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DETROIT -- There are rare occasions when the best place to start reviewing a vehicle is the rear seats. That’s what happened to me with the Lexus LS 460L, the luxury brand’s flagship sedan.
 But first things first, I had a 2010 Lexus LS 460L AWD (all-wheel-drive) and it was not amongst the millions of vehicles that have been recalled by parent Toyota. Anyway, back to the back seats. The reason to start there is the L on the tail end of the 460’s badge. It stands for long-wheel-base.
In short, my LS 460L could be driven by its owner or the owner could hire a driver and be driven to her or his destination. That means the back seat of the LS 460L reflected that fact that the person sitting there owned the car, or was at least footing the bill. I could see this car in livery services.
My test vehicle had what Lexus called an executive class seating package. That included heated and cooled rear seats, climate controls, four-way rear power seats with adjustable backs, power head rests and a power ottoman for the seat behind the front passenger seat as well as controls for that seat; presumably to get it outta the way of the ottoman when extended, privacy screens for the rear and side windows, audio controls and a rear seat entertainment system. There was also a small table that stowed in the rear center control console.
 I spent a lot of time in the rear seats. I felt like I was sitting in an oversized comfortable glove. The perforated leather was so soft that it felt like a fine linen cloth. But the front seats weren’t bad either; in fact they were exceptional.
The Lexus LS 460L was powered by a 4.6 liter V8 that made 357 horsepower. But what gave the car its personality was an eight-speed automatic transmission that was unbelievably smooth.
My test vehicle had an air suspension that could be set on comfort or sport. I chose the former and couldn’t bring myself to switch it to sport. The ride was that pleasurable. This was one of those occasions when the car’s personality changes that of the driver. At least that’s what happened with this driver.
 The car had been retouched a little for this model year but Lexus has finally pulled together a family of cars that has some common design cues.
The LS 460L’s all-wheel–drive system was full time. In other words, under normal conditions 40 percent of the torque went to the front wheels and 60 percent to the rear. That could changes from 30-70 to 50-50 depending on conditions. My point is that many cars claim to be all-wheel-drive. But unless the front wheels slip all of the torque is sent to the front wheels. The reality is a front wheel drive car in terms of handling.
The LS460L is available in rear-wheel-drive and with that setup the engine produces 380 horsepower and 367 pounds-feet of torque.
 The LS 460L had all the bells and whistles that you’d expect: adaptive headlamps, Bluetooth, premium audio system, power everything including the trunk release, power door closer and satellite radio. It could even park itself.
There was also an advanced pre-collision system. If the steering wheel mounted camera detects that the driver is not looking directly ahead for a few seconds or more, and/or if an obstacle is detected ahead, the system alerts the driver first with a warning chime and a flashing light.
If that doesn’t get the driver’s attention, the system also prepares to apply brakes full force, adjust the seat belts and it reprograms the steering ratio for obstacle avoidance.
The base price of the LS 460L is $73,750. But my test vehicle had more than $20,000 worth of options so the sticker was $95,765.
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