Luxurious Lexus SUV resides in upper class

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 ­– I had some seat time in the Lexus GX 460 sport-utility vehicle a little more than a year back, and getting another bit of time recently in the 2015 version, I was reminded of something.

You pay a Lexus-level price for a reason.

I’ve been on the SUV-testing highway for more than a month now, and reviewing a bunch of sport-utes in a row can make you jaded.  But my time in the “Luxury” version of the GX 460 stood out, because of the nearly obscene levels of luxury, quietness, smoothness and comfort.

And yes, you should have all those things when the bottom line on the sticker reads $65,980.

I should point out at this time that the GX 460 continues into 2016 with very few changes.  That hefty price stays in place, however.

Well, if you can afford the fare, I not only salute you, but I envy you.

The exterior look is pretty classic: big grille/boxy SUV, but inside it’s a luxury suite.

In the tester, I was surrounded by leather trim, a screaming Mark Levinson audio system and beyond-the-norm goodies such as three-zone climate control.

Standard safety features and enhanced-control systems numbered in the dozens.  Suffice it to say that this GX 460 monitors your every driving move and can warn you of imminent contact on all four sides of the vehicle.  It does this at low speed or high speed.

Make you feel secure?  Absolutely.

On the fly, the 4.6-liter V-8 with variable valve timing was something to enjoy for the long-term.  Enthusiastic on the city streets or in the commuter freeway wildlands, the tester was likewise responsive to my motions on the steering wheel.

At high speed, the tester’s interior cabin was old-school library quiet.

Closer inspection shows that the GX 460 is more than adequately equipped for off-road use.  In fact, Lexus enthusiastically promotes this fact, although I’m not sure that I would be inclined to scratch up my nearly $70,000 ride in the unpaved wilderness.

I walked away from the vehicle thinking that it gives you more on so many fronts, and I suppose that’s the definition of luxury, whether it’s in an SUV, a home or a hotel.