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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  @1 - 2003 Lexus IS 300
  By Fabio - December 10 - 2:00 am

  fun to drive, eager to run. lots of power, high fidelity road noise. You will eventually understand why someone said its a sports car for the Nintendo generation. The value seems to be on the short end, the underlying Toyota Altezza personality shows. Shouldnt I get a something else for the money?

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  Lexus rx300 - 1999 Lexus RX 300
  By judibutz - December 7 - 10:00 am

  The most reliable car I have ever owned. I wish the look had been changed so I could buy again. Am going for the Murano. Handling was a draw back to the rx although I love this car - turning radius leaves a lot to be desired.

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  Solid SUV - 2004 Lexus GX 470
  By VS - December 7 - 7:33 am

  Bought my 04 with 43K miles as certified with 3yr/100K warranty. Now 2 yrs later have 78K and it still drives better then many new cars and SUVs. Very solid vehicle and very useful for cargo hauling (I own a small business with frequent airport trips with as many as 20 cases inside with rear seats removed and middle seats folded!). 3rd seats dont have enough leg room, but otherwise are Ok for short trips. Comfy seats with very tastefully done interior, large sunroof, very macho-looking from outside. Overall trouble-free 2 yrs with some minor wear-tear issues, like tires, brakes and some bulbs...great for snow and bad weather - feels very secure on the road with commanding view!

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  Dedicated hybrid with style - 2010 Lexus HS 250H
  By tmckean - December 5 - 4:23 am

  We got this to replace our IS 250 AWD. Seat comfort is wonderful as is the ride. Rear seating is entirely adequate for a smallish car. Trunk holds golf clubs and luggage and is adequate. Features associated with the NAV system just make the car a joy to be in. Very good visibility inside. Acceleration is adequate and even generates a bit of torque steer. The car is pretty cool looking and, in other words, a hybrid that satisfies someone who enjoys a nice car with a lot of features.

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  2nd GX... - 2011 Lexus GX 460
  By bobbio56 - November 28 - 9:17 pm

  Traded loaded 04 with 119k miles for 11. The 11 is much more refined, smoother and more teched savvy. Mileage for first 1400 miles has been at least a 25% improvement. 3rd row seats are easy to use. Very quiet and stable at all speeds. Cooled front seats are great. Kinetic suspension performs really well, had that on my 04 as an option. blue tooth phone quality is excellent, voice commands for all functions is sub par. Paint quality is a vast improvement over 04! Looked at every suv & crossover out there and came back to Lexus/GX.

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  Honest car owner feedback - 2013 Lexus ES 300h
  By hp51200372 - November 24 - 4:31 pm

  Excellent car with quiet, comfortable ride. Great fuel mpg at the cost of sacrificing performance with 4 cylinder 156 HP engine. Loud engine noise accelerating even in sport mode. Expensive 46k car for 4 cylinder CVT hybrid engine. Not worth the money. Lexus ES350 v6/268 HP is highly recommended which cost 3k less then ES300H.

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  Great SUV; soccer mom car - 2005 Lexus GX 470
  By gw9 - November 22 - 1:33 pm

  Having owned Lexus before I knew this would be a very reliable car. Gas & go. Maintain per mfg recommendations and it will last forever. What it is for: In town errands; carrying clean cargo like groceries and such; long road trips; ski trips; car pools. What its not for: Work truck; off roading; hauling heavy trailers; hauling construction supplies or plant material. Its a soccer mom car. Reliable, elegant, comfy. Zero excitement but what SUV is?

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  Nice car - 2005 Lexus SC 430
  By charlyn - November 20 - 8:30 pm

  This car does not have a very good shock absorber system. It is very rough on the road, but it gets about 26mpg, which is better than I expected on highway driving at fast speeds. The car has a lot of power.

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  Ugly Front End - 2016 Lexus RX 450h
  By Henry - November 20 - 5:12 am

  Horrible looking front end. Looks like Lexus Engineers don’t know how to finish this side of the vehicle, so they add big chip looking plastic mash. For everything else I give 5 stars.

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  Nice, But Not Great.Quality Has Declined - 2005 Lexus RX 330
  By Blair - November 18 - 7:36 am

  Although the RX330 has some improvements, there have been some steps backwards in my opinion. The car is much noisier than the RX300, particularly noticeable at speeds over 50. Highway noise is NOT muted as in other Lexus models, wind noise is a constant. Transmission shifting from a start is laborious and loud. The Mark Lev radio is nothing special and its volume controls are make it hard to find a volume that you can keep it on. The radio lite is too bright. The back-up camera is weak: at night the screen "whites out",and there is no useful depth perception. The adaptive headlights gyrate and flit around constantly as you go up and down hills and are of dubious benefit and value.