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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  Not just another luxery car. - 2007 Lexus LS 460
  By DJE1981 - March 7 - 4:30 pm

  Since 1995 I have owned 6 Audi A6s and one 89 Mercedes. Loved the Mercedes but when it reached 360,000 miles we figured it was time for a new car. Mercedes new look just didnt seem to appeal to us, and we knew we were over Audi. Awesome cars, when under warranty (the reason we owned 6) When we saw the Lexus 460 it was instantly our favorite car weve ever owned. My wife is a terrible driver/parker but now I can trust her with it because it literally parks itself. She loves it, and I love not repairing ding marks. I will never sell this Lexus, which surprised myself because I am not a Toyota fan at all. Ill tell you one thing, when our audis warranty is up, were buying another Lexus.

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  Toyota Quality Gone Astray - 2001 Lexus RX 300
  By ukfan4sure! - March 5 - 2:00 am

  This is a very nice riding vehicle. For the most part reliable, but when it hits you, it hits you hard. Every since I have owned this vehicle, it has stumbled, sputtered, and fell on its face at random times of its own choosing. I have had it into the shop many times and most of the time they replace the components most likely to cause the problem based on the "codes" it throws. No fix. Ever. It is so unreliable, my wife says NEVER AGAIN will we buy Lexus. NOW, we find out that the transmission is going out (with regular maintenance given) and this is just the last straw. Its gonna cost us $4 grand to fix. Wow. Now Im even saying NEVER AGAIN. What a shame for such a nice vehicle.

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  ***Transmission Review *** - 2001 Lexus IS 300
  By Billy Thomas - March 4 - 12:13 pm

  Ignore the cons about the transmission of this vehicle. The transmission is the best setup ever thought of. its manual, true slap shift, and digital triptonic on the steering wheel with no delay in it. I think the 3 options of shifting this car is what makes it so unique and amazing to drive. Hands down its the stand out option of this vehicle. you honestly must drive it to understand how talented this car is

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  Lexus 2016 - 2016 Lexus RX 350
  By joan Gifford - March 4 - 1:13 am

  Reliable and well appointed for the average driver. Male or female drivers will enjoy this car.

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  Had to put new tires on the car - 2015 Lexus RX 350
  By Al D - March 3 - 6:05 am

  We experienced major problems with the tires the car was delivered with. The tires cupped at 16,000 miles. Car became very noisy. Lexus agreed to cover half the cost to put a set of new Michellin tires on the car which we did. Made a world of difference. At 50,100 miles on the car, we love it. Would consider a new one, but dont like the current styling.

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  Never again - 2006 Lexus RX 400H
  By Unhappylexusowner - March 2 - 1:54 pm

  Ive had many luxury vehicles, and this one by far has needed the most repairs, and had the wierdest, most difficult to diagnose problems of them all. My mercedes never had an issue, and routine maintenance was a pleasure with loaner car service. My grand cherokees have been somewhat maintenance prone, but dead on schedule and ultra-reliable. This thing? Im afraid to drive it anywhere. Theres a shudder in the front end that nobody seems to be able to fix, even after replacing brakes all around including calipers and rotors, cv axles, struts, bushings, and wheel bearings... the mileage is absolutely horrible, 23 at best. The gps is akward and outdated, and updates are definitely not worth the cost. There is no way to add an auxiliary input for audio from any other source, the back seat passengers can modify your gps entries from the rear seat entertainment system and you cannot stop them from doing so because you cant make that system stay off if they turn it back on. The car has horrible body roll in corners, worse than any other vehicle Ive driven in 40 years of driving. The button and control layout of vital things like defrost and cruise control are all unintuitive ly placed or are a reach to get to, forcing you to take your eyes off the road. I drive about 100k miles a year and this has been the worst. Ill never buy another lexus.

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  great car - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By polarbear11 - March 2 - 8:53 am

  In 2010 i bought my 2005 Lexus es 330 with 87,390 miles on it. I did this on the Lexus name alone, well that was 4 1/2 yrs and 75,000 miles ago i now have 162,000 miles on it. The only repairs I have done is normal maintenance. the car rides like a new car still. Lexus did a fantastic job building this car. Although no car is perfect this is as close to it as your gonna get. I plan on having my Lexus for has long as it lasts, maybe i will be writing another review when i get to 300,000 miles see you then!

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  Its a Lexus LEMON - 2005 Lexus RX 330
  By dan4van - March 2 - 5:09 am

  Nothing but issues with the Transmission slip,jerks,jumps. My biggest complaint is that my Lexus RX 330 doesnt no what gear to use. Now it started to make that whinning noise. My lexus only has 74000 miles and its done. I am more that unhappy with Lexus so much money for a LEMON. Yes its been pampered all of its life and still give me problems. LEXUS NEVER AGAIN.

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  fun to drive - 2003 Lexus SC 430
  By WARREN ROBBINS - March 2 - 12:00 am

  Driving this car is an enjoyable experience. It is very comfortable, has plenty of power. Fun to drive with the top down. Ride is smooth except over bumps.

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  Engineered to Perfection - 2006 Lexus GS 300
  By reviewer from NY - March 1 - 5:53 pm

  This is my second GS 300 and Lexus has taken the best of the older generations and infused the latest technology into one great package. It offers much more equipment than comparably equipped BMW 5 series and the MB E class. Combined with Lexus reliability, the GS comes out superior in every way. The GS is the class leader because it is assembled in the best robotic assembly plant in the world (Tahara Japan, the same line as used for the LS 430). In this plant Lexus has achieved the highest level of automation in the build cycle, and the lowest defect rate as compared to any other auto manufacturer. BMW and Mercedes do not even come close.