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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  First Time Lexus Owner - 2007 Lexus RX 350
  By Tammy - September 16 - 4:00 pm

  Althought the RX 350 has several things going for it, there are at least as many negatives. We were sold on the Lexus reputation for reliability, & so far it holds true. But the cabin isnt as roomy as wed like for it to be. The car itself is too lightweight. At times Ive had the steering feel as though its being yanked out of my hand during sudden acceleration. No matter how I adjust the outside mirrors I still have huge blind spots. The cargo area has turned out to be so much less than we need. Max. seating for comfort - 4. I miss my Tahoe!

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  Lexus LS400 - 1995 Lexus LS 400
  By Klimek - September 8 - 9:20 pm

  It all started in 83 when Toyota chief decided to compete with the best luxury cars like Mercedes and BMW, first LS400 came to market in 1990. The rest is history. I have owned several LSes in the past few years. Currently I have two LS 400s, one has 102k miles another one 229k miles(!) There is almost no difference between those to cars. Both run perfect without any problems. My mechanic (Lexus technician) told me, that those cars are: "bullet proof". We have 4 LS400 in my family all of them high mileage. two have over 200k miles and those are much more reliable than most new cars we had. Dont be afraid of high mileage LSes any year. Those cars were over engineered.

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  Transmission shifts poorly in ES330 - 2004 Lexus ES 330
  By Doug in VA - September 6 - 2:00 am

  First the good things: This car has a superbly designed interior with real wood accents that is beautiful. It rides very smoothly, and is extremely quiet. The ML stereo and GPS navigation sytsem are incredible. However, this car is spoiled by a poorly shifting transmission. When punching the gas pedal, theres frequently a 1-1.5 second delay before the engine accelerates and the transmission engages. This unpredictability makes the car frustrating to drive in heavy traffic.

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  As tight as the day it was new - 2004 Lexus IS 300
  By mjdart - September 1 - 10:00 am

  Excellent car, stylish, desirable by all age groups and genders.

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  Lexus RX 350 08 - 2008 Lexus RX 350
  By Super Tsuper - August 25 - 12:16 am

  Just bought RX 350 AWD 2 weeks ago. I love the interior except for a few quirky features like the heated seats on/off button which is like a childs toy. To turn it on and adjust the heat, you have to push a knob that pops out and then turn to select the desired heat. Very conventional way for a SUV w/ $2.7K of nav system. Sound system is not too excellent either, reception very poor.

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  99 LS400 - 1999 Lexus LS 400
  By Richard Corder - August 19 - 11:56 pm

  My 3rd Lexus, the most reliable brand I have even owned. Zero problems with the car, strong performance, highway mileage is in excess of 27 mpg. Dealer service is outstanding, follow up from the manufacturer is excellent.

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  Love The Vehicle, However intermittent noise - 2017 Lexus RX 350
  By Ron - August 19 - 12:20 pm

  Purchased Vehicle March 11, 2017. I Love The RX350 AWD. Lexus did a great job with this vehicle. I have just one irritant, there is a intermittent noise or vibration that occurs from time to time with no associated speed or condition. Every time I took it to the dealership and went on the test drive with the technician the noise did not occur and we drove the vehicle under all sorts of condition for more than an hour. So we have not been able to duplicate the issue currently. For now the noise has stopped. My fear is that it will comeback, I just wish I could get the noise to occur with the tech in the car. Ill just have to wait and see if it returns again. Over all Im thrilled and love this vehicle. RLP.

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  good and bad - 2003 Lexus IS 300
  By gogogirl - August 18 - 2:00 am

  Sure the car handles pretty well but it needs more HP 260 would have been just fine not 220. The exterior body of the car is just about the best thing about this vechicle, but for over 30k I would invest in something else. To start there is no memory seating,no radio controls on the steering wheel, no leg space and lots of blind spots! Not a good deal for your money.

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  love it, but it does have faults - 2006 Lexus RX 400H
  By rx400howner - August 8 - 7:08 pm

  This has been the best car Ive ever owned, however, I have never gotten more than 21 MPG. Beyond that, there are no cup holders for those in the back seats, which I never thought of until it became an issue. The navigation system takes too long to start & the update ($500) I paid for after a few years didnt include any noticeable improvements. In my 6th year, as well as this, my 7th year of ownership, I have experienced a new issue with the door to the gas cap sticking, with an annoying wait while gas visibly escapes to relieve pressure in order for the door to open. The dealer tells me this is normal, but it is new to me in all of these years. Its a fun car to drive but with flaws.

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  A great car - 2004 Lexus SC 430
  By brian1 - August 6 - 10:00 am

  While every auto magazine seems to pan this car for performance, the truth is, this car equals the Mercedes SL 500 on the zero-60 tests, has better build quality and the interior and engine is about as nice and smooth as it gets. I would like to see another 30 h.p. and I like to see Lexus comeout with their own AMG or "M" division so that Lexus can compete with these performance machines.