2006 Lexus LS 430 Test Drive

The Largest Lexus of All

Lexus' flagship luxury sedan offers quality, size and elegance at a reasonable price.

A snow-blanketed driveway in upstate New York is not the perfect place to test-drive the 2005 Lexus LS 430.

Or maybe it is.

When we woke up the morning of President's Day 2005, the ground outside was covered in a good six inches of newly fallen snow. To make matters more ticklish, there was a half-mile of unplowed driveway between us and the main road. Suddenly, we found ourselves wishing we were test-driving a sport utility vehicle.

We needn't have worried. Even with its elegant looks, the LS 430 still packs plenty of muscle. With a flip of the traction-control switch and a depression of the accelerator, the needle red-lined on the rpm gauge and the car sprang out of the snow with the alacrity of a mountain goat. If a car could laugh with delight at its own ability, I am sure it would have.

To be sure, traction control is becoming increasingly prevalent on cars ranging from Mercedeses and BMWs to Chevy Cavaliers, and should not take the place of all-wheel drive. But it is comforting to know that even a refined luxury automobile such as the LS can handle itself in adversity. It is like being an aristocrat with a black belt.

The point is that the LS 430 is more than a pretty face. Better still, this well-appointed, well-engineered sedan is priced very competitively, with a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $55,675 (not including a $650 destination charge). Even with all of the bells and whistles added -- such as the $13,570 Ultra Luxury Package, which includes such goodies as a Mark Levinson audio system, a Bluetooth-enabled DVD navigation system and camera-assisted electronic parking -- it still costs less than most other flagship luxury sedans.

For example, a fully-equipped Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which has an MSRP of $75,300, costs $124,750. The Jaguar XJ, Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series have MSRPs of $60,830, $66.590 and $69,900, respectively. Only the excellent $56,200 Infiniti Q45 is priced comparably, while the slightly smaller Volvo S80 and Acura RL cost under $50,000.

Don't think the appeal of the LS 430 -- both in terms of price and quality -- has been lost on the consumer, either. Since it was first introduced in 2001, from Beverly Hills to Brookline, Mass., the LS 430 has been popping up in driveways in the country's richest ZIP codes. People who would once only consider buying a German or British luxury automobile are buying the LS 430 -- and probably congratulating themselves on the money they saved. According to Lexus, 32,152 LS 430s were sold in the U.S. in 2004, accounting for a market share of 30.6% -- up 4.6% from 2003. As for total Lexus sales in the U.S. for 2004, the LS 430 accounted for 11%.

To find out more about what makes the LS 430 such a success, read on.