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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  Should be better - 2003 Lexus ES 300
  By Ole John - May 11 - 10:00 am

  The "fly-by-wire" engine control is unstable causing shutters at about 45, and topping hills or at bottom coming up sometimes causes jerks. The red pointer on the instrument panel is hard to read in bright conditions. My car has warped rotors at 8000 miles.

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  Better Then BMW - 2002 Lexus IS 300
  By Better Then BMR - May 8 - 1:20 am

  I shopped around for some time before I decided on my IS 300. What brought me to it at first was the Lexus name and good looks of the car and once I drove it!! WOW!! This is a great car!! Fun to drive, smooth as hell and at times almost seems to know what youre going to do before you do it! Inside the car offers great comfort and you almost forget youre in a sports car. Every friend of mine that has sat in it has used the word WOW a few times! After having this car for a few months Im so glad I didnt buy a BMW!

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  Wind Noise - 2007 Lexus LS 460
  By RBJ - May 7 - 11:36 pm

  The car is almost perfect except for wind noise. For $85,000 this really bugs me and Lexus has not got a cure as of Feb 2008. Can you believe that? Very disappointed owner.

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  I am stumped - 2006 Lexus RX 400H
  By sam1941 - May 2 - 12:32 pm

  I love my Lexus RX 400h and I have already driven it 98,000 miles. But the number of service problems that have been coming up recently are very frustrating. The criuse control died, the battery died, the radiator was leaking and had to be replaced, (not a single drop of coolant on the garage door) and just yesterday the timing belt, the pullies and the water pump had to be replaced too per Lexus request. More than $2500 in less than a year. Is my beloved SUV falling apart or is this a conspiracy !!! I bought my SUV brand new in May 2005 and I feel that I am suffering through the deficiency of it being the first year model in this series.

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  Second Lexus - 2007 Lexus LS 460
  By foolish - May 1 - 10:10 am

  I really enjoy and like the car overall. I feel foolish purchasing the executive package, as you have to be less than 5 ft tall to recline in the back seat recliner. When it is reclined, the front rider seat inhibits the window view out the right side of the car and no one can ride in the front right seat. It goes from a 4 seater to a 3 seater.

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  Great Summer Car, Watch out for snow - 2003 Lexus GS 300
  By rob-gs300 - April 30 - 2:00 am

  I love this car, but with the winter weve had in the northeast its bad side has come out. This is the worst bad weather car I have ever owned!!! The traction control system is a joke. Im done with rear wheel drive cars.

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  New Owner - hard to evaluate reliability - 2003 Lexus ES 300
  By NewES300Owner - April 30 - 2:00 am

  I really like the car, but one option that should be added - stereo controls on the steering wheel. Have only driven about 100 miles so im sure theres more to check out.

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  Lexus Navigation system lousy - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By PCD - April 28 - 2:53 am

  Overall the vehicle is fine. Its comfortable and has many features. Id recommend the car itself but not the purchase of the navigation system. When the car is in motion the navigation menu options are unavailable except for eDestinations which is a subscription service available for a fee. You can issue voice commands to the GPS while driving however the information returned is extremely limited. A query to the POI for example returns 3 choices. Effectively the navigation system is useless while driving. Technically you probably shouldnt use it while driving but theres no option to allow your passenger to use it either. You are better off buying a portable or aftermarket GPS system.

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  Beast - 2007 Lexus GX 470
  By link1235 - April 26 - 12:49 am

  This thing is a beast when comes to snow. The miltary should pick this vehicle up. When it snows I feel like I can go any where. I wish it was a little bigger, of course i have the same complaint on most foreign automobiles. Third row seating is poor but it is a easy fix to take them out. i havent figured out this cassette thing is on the sound system. feel like I can go

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  My IS - 2003 Lexus IS 300
  By ryan1984 - April 24 - 10:00 am

  I just got my IS300 5 months ago and love it. I am actually 18 and have 4 friends with one, and I have never heard a complaint. The E-shift almost makes it feel like you are actually shifting, and when your not it is so smooth. NICE!