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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  Stellar Commuter / Superb Highway Cruiser - 1998 Lexus LS 400
  By Charlie - June 29 - 9:30 am

  Wow! What a pinnacle of design coming from before the year 2000! Buying a used ls400 for less than $20k must be the best way to get such a refined ride without paying four/five times that for something new that will be comparable. I bought mine for $14k with low miles and it is the best vehicle I have ever purchased to date. Everything about it is so great! I studied engineering and when I found out about how many engineers and designers went into building this and for how long the design process took plus the incredible budget it had, I instantly knew this car would really be something else and boy was I right. This isnt something that was put together in under a year with newly graduated engineering students to turn a quick buck. Everything about this vehicle really shows the design process, thought, and effort that went into making it to final production. I could go on about the history but there are many articles that you can find about it. I will now just write about my experience in owning it. The first thing that I noticed was how quiet the cabin is when I shut the door. Instantly I was sheltered from the outside world. The stillness and calmness of my surroundings was the only thing present. I knew this was going to be one comfortable ride from there on out. When I started the car for the first time, the start was strong, confident, and fast in turning the engine over. The 4.0 V8 came to life and the tales are true. It is a very balanced engine. I couldnt tell that the engine was running after the initial start up. The car I bought was well taken car of. The man before me was 72 years old in 1998 when he bought his LS400. I knew I wouldnt have issues with this vehicle. I have never driven a v8 and only been in trucks that had a v8 or sports cars as a passenger. This v8 was just different. Tuned for comfort, its incredible how smooth the acceleration is and competent this engine is at getting the whole car moving. I was instantly hooked! I dont want to go to v6s anymore after this. The transmission is impeccable in its timing to shift. I can only tell when it shifts from first to second but only barely. After that, its a mystery when the engine gets to its fifth speed. I had to google the specs to know when it shifts. Its that smooth! With close to 300 horsepower, you can get up to speed in a couple of heartbeats. Perfect for keeping up with modern vehicles and drivers who act like the highway is some kind of race track. No issues speeding up to merge. The brakes do a phenomenal job at doing the inverse. Actually, I had to slam on them when a car cut me off at an intersection yesterday and they did their job at erasing my speed and preventing a crash. I am thankful that the braking performance was that good. I am a fan of large capacity fuel tanks and this v8 sips on gas. I was a little nervous of going down in fuel efficiency especially from a car from the 90s but regular driving I am hitting at least 21 MPG combined. Which is the same as my last SUV from the mid 2000s with a v6. This is a perfectly acceptable efficiency for me. On the highway, I have seen almost 25mpg which is still pretty great. I live in a very mountainous state so I expect the MPGs to be closer to 30mpg on a flat stretch of road. Coupled with 22.5 gallon tank, yeah you can go far! This is great for peace of mind when travelling in smaller highways when gas stations are far from each other. Yes it is premium so the price is steeper but hot dang, i dont mind. If it was 15mpg like my truck, I would reconsider this truck but with a range over 400 miles its not too tough of a bite to swallow. The suspension is articulate in controlling the vehicle and absorbing the imperfections of the road. Going over speed bumps you can feel the suspension swallow the force of the vehicle going up and down. It is like riding on a cloud. My coworker saw me drive and could see the vehicle floating on its tires. With the tires it has and the suspension, this is a supremely vibration free ride. Going back to the interior, I really enjoy how thoughtfully placed all the central controls are. Everything just makes sense! The placement must have taken several design sessions to get just right and they did the job. Everything is grouped in priority and relevance to each other. No funky controls cluttering up the dash. The steering wheel is polite and will move out of its way when you are trying to exit and will position itself when you insert the key getting ready to drive. The seats are highly adjustable and will remember their settings once trained. Going into reverse, the side view mirror shifts down so you can make sure your parking job is perfect each and every time. The trim and material selection is top tier and nothing rattles around. It gives the feeling that this vehicle was well put together. The cabin is solid and insulated. The seats are comfortable and the leather is soft and supple. There is plenty of space on the horizontal front but vertically things get limited. I am 5'10" and have just a couple of inches of headroom. I can't wear my cowboy hat while driving. A bummer for sure but no big deal. I sit really straight up anyways and if I inclined a little I could save a couple of inches. Taller people might struggle more. That is the only really negative of the interior. It does have cavernous leg space however which allows you to spread out gratuitously. The exterior design is classic and timeless. I have already gotten countless complements from friends, coworkers, family, and even strangers (one driver rolled down his windows, nodded and gave me the a-okay sign with his hand). I did buy a vehicle with impeccable paint with no scratches or anything signing that it has aged outside. It is a beautifully designed car and quite the sight to see when driving around, you just dont see many of these anymore in the condition mine is. I can see why BMW and Mercedes started to sweat with the release of this vehicle. An gorgeous design from Japan. The germans werent the only ones capable of making a work of art. So far this vehicle has been a joy to use. It has become my new daily and that was the reason why I chose this. I realized that I am going to spend a large number of hours in this vehicle living my daily life and decided that I needed something that would spoil me during those hours with comfort. I wasnt interested in paying close to a mortgage payment for a new luxury car so new it was and a used LS400 in great shape might command a premium but it is still vastly under the price of new. That was all the justification I needed to look for a show room condition LS400 and to pay that much. I paid $14k, the price of an modern entry level domestic hunk of junk. I fully expect this vehicle to drive me at least a decade, and more probably, and for that price, it cant be beat! If you have the chance to find one in great condition with low miles like myself, please do yourself a favor and jump on it! You wont find those any more in the coming years....

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  17 year old with 40,000 miles - 2004 Lexus SC 430
  By Pete Giambalvo - January 11 - 5:57 pm

  Just purchased an '04 SC430 in Oregon with 41,000 miles on it. Where it has been for 17 years baffles me. The car looks and runs like new, just a few wear details. It replaced an '02 SC430 that was totaled. I loved the SC430 so much, I didn't want any other car.

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  Bad quality, need a major repair at only 45,000 miles - 2014 Lexus GX 460
  By Carlos Canedo - November 17 - 9:15 pm

  I AM VERY SURPRISED THAT MY LEXUS GX 460, when I took it to maintenance for only 45,000 miles, the ADVISOR told me that the car had an oil spill, that I should change the gaskets, and seals, this tells me that this type of car They are only expensive, but very ordinary, no car that I had presented this type of problem, I am very discouraged to have acquired such an ordinary car, I only have to pay for my mistake when buying a Lexus GX 460, my bill was 1,639.62,

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  This has been a great car! - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By Liz C - October 4 - 10:20 am

  I bought this used in 2015 with 125K miles on it. Previous owner took very good care of it. It now has 175k miles on it. I am looking at a repair now for a transfer case leak, and this will be my first major repair. I should tell you that club Lexus has been a great resource for information. My daughter cracked the vinyl on the passenger dash by riding with her feet on the dash. Contacted Lexus and they replaced the dash for FREE - a $1500 repair. Said that they didn't want their cars seen with cracked dashes. This was in 2018 well past orig 10 year warranty. That really impressed me. I expect to drive this car to 250k at least. My only regret is that the 2004 did not come with Bluetooth for you phone - that did not come until 2005.

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  Soccer mom car built to last - 2006 Lexus RX330
  By David M. - September 13 - 6:00 pm

  I bought this SUV because of the space, interior options, reliability and value. Great amount of space for mid sized SUV, I’ve moved several times to college in one trip in this car. Drives like a “Camry boat” is the best way to put it, suspension tends to get soft as it ages so most models are a little floaty. Performance is ok with the V6, AWD is good, has gotten me through several New England blizzards. Not a performance car though it handles like a truck and transmission is slow, but it can get up to highway speed with some zip after some getting used to. Resetting the ECU helps the car learn to be more responsive since the last owner was probably an 84 year old with cataracts who drives 15 below the limit. The interior options are all modern, touchscreen is dated but works great. In fact, every switch button and light works perfectly after 17 years, something you don’t usually see in an old luxury car. Toyota built the inside to last. Minor wear on seats and a decent amount on the arm rests. Dash also cracks but mine only a bit, this is a known problem in these cars and some are very bad. Otherwise interior has held up great, but my previous owner probably took great care of it. Exterior tends to age worse, at least in my state (MA). Plastic panels and covers have warped creating some noticeable panel gaps, and my paint has faded on the drivers front door where the sun hits it directly. At first glance most imperfections aren’t noticeable, but give the car a good look and they’re there. The car has an interesting style, most of my friends say I drive a soccer moms car, but they also think the car is about 7 years old, I’m okay with that. Reliability is good. Resists rust even in salt states. I have a little rust but the car stays clean with regulars washes. In 3.5 years of ownership, I’ve had 4 minor failures with the car (ignition coil, battery fuse, sunroof drain leak, exhaust support hangar) totaling less than $250 to repair. Parts are easy to get but sometimes cost a Lexus premium. Fluids and regular maintenance is cheap and easy to do yourself. Mileage is eh, I average about 18mpg overall. The car has maintained roughly the same value since purchased even with 30k additional miles. Value is fantastic, if you’re willing to put up with some minor quirks and keep it maintained, this car will never let you down.

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  Luv it all but the tires ! - 2005 Lexus SC 430
  By Mark - January 1 - 6:28 pm

  Walk around it, climb inside it, and then put the top down . YOURE HOOKED ! But then the run-flat tires ruin everything. Couldnt wait to get rid of them...and now its PERFECT !

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  Smooth and reliable - 2001 Lexus LS 430
  By Chad - November 19 - 9:10 pm

  I have owned my 2001 LS430 for 2 years. Not one one complaint. I cant believe how perfect it is after 19 years. No leaks, and drives better than much newer cars.

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  DO NOT BUY till you read my Post - 2019 Lexus RX 350
  By Sam - January 17 - 10:39 pm

  We purchased a brand new Lexus RX350 from a dealership in South Jersey. A day after we bought it my wife was complaining about an annoying wind noise coming from the rear passenger windows. The noise gets worse as you reach speeds of 30 mph and higher. I test drove the vehicle and sure enough it is a very annoying sound. When we test drove the vehicle the radio was on and we were talking so we didn’t hear it. I take the vehicle to the Lexus dealership. The service manager sits in the rear while I drove the car. He denied hearing the noise and as I reached speeds of 40 mph it was so noticeable that even he couldn’t deny it. After taking the car into their shop for 2 hours, they come to me and tell me the technicians didn’t find any issues. I left there pissed off and disappointed with the dealer and the LEXUS brand. Now the car sits on the driveway and no one wants to drive it. Got my wife an AUDI Q7 and it’s quiet like the old Lexus cars used to be. Save yourself the heartache and pain as well as the disappointment and DO NOT PURCHASE a LEXUS. If you don’t believe me do yourself a favor and test drive the vehicle with the radio off and the salesman not running his pitch.

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  Precision Machine - 2005 Lexus SC 430
  By Greg Hamilton - November 12 - 3:56 pm

  I like many others have had the muscle cars and the European Sports cars, but I can tell you that this is the absolutely the most fun car to drive ever. Top up driving is quiet and luxurious while you cruise along the road with the Mark Levinson sound system surrounding you with pure crisp top quality sound. With the top down it is an experience you will never forget. Cruising down the highway at 70 mph, listening to a sound system that is as clear with the top down as it is with it up. The ride is like floating on a cloud. I wish they still made the SC430 so that i could get a new one,,but I will hang on to my 2005 at long as i can. Best car ever{{{

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  Wonderful Car--But Now Have Mysterious Sound System Issue - 2013 Lexus ES 350
  By ROBERT GOYETTE - June 28 - 1:27 pm

  Great car, smooth quiet ride, best car I have owned. Recently was in accident where I backed out of my driveway too quickly and backed into an immovable utility truck parked on street. Very foolish, my fault. Rear bumper and passenger side fender crunched. Private, very reliable body shop did work, beautiful outcome. Now Sound system is on sometimes, off sometimes. Excellent sound system. Understand amplifier is underneath drivers seat on this model year. Am driving myself and body shop crazy as sometimes sound is OK, then it is not OK. Moved the seat around to different positions, no effect. Sound system was OK this a.m., went to worked, parked, and when returned in p.m., sound system did not work. Stopped at pharmacy on way home, picked up an item, returned and sound system now works again. Anyone have any ideas on this?