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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  Great VALUE - 2009 Lexus ES 350
  By LexMan - October 12 - 5:50 pm

  Smooth serene (very minimal wind noise at 70 MPH) luxurious ride on freeways. My previous 93 LS 400 (AIR SUSPENSION) however, was still noticeably smoother on bumpy roads. The Mark Levinsons CLARITY is auditory nirvana. Bluetooth, navigation, parking assists, and backup camera are highly useful features. Glovebox is small; SECRET: there is an elastic strap in its upper right FRONT corner to secure the HUGE owners manual to the small ledge at the back of the glovebox. Center storage consoles capacity is better in the 2010 design. Only serious competitor for IMMEDIATE VALUE is the Hyundai Genesis, but can be jittery over bumpy roads with unknown reliability and likely faster DEPRECIATION.

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  Luxury car at middle class price - 2010 Lexus ES 350
  By jarmstr73 - October 11 - 11:16 pm

  I leased this car last week after trading in my 2005 Honda Pilot. Needless to say its like going from cattle class to first class on an airplane. This vehicle has many of the features of the LS (Lexus flagship model) at less than 1/2 the price. Acceleration is competent but the front wheel drive reminds you this is not German engineering. Interior creature comforts abound, seats are comfortable (heated & cooled), sound system is good, features like bluetooth, Navi, etc. are easy to use and intuitive - unlike many vehicles today. Noise is minimal, ride is soft, feedback is not great - steering is a bit soft. Overall good family car if youre looking for excellent service and low main.

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  Great car, just beware mileage & legroom - 2006 Lexus RX 400H
  By David S - October 11 - 12:50 pm

  This is a beautifully made car, well designed, & drives very smoothly due the the CVT (continuously variable transmission). The quality is excellent inside & out. Only 2 critiques: 1) Getting lower gas mileage than expected, abt 20 mpg in city driving. Our commute may be too short (10 mi 1 way) to get enough regenerative braking to fully charge the hybrid batteries, so we depend mostly on the gas engine, not the electric. In fairness, it only has 1600 miles on it, & others have said mileage improves after about 2000. 2) Rear seats need more legroom for tall folks. We are short, but if taller folks are in front seat, they will eat up rear legroom. That said, we still love this car!

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  Superb automibile - 2004 Lexus SC 430
  By Harry Barbee - October 11 - 10:00 am

  This is an excellent vehicle( and the 4th Lexus I have purchased). I also have a LS 430. Fun to drive, powerful engine, great pickup and fast and easy to handle on the Interstates as well as around town.The car attracts attention with its outstanding styling. The sound system is outstanding and the GPS system is almost as good as that in my LS430( unhappily, no live Lexus link, otherwise just as good.)

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  Positive review - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By Merlyn - October 11 - 10:00 am

  This car is new to me as I have only had it for about a week. Thus far, it has proven more than satisfactory in ride and performance. My one complaint is that the interior does not have enough nooks and cranies to store things.

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  AWESOME RX - 2016 Lexus RX 450h
  By Jules - October 11 - 1:26 am

  This is my 3rd Lexus SUV and it is stunning, superb, outstanding quality! Mine was a SPO and I waited 7 1/2 months before taking ownership. Well worth the wait!!

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  Excellent car to own - 2006 Lexus RX 400H
  By John - October 10 - 11:06 pm

  Very smooth car. Powerful yet fuel efficient. Details play to all your senses. Great car to own.

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  LOVE This Car - 2011 Lexus CT 200H
  By chuckwes - October 10 - 2:49 pm

  This car is amazing. I saw it at the auto-show in Denver in the Spring and was impressed by its appearance and price. Being it is a Hybrid and I see how most people drive the Prius needless to say I was speculative about it. That was until I test drove it. It had me at hello. I came out of a 2010 Mazda 3 so Im used to bit of a rough ride. This car is a little bumpy but nothing like I was used to. It has get up and go like you wouldnt believe. The driver seat has great adjustments. The customization for different bells and whistles are easy. The sound quality in the stereo is very good (I had Bose in the Mazda 3 so Im having a bit of withdrawal on the bass). Being able to switc

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  The Best Vehicle - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By Julie - October 10 - 8:36 am

  We bought our vehicle in June and we have now had the vehicle for 6 months. We absoulutely love this vehicle. We cannot be any happier we decided to buy this vehicle. We looked at the TL, Toyota, and BMW. After test driving the Lexus we completely forgot about the other vehicles. The service we receive at Lexus is always impeccable.

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  Very nice car except engine groan, trans hunts - 2017 Lexus RX 350
  By John Bowling - October 9 - 4:45 pm

  My wifes car, but I drive when we are together; about 75% of total miles. I could get used to the engine groaning sound if it werent for the 8-speed transmission constantly grabbing a gear so high it cant maintain speed on a hill (louder groan) and shifting back down within four seconds, then repeating the sequence. It is the constant attempt to keep engine revs under 1,800 rpm for fuel economy that causes the groaning and very slight vibration. The engine is laboring, even under the light throttle of a gentle driver the revs are so low. Downshifting manually a gear or two completely eliminates it, making the engine very smooth and quiet. The transmission is also reluctant to downshift when speed drops on a hill with throttle still applied. When climbing a steep hill into our neighborhood, I must make a sharp turn. I feather the throttle to time my speed reduction to reach 6 or 7 mph as I reach the sharp corner, still climbing steeply. As I turn it gets steeper and I add throttle. The speed drops further because its still in third gear. The torque converter sounds like it is being abused. The car slows to about two mph, slower than I want to go before dropping to second, but if I add enough throttle to make it downshift when it should it would surge ahead too strongly for the turn. It never selects first, which is what is needed. I now shift manually every time I climb any hill to prevent these problems. When I do, the engine is quiet, smooth, sounds happy at 2,000-2,500 rpm and of course there is no hunting. The transmission programming must have been done on flat land with fuel economy paramount. Positive effects are my gentle driving and their crummy programming have produced 25.5 mpg combined over many tanks of gas, which is well above EPA estimates. Beating EPA estimates by 15% is typical for me, but I can do it without such substandard transmission performance. One last transmission observation; when cruising gently, then deciding to pass, upon adding a lot of throttle suddenly the car does nothing for almost two seconds as it thinks, revs, drops several gears (all at once, to its credit) and finally takes off. Planning is required. I expect they will get all this sorted out, but keep these points in mind before buying a 2017 if they would bother you. Otherwise a great car. Very quiet, smooth riding, nice seat and steering wheel memory setup, 10,000 mi oil changes, very high quality materials with the luxury pkg. Oh, lane keeping assist rarely works and no headlight system, standard or optional, turns with the steering wheel, even though it is badly needed for curvy back road driving and they incorrectly call both systems "adaptive." Neither adapts to anything. Cornering lights with optional LED headlights are very helpful when turning, but when driving a curvy road at night there are still big dark areas to either side of the high beams, which swiveling headlights would fix. My BMWs truly adaptive bi-xenons with cornering lights that meet the edges of the high beams are far superior. Adaptive Bi-xenon means both low and high beams swivel. Wonderful for curvy roads, which is all we,have around here. My tread depth gauge shows fast tire wear despite 98th percentile on gentleness. Power steering is easy at low speeds, as it should be. Overhead view with backup camera beside it can be selected to display automatically at 6 mph and below. It is terrific for parking. My wife loves this car. I would say I like it despite its flaws. There are a lot of good points.