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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  The best luxury sports car - 2002 Lexus SC 430
  By evilgem - August 19 - 10:00 am

  A great car for a long trip with just the 2 of you. Im looking forward to the improvements coming in the next model change.

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  Quiet Liesure Luxury - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By CrrMoore - August 19 - 10:00 am

  Smooth comfort. Classy look with exciting interior bells and whistles. Smart exterior with sleek dynamics. Excellent sound system with a "to die for" navigational system.

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  Great Car - 2001 Lexus ES 300
  By SweeneySK - August 18 - 12:46 pm

  This is an all around good vehicle. I love the moonroof, woodgrain dash, decent gas mileage, automatic headlights, heated seats, smooth ride as well as get up and go.

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  Buy One! - 2002 Lexus GS 300
  By LexusinTexas - August 16 - 5:20 pm

  Weve owned our GS300 for 7 years now and have had nothing but excellent service from it. It is a terrific automobile! In these 7 yrs., other than routine maintenance, weve only had to replace 3 bulbs. It has been a perfect car. Wife drives it mostly and loves it. Plan to go close to 200,000 miles with it.

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  Ya think? - 2003 Lexus RX 300
  By docksund - August 16 - 2:00 am

  This year I purchased three Lexus vehicles. First the LX470 (too big and hard to handle), then the ES300 (SUPER car, but still yearned for Utility. The RX fills the gap between the sedan and the SUV. Still handles and rides like the Sedan with all the Utility of an SUV. Great Single Female vehicle, especially with the NAV system with Emergency capability. Too Cool! Bravo Lexus!

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  Comfort - 2015 Lexus RX 450h
  By John Hurd - August 13 - 5:58 pm

  Premium fuel

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  Excellent luxury car for the value - 2007 Lexus ES 350
  By cg - August 12 - 10:16 pm

  This car is sporty yet luxurious. I am very happy with it. It is much nicer than my mercedes c230 and smoother. Acceleration is very good, though not as sporty as other sports cars in its prie range. Road noise was a little louder than I expected.

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  Falls short - 2014 Lexus ES 350
  By bggiseries - August 12 - 7:44 pm

  This would be my second ES350. I liked the 07 version better but this one does have many things I like. This one is pretty much loaded. The blind spot / cross traffic alert is great but a lot of vehicles have that now. I like streaming the music from my smartphone. Acceleration is very good but sometimes sluggish from the start. The window design is ridiculous. They slope into the car a fair amount so when it rains, water will drip on your arm, leg and seat when you open the door. There is no wow factor in this car. There is just way to much wind and road noise. Most all road imperfections are felt. I will not buy another one.

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  Lexus LS4 60 after a month of ownership - 2007 Lexus LS 460
  By alex k - August 12 - 7:10 am

  I guess it is needless to mention all the technological marvels that have been included in this vehicle. The 380 HP power plant paired with an 8 speed automatic transmission deliver the most pleasant, luxury ride. The car comes pre-packaged in 4-5 trims. Unfortunately I could not get a laser-guided cruise control with pre-collision system, since it is only offered on the top of the line LS460 L. I could not buy the longer version due to length limitation of my garage, and the above feature is not normally installed on lower end models. Of course one could configure any combination of features, but that is subject for a long wait, since vehicle has to be special ordered in this case.

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  Not for me - 2008 Lexus RX 350
  By not for me - August 11 - 4:43 am

  All I can say is so far so bad. No fun at all to drive. Cant even feel the road. Armrest is worthless because it is too short to rest your arm on it. Vibrations and rattles that are very annoying. Disabling navigation and bluetooth features while moving renders options I paid for useless. Center console poorly designed.