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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  AWKWARD CAR - 2010 Lexus RX 450h
  By temnek@hotmail.com - April 13 - 6:11 am

  This SUV looks great outside and stands up on the lot. Unfortunately, this is the only great thing about it. Very poor performance even after shifting into S-Sport. Car feels very heavy (like most luxury cars, right?) and lacking power. After taking it for a day drive around the town, Ive got 22.5 mpg this is what you get for $19,000 used car (I was looking at regular RX for $9,000 and thinking: how much time/years will take to get the 5 mpg difference back?). Radio and controls are weird: like you are holding Japanese cassette player from the 80s. There is no way to find the button you need while you are driving... forget about using the joystick (awkward-est part #1 in this car ). So, bad gas mileage, mediocre performance... Probably good for people who cannot handle a V-6 engine (great for retirement?). I also tested LS 430 and I appreciated the ride (didnt buy it because we couldnt open a trunk. Later I found out that the car was overpriced).

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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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  rippled windshield - 2014 Lexus RX 350
  By white0754 - December 30 - 11:21 pm

  we had just purchased our third Lexus plus our sixth Toyota. my husband was having dizzy spells and horrible headaches after thousands of dollars in medical bills we found out that there was a ripple in the windshield that was causing this! took car into lexus said they could not fix this and there was nothing more todo but when they had it in the shop that day they gave us a rental same make and model and same year and no ripple! they told us it was a 2013 when we brought it back a different car porter told us that it was a in fact a 2014. [non-permissible content removed]. customer service in lexus headquarters said they can not do anything either they are aware of the defect

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  DO NOT LEASE OR BUY - 2016 Lexus RX 350
  By CARLOS C FROM MIAMI - November 8 - 3:48 am

  I was very upset to say that car does not offer the technology as customers like to have in year 2016, the options to customize your options is horrible. I had a Ford Limited Explorer simple things like locking the car doors by its self automatically is awesome to have to save your belongs from getting stolen from your vehicle. The ac options and to many things to learning curved is hard take a few days and I am a young tech guy. I feel they can do better not happy my first Lexus not very happy.

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  === Do not buy until the fix the MUFFLER === - 2017 Lexus RX 350
  By Gabriel - September 17 - 5:00 am

  Most of these car have or develop a low noise and vibrations, Lexus is aware of this issue but will not fix it, its a well documented problem, look under muffler noise problem or drone noise , not pleasant and not suitable for s luxury car, dealer said thet are working on an issue for the past 14 months. BEWARE: DO NOT BUY THIS CAR !

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  Forget the RX 330 - 2005 Lexus RX 330
  By Cutie - April 18 - 12:06 am

  This car has the slowest responding transmission Ive ever owned. Downshifts 2 gears when accelerating. Not responsive. Do your web homework and careful test drive on freeway. Push the RX and youll see, clunks through gears. Also, leather is cheap inside, and plastic feels cheap. Some models have no power door, no telescoping steering wheel, no leather. Dont buy this! 3 trips to the dealer, nothing but frustration. They say car is normal each time, want to reset ECU.

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  L FOR LAZY LEXUS - 2016 Lexus RX 350
  By Joe - February 14 - 1:08 pm

  Something wrong is going on with Lexus Corp. The 2016 RX 350 even without the F sport package has loud noises penetrating the cabin. The shifts between gears in the new 8 speed automatic are not smooth as expected from Lexus. The RX was always a comfortable car. That is what Lexus pioneered. Suddenly they are chasing the Germans with this mid life crisis and anahialting a big chunk of there customer base. The build quality in certain areas is impeccable - though other manufacturers are catching up. Whens the last time you sat in a Lincoln Black Label trim? The Lexus RX should focus on creating two destinct models. The F sport should be sporty while the regular spec 350 should be super luxurious. I have 4 friends who have the new RX and they ALL regret not extending the lease on the 2013/2015 model they had. They feel the older body style was superior on the comfort side. The 8 speed is not smooth and the car is noisier??

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  Not a high quality vehicle - 2017 Lexus RX 350
  By ATLRX - February 14 - 5:35 am

  Disappointed with the vibration and noise issue at 1200-1500 RPM range also disturbed by the hesitation.

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  Lemon - 2004 Lexus ES 330
  By Lynn Stone - December 7 - 10:00 am

  Persistant pull to the left despite repeated repair attempts.

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  RX Hater - 2017 Lexus RX 350
  By fiziks7@gmail.com - January 30 - 4:33 pm

  Bought a 2016 RX350 fully equipped. Loved it at the onset. Unfortunately, it quickly developed a harsh noise and vibration around 20 to 30 mph. The entire cabin vibrates and shakes. I took it to the dealer and they told me Lexus was aware of the problem and did not have any remedies. I filed a complaint with the NCDS (National Center for Dispute Settlement) and Lexus. After about 6 weeks, I was told that my claim can’t be honored because I failed to prove that it is a manufacture’s defect. Thoroughly drive this car to ensure it does not have the same problem. Check recalls.gov for complaints that have been filed with the same problem. 2016 and 2017 models are affected. Lexus will not fix this problem because they claim it does not affect the safety of the car. Look elsewhere!!!