To create this latest LS generation, Lexus engineers spent four years developing an all-new rear-wheel drive platform with a wheelbase that’s 1.7 inches longer than the outgoing model in LS 460 trim and 4.75 inches longer in LS 460 L models. The sleek body is also nearly two inches wider, though trunk capacity shrinks a bit to a still respectable 18 cubic feet.

Powering both versions is the first all-new V8 engine in the brand’s 17-year history, an aluminum-intensive 4.6-liter number that pumps out 380 horsepower. In addition to a healthy 102 horsepower jump in output compared to the previous engine, the new V8 boasts a host of internal modifications that substantially improve efficiency. Mated to this new motor is another impressive bit of engineering in the form of the world’s first eight-speed automatic transmission. While eight gears may seem like overkill, this new design allows for better acceleration in lower gears and improved fuel economy at the top end of the range. Taken together, this new engine/tranny combo generates impressive results. Lexus claims a pretty remarkable 0-60 acceleration time of just 5.4 seconds, and estimated EPA fuel economy numbers of 19 city and 27 highway. Add the fact that this powertrain is also expected to earn an Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) rating and you can enjoy all the perks this luxury sedan has to offer without a guilty conscience.

Keeping all this hardware gliding down the road is a standard suspension designed to smooth out the inevitable bumps along the road of life without the unpleasant vagaries in handling common to old-school luxury sedans. If you’re of a mind to hustle this big Lexus along that road at an enthusiastic pace, the optional Touring Package available on LS 460 L models adds a sport-tuned air suspension that should be at the top of your “must-have” list.

Even with these most mundane of components you’ll find evidence of the lengths the company will go to in its pursuit of perfection. Every engine that rolls off the production line – yes, every engine – is hooked up to a test stand and put through its paces by a master technician whose job it is to check for the smallest traces of unwanted noise and vibration. Each finished car is also evaluated by an experienced test driver to make sure the entire package meets the engineers’ high standards of refinement.

Like we said, all this is probably a little obsessive. But it does go a long way toward explaining why the Lexus brand enjoys perennially high rankings in customer satisfaction surveys.