A favorite sedan loaded with helpful features, tech

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- The Lexus LS flagship sedan has long been a favorite of mine, even as I've watched the price creep up to six figures over the years.

I claimed years ago that, even if I was a multimillionaire, the LS sedan would be all I need in motorized family transportation.  I still feel that way.  Keep your Ferrari or your luxury-laden Euro make.  I'm just fine, thank you.

And while the LS starting price has gone up over time, the automaker has added numerous things along the way to justify the sticker.  That was apparent in the recent tester, the 2023 Lexus LS 500 AWD F Sport.

My ride was packed with a gaudy list of features.  Let's start with the F Sport items, which included adaptive variable suspension, exterior styling touches, leather trimmed interior, heated steering wheel, embossed head rests and 28-way power front seats.

Let's move on to the power moonroof, hands-free power trunklid, rain-sensing wipers, power rear sunshade, pre-collision/pedestrian-detection safety system, radar cruise control, intelligent high-beam headlights, intuitive parking assist, head-up display, 23-speaker Mark Levinson surround-sound system and panorama glass roof.

And that's just the partial list.

Given everything stuffed into the car, the $89,465 sticker price seemed like a bargain.

The exterior look is classy and sporty, with the latter quality enhanced by 20-inch alloy wheels with a "Dark Vapor Chrome" finish on the tester.

Perks aside, the most enjoyment came from driving the LS.  Buttery smooth even at high speed, steering was spot-on perfect, and the AWD vehicle handled with such ease that I wondered if there was some unlisted AI technology making my seat time a breeze.

When asked, the 3.4-liter twin-turbo V-6 instantly turned the luxury liner into a powerful road warrior.  With 416 horses to work with, the LS darted in and out of tight spots with precision ... and with very little noise reaching the cockpit.

For the record, the LS 500 can make the zero-to-60 mph run in 4.6 seconds. Performance characteristics are enhanced by a sophisticated torque-distribution system.

In sum, the LS 500 remains the gold standard for combining luxury, performance, customer-pleasing features and driving pleasure in the luxury/sport sedan class.