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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  Love my GX 460! - 2010 Lexus GX 460
  By Mattiefeb - February 20 - 10:00 am

  I couldnt be happier! Everything about the gx460 is luxury and its rated the most reliable in its class. Its perfect! My kids love it, I love it, and hubby always finds an excuse to drive it. Its first class.

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  I Hate The Expresso Woodgrain - 2010 Lexus ES 350
  By Trinigold - February 20 - 10:00 am

  This car drives like a dream. The exterior color, matador red mica is awesome. I get compliments all the time. However, the interior is another story. I chose black leather because I thought that the ivory interior would be too hard to maintain. The black leather only comes with the espresso wood grain and not the brown walnut, which is dark and along with the dark leather is visually unappealing. The espresso wood grain should not have included in the first place. What were they thinking? In addition, I dont understand why a remote start is not an option. I am satisfied with everything about this car other than the two concerns mentioned above. Pan to change wood grain. Cost: $3500.00

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  Yes I love this inanimate object - 2007 Lexus RX 350
  By Lisa - February 19 - 3:00 pm

  I have wanted a Lexus RX model for the longest time and I am happy to say I am not disappointed! This vehicle glides! Its sexy and at the same time a very practical vehicle! Comfort? Im in heaven. Im enjoying all the features too. Theres no going back to any other vehicle. My husband is getting one next.

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  Outstanding - 2006 Lexus RX 400H
  By M.E. Warenik - February 19 - 2:13 am

  I have experienced total comfort and excellent MPR. This is such a quiet vehicle. A total joy to own. The hybrid experience is about knowing you are doing your small part to help the enviroment.

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  ES 350! - 2007 Lexus ES 350
  By Foster - February 17 - 3:26 pm

  This car is very smooth and quiet and has nice power. The styling is smooth inside and out, very rakish looking from the rear. I have not put a lot of miles on it yet, but I am impressed by it. It has pretty well met my expectations, its a Lexus all the way.

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  Drive it and Youll Love it. - 2004 Lexus GX 470
  By Akros - February 16 - 2:00 am

  A quality vehicle that leaves little to ask for even in the base model. It can be expected to hold value. With a smooth ride and comfortable interior this "heavy" SUV gets good MPG for its weight,shape and V-8 engine. Handling is good. Entry/exit using running boards can be cumbersome. Fit/finish, both in and out, is typical high quality Lexus. Stock highway tires? Switch to Michelin X- Country tires which, in my opinion, should come standard on this type of vehicle. Flush folding rear seats would be a welcome design change. Like the rear door, a "door/gate" that would permit rear door to convert into a tailgate would be welcome. Overall..Great SUV

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  Whew what a car! - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By MOMS Cool RX330 - February 16 - 2:00 am

  One ride and your set! I had the Rx 300 and this Rx330 is quite the difference! Just awesome!

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  Expected way MORE from Lexus! - 2017 Lexus RX 350
  By waldograph - February 15 - 1:09 pm

  Me and my wife bought this RX350 almost a year ago, and she drives it 75% of the time. We are in our early 40s,our first luxury vehicle, previously owned: Isuzu, 2 Hondas, Toyota, Mazda, and 2 Subarus. Recently we took a road trip from Chicago – Miami ( 3,000 mile R/T). Vehicle currently has 15,000 miles and after I read all the mixed reviews I decided to help the undecided. Except for 2 free scheduled maintenances (5,000 and 10,000) car was never in service for any issues. Exterior design: you will either love it or hate it, no comments here, it is a matter of opinion. The good: 1. Luxury interior design with quality and soft materials. 2. Very roomy and quiet cabin, with absolutely no “plastic” squeaking. 3. Comfortable ride, not too soft, not too firm. 4. Very quiet up/down window operation. 5. Lots of room in the back seat. 6. Adjustable rear seats. 7. Great basic speakers. 8. Very convenient front heating seats. 9. Under the trunk floor actual spare tire, not like European competition just repair kit. The bad: 1. Grinding (drone) noise while slow take off around 1,500-2,000 rpm. Reported to Dealer during scheduled maintenance and the answer was: vehicle is operating normally. 2. Transmission forcing higher gears / lower rpm’s to save gas, this makes Eco and Normal modes annoying, Sport mode okay, keeping higher rpm’s and lower gears makes the drive a pleasure. 3. While idle, lots of vibrations of steering wheel, gear shifter and center console. 4. Throttle response is very, very slow (measured 0.6s). 5. When I start the car during cold months, it makes constant, a loud knocking “diesel like” sound in the engine, disappearing as vehicle warms up. Complained during 10,000 maintenance, and technician takes me to another brand new RX350. We started it and it sound like mine. He explained that high pressure fuel pump in the engine when it’s cold makes this type of sound and this is normal...? 6. Using the infotainment is very difficult, and screen menus are not intuitive at all. 7. Never know if AC is on or off, no indicator light or “old fashion” basic on/off switch. To check if AC is on or off you must go thru complicated 4 menu screens...unbelievable! AC compressor defaults to on, even when its 10F outside. 8. Trip odometers switches are hidden on the left side behind steering wheel. Even when stopped it is hard to locate and re-set trip odometer. 9. The front passenger door needs heavy force to close. I oiled it and closing is a bit smoother. 10. On the passenger side the chrome window trim has about 6 dents which we discovered the next day after we purchased. It looks like someone who installed the trim in the factory did this damage. 11. Transmission is confusing sometimes and not sure what to do, hesitates when you give gas. When you add gas the throttle slowly responds and you ends up with one of two: rabbit jump, or turtle motion! 12. Automatic rear hatch closing or opening very, very slow.13. No beep signal when vehicle is locked from the key fob, you are never sure from the distance if vehicle is secured. 14. Tiny holes on the seats makes it easy for crumbs to get stuck in 15. Not even an option to order heated rear seats. Think, and make your own decision before heading to store with your 50,000.

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  08 LS460 - somewhat dissapointing - 2008 Lexus LS 460
  By jeffstephan - February 14 - 10:01 am

  have 65,000 miles on one. Levinson amplifier went out at 60K. Found a repair shop in NJ to fix it for $700. It is 3000 if you go to dealer. Navigation is slow to put in addresses. Cannot change address while driving. Hard to jump start car as battery is very close to firewall with plastic molding above it that needs to be removed. Drivers side window switch went bad at 45,000 miles. Found a used one on ebay for $125 and fixed myself. Paint scratches very easy like others have mentioned. Sound of speakers is excellent. Decent mpg for V8. very comfortable on long drives and safe. Suspension sags into corners when driving spirited.

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  bread and butter of sport sedans - 2002 Lexus IS 300
  By NOLA - February 14 - 10:00 am

  Got rid of my VW Jetta GLX and got this. No more ridiculously expensive parts -- this is Japanese reliability and price with German performance. Who can beat that???