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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  Great Used Car - 2001 Lexus IS 300
  By ISDriver - December 27 - 6:23 am

  Bought In 05 with 80,000 miles. It runs great and is lots of fun to drive. I get a lot of compliments on the style of the car. I drive it daily to work and get about 18 mpg and have driven the car to South Dakota and to Florida and if I kept the speed around 75 I got about 27 mpg. I cant complain about that. If I average closer to 85 it drops to 23. I dont mind the miles since it is a Lexus.

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  I want my BMW 5 series back - 2002 Lexus GS 300
  By ParkPlaceBAD-TX - December 26 - 10:00 am

  My GS has been in the shop 10+ times. Sounds like a friggin alian spaceship landing in the FR at 40-55, Lexus says "its normal" but they cant reproduce on another car. Replaced the rack, tires & other parts with no results. Slight presure on the brakes & the noise goes away but they wont replace the caliper - too logical maybe? First 8mo they said "absolutly, theres a problem", now they claim its fixed & its normal noise. Also, the car wanders horribly on the highway, thats why they replaced the rack - no change. They took the front end out of spec & did help the drift but its still miserable. A bit of wind on the road pushes me around, bummer huh?

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  Good....not great - 2003 Lexus LX 470
  By jm641 - December 26 - 10:00 am

  Overall, the LX 470 is good, but falls short of what it could be. As has been noted, even w/ the 5hp increase and new tranny for 03, the LX is 35-50hp short of where it ought to be. In addition, the general age of the platform has began to show. It is not as space efficient as newer alternatives, and for a $70k vehicle, there are things that should be standard that arent avail (no park distance control, no window sun shades, etc). Sadly, when this vehicle is replaced w/ a Sequoia- based product, there will be a void in this size range (its a big jump from a GX to a Sequoia!). In all, cant say Im disappointed, but Im not gushing.

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  new 330 awd - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By volvonewbie - December 26 - 10:00 am

  was going to buy volvo xc90 until i drove by the lexus dealer and spied the new 330. bought it and never looked back. everything so far is really good except has blind spots but will have to get used to it. to new to see if there are any quality problems. curious as to how it will perform in ice/snow.

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  Perfect SUV. Well, Almost... - 2001 Lexus RX 300
  By BryanD - December 23 - 5:33 am

  I have owned this truck for almost a year now, long enough to know its good and bad points. Overall a great SUV with quite capable handling and performance. A few quirks mentioned below.

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  For a specific purpose - 2004 Lexus IS 300
  By Titans Fan - December 20 - 2:00 am

  If you are looking for a big car that has alot of room to haul around cargo and people, then you shouldnt be looking for a sport sedan. But if you are truly interested in a vehicle that makes you part of the road then look no further. This cars ability to grip the corners at high speed is rivaled only by your local theme park. Its the most fun you can have in a car.

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  Is it worth the high price? - 2004 Lexus LS 430
  By margy - December 18 - 11:30 am

  The car is very comfortable, quiet and safe. It has excellent acceleration and braking. It is very bad in snow. I dont have snow tires, so maybe those would improve driving. The a/c compressor just broke down completely and had to be replaced. It was an expensive repair and I was very surprised and disappointed that this would happen on a Lexus. I dont know if I would buy another Lexus, if it was truly worth the expense.

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  Great SUV with only two complaints - 2010 Lexus GX 460
  By VN - December 18 - 5:50 am

  Great combination of luxury and utility. Typical Lexus build quality and reliability. Very comfortable ride particularly for a truck based SUV. Not the most fun to drive (also typical Lexus). My Acura MDX is much more sporty. Has just about every gadget/amenity you could ask for and some that you do not need (heated steering wheel?) Not a lot of cargo space for a midsized SUV. Average to poor gas mileage for a vehicle of this size. I also have noticed some issues with the engine suddenly revving up 1000 or so rpm when using the cruise control when heading uphill to try and maintain the speed. Anyone else had this issue?

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  great car - 2002 Lexus RX 300
  By montrose - December 17 - 2:00 am

  Own an LX470 as well. This car is a great value considering fit/finish and Lexus reliability and build quality.

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  OK, but not Lexus best effort - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By Mike - December 13 - 2:36 pm

  I have owned a 2010 RX 350 for six months now and have developed a fairly good feel for its pros and cons. This is my third Lexus since 1990, having owned a LS 400 and currently owning an LS 460. The RX 350 is my first SUV. Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of this style vehicle, preferring a station wagon instead. But I needed something that could tow. I find the peripheral vision in the RX is poor. Maybe itÂ’s the tinted windows. Or maybe itÂ’s the roof lines. But switching lanes, particularly to the right, is never fun in this vehicle. Also, the driverÂ’s side view mirror is blurry and shows double images at the edges. Lexus says itÂ’s a design problem and doesnÂ’t plan to change the