The LS430 is my 4th Lexus, the first three being LS400's. Each time I replace my car, I'm amazed at the improvements Lexus has implemented. Their slogan of the "Relentless Pursuit of Perfection" is not an exaggeration. With the LS430, I think they may have reached it.

Rather than spend time talking about the technical innovations and improvements that Lexus has added this year, I thought I'd focus more on the experience of driving the car.

I've only had it for 10 days, and have driven approximately 450 miles. In those 10 days, I find that I keep discovering "excitement" features. These are features of the car that I had no idea existed (blame the salesman for not telling me up front), but discover in normal use of the car. (To be fair, the delivery of the car took 2 hours, and had he tried to spend any more time explaining the car, my kids would have destroyed the dealership.)

Many of the excitement features are simple things. For example, all the windows in the car have the "one touch" down feature. (Used to only be the driver's window). To make things even more interesting, they also have a "one touch" up. This is particularly nice when you're retrieving the mail (a daily occurrence).

Another nice feature I discovered is a button on the front console that lowers the rear headrests. Handy when you're trying to back up.

The DVD navigation system has a voice recognition capability, with steering wheel mounted controls. This makes it very simple to modify the settings on the nav system without taking my hands off the wheel or eyes off the road.

The front cup holders have expandable insides, allowing a tight grip for both small and large diameter cups. The sideview mirrors tilt down slightly when you put the car in reverse, making it easy to see curbing and bicycles. The Lexus Park Assist provides both visual and audible warnings when you come within 1.5 feet of an obstacle. The sideview mirrors automatically retract (flat to the side of the car) when you remove the key from the ignition (a nice addition to the steering wheel retracting up and away). I could go on and on (I haven't even said anything about the Mark Levinson stereo system -- a truly amazing treat for the ears), but let me switch gears and talk a little bit about the driving experience.

When you are used to a car, you have a pretty good sense of how fast you're going, and how much gas is required to get from one speed to another without looking at the speedometer, or thinking much about the gas pedal. My 1997 LS400 was an extremely quiet car with respectable acceleration, and having driven it for 39 months, I was pretty comfortable and familiar with it.

My first trek out onto the highway in the LS430 taught me something about quiet and performance. Without much prodding from my right foot, and precious little feedback in the way of road noise, I found myself going 95. Oops. I think this car may wind up costing me more than just the monthly lease payments...

Acceleration performance aside, the car responds flawlessly to every input you provide it. There are no blind spots anywhere, the seats are infinitely adjustable, and it sticks to the road like it was glued there. Some feel as though the lack of sound feedback is a problem. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I don't find it to be a problem at all. (Actually, I'm 40, so I'm sure that qualifies me as ancient!) The feedback you get from the car in provided in the form of responsiveness to steering, braking, and acceleration. All of them being predictable and pleasing.

My recommendations for this car are for people that love to be pampered. The forced air heating in the perforated leather seats (yes, they're air conditioned too) coupled with a concert hall musical environment makes heading off to work each day a pleasure. Expensive? You bet. Worth it? Without a doubt.