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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  Awesome Luxury Car - 2002 Lexus LS 430
  By Duane - April 25 - 9:13 am

  I total love my Lexus 430! I have only had the car a month but it is hands down the best car I have ever owned. Just sold an Infiniti M45 haited the car. I have owned Mercedes and Cadillac but Lexus is hands down the best for the money. The Ultra Luxury package is awesome!!! You would pay 15K more on a Benz with the same equipment. I also got the Lexus warranty for 7 years and 100K! How can you go wrong! If you are looking for the best ride you have ever experienced for a reasonable price please look into the LS430. You cant go wrong!!!!!!!!!

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  Awesome Hybrid - 2006 Lexus RX 400H
  By PeterJ - April 24 - 9:23 pm

  I just got this great SUV, and I love almost everything about it. Quiet, comfortable, has great acceleration, and almost excellent fuel economy.

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  2005 GX470 with Sport Package - 2005 Lexus GX 470
  By JLex - April 23 - 8:53 am

  This SUV is well worth the money. The interior styling, handling, and performance is flawless. I have the sport package with KDSS which may contribute to the excellent handling, and will say this thing definetly corners just as well as any car-based SUV in the market. Havent had a chance to offroad, but I have no doubts on its capabilities. It maintains excellent control in the snow & mud. Other vehicles I considered were the Acura MDX, BMW X5, and the Land Rover LR3. I am 100% satisfied with my choice.

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  RX 330 - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By Clever - April 23 - 4:06 am

  You have to test-drive one to understand how great they are.

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  Im in love - 2016 Lexus NX 200t
  By Layne R. - April 22 - 11:19 am

  I thought I wanted the RX350, but after driving this gem, I fell in love. The handling of the car is sweet. I like the extra boost of the sport mode if needed, and the economy option as well. Was disappointed to hear they dont use real leather anymore, but the new car smell is there and hopefully the interior will last me over 10 years. There is, however, sometimes a glare from the sun on the silver part of the dash area and the steering wheel can get quite hot if car is in the sun. The AC not as cool as our Toyotas, but it gets the job done, love the fan in the seats, that is wonderful. I think the touch pad is just fine, kind of fun to feel the little pop as it moves to a designated area on screen. I like the navigation views of the current street driving on and the compass is awesome. The visibility is a bit less, but the backup camera with grid lines is very helpful. The size of cargo spaces are perfect for us now in this time of life. The seats are better than other cars, but sometimes I still add a lumbar pillow, cars arent designed for women with their hair in pony tails or buns, thats a shame. The push start took some getting used to, but nice to not deal with keys except to unlock my house, wish it was a push button. So happy for AWD, wasnt looking for it, but very glad we have it in case we travel to snow country.

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  An Excellent Vehicle - 2003 Lexus GX 470
  By MichaelSkis - April 22 - 2:00 am

  Our family just bought a brand new black GX 470 - fully loaded. We love it. The comfort is more than we could have ever asked for and the ride....you might as well be on a plane, it feels like you are flying.

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  Its a great car but not a 3 Series - 2002 Lexus IS 300
  By SantiB - April 22 - 2:00 am

  This has been a fun car to drive. Very reliable and solid.

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  Lexus Review - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By Dave Migliori - April 21 - 7:36 pm

  Great Car. Very Quiet. Rich looking interior. More room inside than the BMW 330. With front wheel drive and four snow tires this car performed very well in the snow. Much better value than my BMW 528i.

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  A Great Ride!!! - 2006 Lexus ES 330
  By timo - April 19 - 12:10 pm

  We purchased 330 ES after 9 months of misery with a bad auto. We had looked at most luxury imports and felt the Lexus was the best for our needs, front wheel drive for bad weather, good fuel economy for size, comfortable back seat. We were not real crazy about the exterior lines at first but after a week we love it and its very fine paint job. First tank of gas we purchased got 29 mpg average on hwy. Not bad for 10% ethanol blend!I have to say the only regret I have is I didnt purchase one earlier!!

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  Lexus RX400h - 2006 Lexus RX 400H
  By SKC - April 18 - 4:46 am

  Both of us really like this car. The only complaint is probably a common one - it does not live up to the EPA mileage estimate. Excepting the first 1000 miles, the next 550 miles averaged about 26.3 mpg, per the cars estimate and a bit less by actual miles vs amount of gas needed. Cant blame it on the way I drive because I always hit the EPA estimates on all the cars we own. Main advantage of the car is V-8 performance with regular gas and good mileage.