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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  Lexus SC 430 - 2005 Lexus SC 430
  By willson - September 10 - 10:26 am

  This vehicle draws a lot of attention with its great interior and beautiful design. The performance is smooth.

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  14 yrs later.... this car still rocks! - 1998 Lexus GS 300
  By zoilus - September 10 - 9:00 am

  I picked up this car 8/2011 with 103K miles. I got for $9k out the door! clean 1 owner carfax with great service record! It was a steal!! Its in virtual mint condition. It has 130k miles now and no issues what so ever on many long trips, day to day city driving. Its comfortable, built like a tank, but ride is so quiet & smooth! Its not for racing! Not even the V8 is for that, but this cars power is enough to do what you needed to. It has classic & timeless good looks and I get compliments on it all the time. This car is durable reliable car that I can recommend to anyone. This model stopped in 2005 as in 06 a new style came out, but I like this one better!

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  The Best in Luxury Convertible cars - 2006 Lexus SC 430
  By Dino - September 10 - 1:10 am

  Don’t compare it with Porsche or MB, they are different animals. If you want to feel the engine, the road and handling of a real sport car go with a Porsche or SL500 or if you have the bucks go with a Ferrari but if you want to have a quasi Sporty convertible car with real luxury, the best reliability in the market, good power (60MPH in 5.8sec.), excellent comfort, outstanding stereo sound, premium amenities and you want to keep the best value in a car the SC430 is the car! Some people, disapprove the back seat, but to me its a good thing, why? Because my insurance is not considering my SC like a Sport Car that normally is 50% more expensive expensive than a regular car because the 4 seats.

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  Love this baby - 2013 Lexus ES 350
  By happycustome20 - September 9 - 11:24 pm

  Nebula Gray Pearl. Love this car. Just completed a 1400 miles round trip and it was very enjoyable all the way. 31 mpg around 70 mph. Second Lexus for me. slight improvement over the 08. Did cut some corners but not a deal breaker. Overall a great car.

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  Cup Holder Problem Fixed - 2001 Lexus ES 300
  By halfandhalf - September 9 - 6:57 pm

  Excellent car. To improve the lousy cup holders, go to a Sprinkler Irrigation Store and buy a plastic Green Atrium Grate for a 4" drain pipe (about $6). Get the green grate, not the black grate (better fit for cups) then spray paint it black. It fits perfectly in the existing cup holders. It even has a lip that secures it to the lid of the armrest. You will think it was made specifically for the 97 - 01 ES300. Now back to the rest of the car ... amazing ride, great freeway gas mileage, quiet, excellent standard sound system, comfortable, adequate power. Mine has low miles, 48,000, and I suspect it will be a typical Lexus and be trouble free as my prior Lexus purchases have been.

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  Lexus LS400 - 1995 Lexus LS 400
  By Klimek - September 8 - 9:20 pm

  It all started in 83 when Toyota chief decided to compete with the best luxury cars like Mercedes and BMW, first LS400 came to market in 1990. The rest is history. I have owned several LSes in the past few years. Currently I have two LS 400s, one has 102k miles another one 229k miles(!) There is almost no difference between those to cars. Both run perfect without any problems. My mechanic (Lexus technician) told me, that those cars are: "bullet proof". We have 4 LS400 in my family all of them high mileage. two have over 200k miles and those are much more reliable than most new cars we had. Dont be afraid of high mileage LSes any year. Those cars were over engineered.

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  Loved my RX, but love my GX wayyy more! - 2004 Lexus GX 470
  By Scott - September 8 - 3:56 pm

  Ride is excellent, as well as the incredible sound system! The leather trim and wood are highest quality. Instrument panel is easily readible, and handling is amazing for a larger, yet still sleak SUV. Parking is easy, and I love the rear backup camera! Love my GX 470.

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  The best at any Price - 2005 Lexus LS 430
  By John - September 8 - 10:40 am

  This amazing automobile is the very finest being produced today hands down and has changed the way all auto companys make there cars. The germans exclude Porsche have much to be concerned about. Reputations fall by the way side, living by there looks and marketing to pull them out of there poor quality will not be enough today. The consumer who can afford a top of the line motor car is rejecting poor build quality for the lexus LS430 the best automobile on the planet as of today there is nothing finer period.

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  GS300 in Kuwait - 2006 Lexus GS 300
  By asanders - September 8 - 9:13 am

  Ive driven a lot of cars in my time and when you spend a lot of money on a car, its really important how the car makes you feel. Auto-journalist reviews can be misleading as they focus on things that just dont matter when you have to live with a car for 50,000 miles - for example on-the-limit road handling and 0-60 acceleration. My decision to buy this car was purely based on how I felt during the test drive, having already sampled the bmw 525 (irritating to live with & expensive), the merc e280 (lacks flair & very expensive), the Audi A6 (more special than the other two and very nearly my choice)...The lexus is gorgeous, relaxing to drive, feels really up-market and way better value..

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  GREAT SUV - 2007 Lexus RX 350
  By BARRY - September 7 - 6:53 pm

  Still learning all the bells and whistles, but for the short time we have owned it, it fantatstic.