Lexus LS

Lexus LS

The Lexus LS is a car I never expected would make it to the Best New Cars list -- and yet here we are! Technically, the 2013 Lexus LS is not an all-new car; it's an extensive refresh of the 2007 model, which has spent the last five years loitering in anonymity. What a transformation! Outside, the new LS trades its blobononymous styling for sharp-looking creases and aggressive-looking angles. Inside, the LS drops its gussied-up-Camry persona for a properly luxurious cabin. But the biggest change is the driving experience, especially on cars with optional three-mode air suspension, which supplements the LS' trademark church-quiet ride with respectable road manners -- it may be the size of a barge, but the LS drives like a tight and tidy mid-sizer. The new LS 460 F-Sport model feels properly athletic -- still shy of BMW, but more alive in the curves than the Mercedes S-Class. And the 438 hp hybrid drivetrain in the LS 600h provides the effortless torque of a German V-12. It's been twenty-five years since the Lexus LS redefined luxury for American drivers, and it's nice to see the car clawing its way back out of obscurity.