In the hyper-competitive full-size luxury sedan segment, carmakers pull out all the stops to design, engineer, and build vehicles that truly advance the state of the automotive art. Trouble is, as the players in this segment have continued to seek some slight edge over the competition, the cars themselves have essentially become rolling computer platforms. In watching this war of whiz-bang features escalate in recent years, things appear to have gotten out of hand as automakers have introduced a dizzying array of high-tech bells-and-whistles that seem to have less to do with improving the actual driving experience than they do with some frenzied quest to outdo the engineers at competing brands. With this new LS, Lexus has clearly tried to walk a fine line between adding enough new electronic wizardry to remain competitive and creating a car that doesn’t take an engineering degree to figure out. And, for the most part, we think they’ve done a great job deploying cutting-edge doo-dads that operate in either a completely transparent or very intuitive manner.

For starters, Lexus engineers have fitted the new LS 460 with a full-compliment of advanced accident avoidance features including antilock disc brakes, a tire pressure monitor, and a sophisticated electronic stability control system designed to stop an impending skid before it starts. Standard adaptive headlights with individual elements that automatically pivot to illuminate around corners, daytime running lights, and bright LED tail and brake lights also help the driver see and be seen.

If a crash is unavoidable, eight standard airbags are standing by to cushion the blow. In addition to the dual-stage front airbags, the driver and front seat passenger are protected by knee airbags and side-impact airbags. Side-curtain airbags, designed to protect the heads of outboard occupants in the front and rear seats, are also standard, and rear-seat side-impact airbags are available as an option. Lexus’s Pre-Collision System is also available on the LS 460. The system, which uses input from the optional radar cruise control to detect an impending crash, adds an additional measure of protection by cinching up the driver and front passenger’s seatbelts and priming the car’s Brake Assist system so it’s ready to apply maximum braking force the moment the driver touches the pedal.

There are equally sophisticated convenience items here too, not the least of which is the available Advanced Parking Guidance System. This nifty bit of smoke-and-mirrors combines the ultrasonic parking assist sensors, rearview camera, and electric power steering to make parallel parking a snap. Simply push a button, line the car up, and control your speed with the brake pedal as the car all but parks itself. The process is really quite slick as it eliminates all the guesswork and trial-and-error that typically comes with trying to snag a curbside parking spot.