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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  RX300AWD - 2002 Lexus RX 300
  By Bundle - November 9 - 9:13 am

  Great vehicle for running about. Turning circle too wide. Fuel mileage is rather low for a rather weak V6. Great workmanship and detail. For tall people, inside can be cramped.

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  Awesome car, nav a bit disappointing - 2007 Lexus ES 350
  By Chicagoboy - November 5 - 9:40 pm

  Car looks and drives great. Ride is cloud-like. Much softer steering than my old SC 400 a sports car but its a sedan and to be expected. Everything is great but NAV/GPS could be much better. Voice recognition works great so far except it is horrible with street names. Easy names bring up other streets. Its like 1 for 4. Thats unacceptable. Also, you cannot type in destinations or bring up lists of places while driving only when stopped. Voice recog. works while driving but its slow process. Its not a deal killer but I expected a much better nav design. Still a winner of a car. No Sirius radio installed bc of probs. Hope Lexus fixes this soon. Highly recommend car.

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  2001 Lexus RX300 - 2001 Lexus RX 300
  By karamzin - November 5 - 9:53 am

  I bought my 2001 Lexus RX300 almost two years ago with 89K, now it has 98K and I love this car. Its a laxuary car with a lot of options. Also, mine has its factory navigation system, so I just changed the disc to 2011 and Im happy. All I have to say its a perfect family car especially in a winter time when it snows.

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  Wonderful, reliable - 1996 Lexus ES 300
  By Marie - November 3 - 1:26 pm

  I have had my 1996 ES Lexus since it was brand new, summer of 1996. Now more than 10 yrs later and 93,000 miles on it, it still drives like a dream. We just took it on 3 long road trips, each trip was about 14-18 hours roundtrip, two of the trips were in 109 degree temps so AC was blasting, absolutely no problems whatsoever! To this day, I still get excellent mileage, 24-26 mpg mixed city and highway. On the way back from AZ to LA, I got 33 mpg, unbelievable. Kept up with oil changes every 5000 miles, other than that my only costs were tires, battery, brake pads, etc when they wore out, and the timing belt, etc at 90,000 because nothing ever went wrong! Reliable, reliable, reliable!

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  RX330 - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By ctomseth - November 3 - 10:00 am

  This is a great vehicle. It can get expensive with options, but you get what you pay for. Even the "base" model is well-equipped and luxurious.

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  Wonderful to Drive - 2008 Lexus SC 430
  By 1driver2another - November 2 - 6:20 am

  This car is a complete joy. Two of my best friends also drive the Lexus SC430, and we all agree. Its the most fun, feel-good car weve ever driven! I enjoy the ease of the retractable hardtop and love the design/look of this car. People stop to compliment this beautiful Lexus.

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  A luxury bargain - 2005 Lexus LS 430
  By Ian Schmidt - November 2 - 4:20 am

  For those of us who dont define ourselves by the hood ornament on our car, the LS 430 is both a fantastic solidly-built car and a great deal. It drives much smaller than it is, its got great power when you "drop the hammer", the Mark Levinson stereo puts many high-dollar home systems to shame, and its truly comfortable for 5 adults. Plus its got enough trunk room to make you wonder why people buy SUVs, and the gas mileage is better than youd expect for a car of this size.

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  Great Vehicle - 2006 Lexus RX 400H
  By NXS - November 1 - 10:30 am

  Bought one for my wife in June to replace her gas guzzling Land Cruiser which was a fantastic vehicle but not for a housewife running around town, was averaging 12.8 per gallon. The Hybrid is averaging 27.3 overall. Fun to drive. Could not help but laugh at a previous readers review suggesting wood in the interior and steering wheel. THIS IS A HYBRID VEHICLE BUILT TO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT, NOT CUT MORE TREES DOWN!!!!!

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  Great SUV - 2005 Lexus RX 330
  By paul1707 - November 1 - 5:50 am

  Just purchased this weekend. Great SUV! Very pleased with Honda Accords for the last 8 years but wanted to sit up higher but didnt want to bulk or fuel consumption of a full size SUV. Considered the Pilot but was too big for our needs. The RX 330 is has a very comfortable ride and Lexus dealership was excellent. Very happy with the performance so far and the Lexus reputation for excellent products and service. Lexus seems to have achieved a very balanced vehicle with safety features, fuel economy, and practicality

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  Great Nav System, Xenon Headlights - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By ColoRetiree - October 30 - 7:23 pm

  Picked it up a month ago. Love the Nav system - very user friendly. The mouse and menu are great to control climate, radio, etc. Drove on a dark winding road in the mountains and the swiveling xenon headlights are fantastic. As other folks have pointed out, the chemical odor is nearly overwhelming when you first pick it up. Parked it in the garage with windows open for a week.