical switch gear, useable side mirrors (size) and, best of all, no snow moblie noise the minute you step on it. More room than a TL and no torque steer. TL is nice and worth a look if a little less room will work for you same with an M45. The car will grow on you as you drive it as all of the little things are right. Prior years owners are VERY satisfied with this car. My reliability score is based on what I have read.

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  Nicest 8-yr old car you can buy - 1997 Lexus LS 400
  By NC girl - June 14 - 10:00 am

  Bought this car for the wife to drive for errands/soccer carpools (Her other car is a Jaguar XJS convertible). LS rides quietly & smoothly, absorbing every bump and curve. The quality stands out in this car, surpassing other models of vehicles several years newer. Paint is perfect, leather comfy, stereo crisp. It is apparent this car will go another 10 years if maintained. Consider this car over a 2-3 yr old Camry/Accord for the $ any day.

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  Buy! - 2004 Lexus GX 470
  By motherof2labs - June 14 - 10:00 am

  Test drove Mercedes SUV, Volvo C90, Landcruiser, and Land Rover LR3....None compared in terms of luxury, ride, & handling relative to price. Previous car was Lincoln Navigator. While GX470 is in fact on a smaller frame, I feel Ive lost nothing in storage space, passenger room and only gained in a smaller more managable ultra luxurious SUV!!

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  Great luxury SUV - 2005 Lexus RX 330
  By Karim - June 14 - 4:03 am

  This vehicle has everything I wanted inside of a SUV. It rides smooth. The accessories are easy to reach. And the nav does everything the drives tells it to do. Great SUV would not trade it for any other SUV.

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  Love it !!!!! - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By tyler - June 12 - 8:03 am

  My first luxury car and love it !!! If you want a luxury for less than 40k, this is the one. 2005 model has almost all the luxury options you can think of. The service dept at Lexus is awesome! Only 1 minor minus is the acceleration is not as powerful, still I have no regret for choosing the ES 330 over the others (i.e. TL by Acura or G35 by Infiniti). I strongly recommend it.

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  GX is great - 2016 Lexus GX 460
  By Dave - June 12 - 3:41 am

  This is our third GX. Our 04 GX 470 had almost 200k miles. Its cooling pipe went bust on the freeway, by the time we pulled to the next exit it over heated. It ran another 6 months afterwards before we sold it to CarMax. We bought the new 15 GX and it was totaled a month later after being rear ended by a careless driver. The frame buckled and the rear bumper had the guys front end imprinted on it. I was able to walk away with only a stiff neck.. the other driver had a fractured jaw, broken arm and leg and ribs. The GX saved my live. We bought our third GX a few weeks later. This is a heavy traditional SUV, the acceleration is measured and "stately". Fuel economy is in the high teens, not bad for this type of vehicle. Handling is good if you get used to the truckiness. On the freeway, it is stable and quiet. Its not the quickest, but it does get to 80 to 90 mph before you know it. The only complains I have is the poor placement of the two USB ports in the center console. When plugged in, the sliding hatch cover have to be open. And there are no power ports for the 2nd row. It got a little irritation having to charge the Kids ipads on long trips. The Lexus roof rack cross bars are nice looking, however, they sit too close to the roof making tying down cargo a bit difficult. also you need a Torx key to move them. I liked the old GXs roof rack, with plenty of tie in points to strap your cargo.

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  A+ Ride and Comfort--Mediocre in Snow - 1998 Lexus GS 300
  By Love my Lexus - June 11 - 2:00 am

  Simply a fantastic car in almost every way. One issue of concern is driving in the snow. Gadgets galor to assist driver such as traction control, antilock breaks and a snow gear, but good luck if you live in an area with even small hills. Rear wheel drive clearly makes driving interesting in snowy conditions. Yet, would I have purchased the car if I had known about this beforehand? Still a definite yes!

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  This car is a no brainer - 1996 Lexus LS 400
  By gallen - June 11 - 2:00 am

  Ive had one and only one problem in the entire time Ive owned this car, which I purchased used with 22,000 miles on it. As of Feb 03 its got 79,000. Lexus has a well deserved reputation and the car is bulletproof. The car has always started, still has the original battery and I changed the brake pads once, north of 50,000 miles. Im a fairly aggressive driver too, so getting that kind of brake pad performance on a 2 ton car is telling. Overall - Id buy a used Lexus over a new "anything else" every time. Reliable, bulletproof and great ride all in one.

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  An oustanding car - 2002 Lexus SC 430
  By Hot SC - June 11 - 2:00 am

  I highly recommned this car it is one of the few cars that you dont serve, it serves you, making sure you are as comfotable as possible at all times. Get one.