Lexus LS price has risen, so has overall quality

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California ­– The Lexus LS sedan has long been one of my favorite high-end passenger cars.

In fact, years ago, I told friends and relatives that even if I had millions of dollars to spend, I’d likely still buy the LS as my every day transporter, given its sublime blend of style, performance and luxury.

This was when a Lexus LS 430 started in the mid-$50,000s.

Times have changed.  The recently tested 2015 Lexus LS 460L rear-rear driver started at $78,820 and was dressed up with extras to put the bottom line at $84,605.

Say it with me: WOW!

Yes, power, perks and other opulent wonders have been added over the years to enhance that old LS 430, pushing the price higher and higher.  For me, at this price, my week in the tested sedan was a trip to Fantasy Island.

Considered in that fashion, I appreciated the current LS for what it has to offer.

It looks sleek and strong-shouldered on the outside, but the overall vibe is class and luxury.

Inside, the luxury is overwhelming.

Plentiful luxo features are beautifully laid out amid rich wood and leather appointments.  The wood-and-leather steering wheel alone feels like it must cost 20-grand.

There’s ample front and rear room for five adults.  The comfort level is off the charts.

Performance from the 4.8-liter, 386-horsepower V-8 is impressive.  Power is dished up in buttery style, so smooth that you can be touching 80 miles per hour before you even sense something resembling high speed.

A lengthy list of safety features makes you feel secure beyond the sedan’s instantly apparent bank vault characteristics on the move.

Fuel mileage is nothing to write home about, with the sizable V-8 consuming 16 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

That’s to be expected.  Fuel costs are not high on the list of concerns voiced by Lexus LS buyers.

If anything, the luxury and performance level of the current LS line moves it up into the high Mercedes-Benz, low Bentley level.  It’s that good.  And yes, the price required to own one would certainly qualify for those lofty levels as well.

If you are sufficiently well off to consider a luxury car, the LS 460L should be on your test-drive list, even if you’re pondering other cars with stickers starting at six figures.  At the high end, cost is relative.  But the charms of this current-generation LS sedan are universal and worth sampling.