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 RX! - 2005 Lexus RX 330
  By JC - December 29 - 3:33 am

  This car feels safe, is comfortable, and has a lot of features I never thought about before, but cant live without now. Overall though, its my favorite car out of the ones Ive had, and Ill be driving Lexus in the future.

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  ES 350 Door Handle Pulls off door - 2007 Lexus ES 350
  By tellitall - December 28 - 1:26 am

  I purchased my ES 350 in June of 2006. This was my first Lexus and Ive been very happy with my car and I had no problems up until this past week. My drivers side door handle pulled off the door. Until I was able to take the car into the dealership I had to snap the handle back onto the door. Initially Lexus was wanted me to pay for labor costs. I disputed those and Lexus paid for the replacement. I have purchased many cars and never, has a door handle broken on any of the cars I have purchased.The door was not tampered with there was no sign of forced entry. I believe this is a defect in construction.

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  All I have to say is WOW!!!!! - 1997 Lexus LS 400
  By deezeer55 - December 26 - 2:44 pm

  This car is absolutely amazing. I have owned it since 2003 and the most major problem we ever had was replacing the fuel pump ($350). We got it with 25k miles and now it has 125k. We also have a 2010 TL and I still love driving my classic around. The LS is sooo smooth and so comfortable that I havent drove many like it. She still runs like a beast and I hope she runs for years to come. Really a great and reliable car. Thanks Lexus!!!

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  Not as quiet as ES model - 2013 Lexus ES 300h
  By fsb123 - December 24 - 9:38 pm

  Bought my car in September 2013,traded in my 2007 ES350. First thing I noticed is a strong thumping noise when you start the car and put it in reverse when backing out of the driveway. The same thumping noise is repeated when the car is in idle like when waiting for the traffic light to change like the battery is switching to gas. I usually drive the car on ECO mode but I have never reached the 39 to 40 mpg advertised, my car is only averaging 30 mpg and on a average speed of only 29mph. I have the parchment interior which get dirty in no time. Interior amenities not as generous as the older ES350. Overall the car is satisfactory but not worth the premium price over the ES350.

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  Could Have Done Better - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By FirstLexus - December 24 - 1:06 am

  Have owned my first Lexus for 6 mos. A great handling car with nice features but: Way too stiff ride for a luxury car, excessive wind noise (always sounds like a window is cracked), center console is awkward to get into and the USB and power outlets are too hard to reach down in the bottom. NAV system is nice but only a small portion works while moving, even on bluetooth. While driving on a highway, you have to get off & find a place to park to have full use of it. Not too practical when driving down the hwy and wanting to find food or shopping!

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  Bumper defect - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By Marc - December 15 - 10:03 am

  Several problems with my wifes car. First, the front right bumper pops out since the car was new. The dealership says we damaged it, but we didnt. Access to the charger is difficult if not impossible. Controls for seat heaters are difficult to access. Changing the tirp computer is impossible while driving because the controls are obscured by the steering wheel. Also, the general quality of materials is poor, easily scratched with normal use. For instance, the plastic trim in rear hatch scratches easily if brushed with objects placed into the car. After a short while, there are many scratches and abrasions appearing. Materials less durable than BMW or Land Rover.

• 

  Great Overall Drive - Horrible Fuel! - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By Marc - December 11 - 7:00 pm

  Fuel economy was way below what I thought/heard/read! I average 8 as do mostly inner city driving. On the hwys its a totally diff story but still tight. For me its worth it :)

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  Disappointed - 2005 Lexus RX 330
  By LP - December 8 - 1:30 pm

  Lots of rattles, the brake pedal makes a constant irritating thumping noise everytime I even tap it. Windshield wipers get frozen to the windshield and rip off and inevitably scratch the windshield before Ive had a chance to replace them. A heated windshield would be appropriate. The most astounding thing that shocked me was that I had to purchase 4 expensive snow tires for this AWD SUV. The all season that came with the sale of the vehicle did not perform at all in the snow. I was literally sliding all over the road and had no choice but to spend $1000 to buy "snow blizzaks".

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  WATCH OUT FOR THE PAINT - 2012 Lexus ES 350
  By scotish1 - December 5 - 2:51 pm

  I did all my research before I bought my 2012 Lexus ES350, heard nothing but good things and heard nothing about people having paint issues. I have owned only high end cars most of my life, so I am on the compulsive side when it comes to maintaining my vehicles, I do not use car washes,I have my cars profesionally detailed, do not drive on dirt roads and so on well, I have so many scratches on my Lexus, I stopped counting!! it has less then 4000 miles on it, and it looks like a five year old car. Looked it up on the computer and found they had a class action law suit do to paint problems.

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  GREAT TECHNOLOGY POOR TRANSMISSION - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By ed brundage - December 2 - 10:00 am

  BEAUTIFUL CAR, GREAT RIDE, QUIET, BUT VERY POORLY DESIGNED TRANSMISSION SHIFTING. THE BEST LEXUS MECHANIC AT DEALER SAYS SHIFTING CAN NOT BE IMPROVED. A FACTORY FIX TSB 005-03, WAS INTENDED TO FIX THE PROBLEM - DONT BELIEVE IT. DEALER SAYS OTHER PROBLEMS SUCH AS RIGHT MIRROR NOT DROPPING ENOUGH IN REVESE AND AIR LEAK AT DRIVERS DOOR "NORMAL" - SMALL BUT ANNOYING.