2018 Lexus LS 500 F Sport: Wow, Wow, Wowie

When fast meets luxury in the form of a car, it doesn’t get any better than this!

The LS 500 is a sedan, first and foremost, so you can get at least four people inside should you need to do so. And should you need to peel out, the 3.5-liter twin turbo, 416 horsepower DOHC V6 engine has more than enough power to accomplish the task at hand. (Keep in mind that it can be a little trigger-happy, especially in a drive-thru). And when it comes to luxury? Oooh weee, baby bear! This car really will make you rethink whether or not you should eat while driving.

Starting at $81,000 US – starting – this hot rod that also does Dad Duty has everything going for it. For starters, all the latest, greatest safety features come standard on the LS 500, and yeah, for the price, they should be there. Lane departure, lane keep, pre-collision, Smart Stop technology … the only thing this car cannot protect you from is your own lousy driving. Call me old fashioned, but long before performance and thrills / spills, safety always comes first. There is no point in enjoying the ride if you don’t survive it.  Toyota / Lexus does a great job of ensuring that the latest safety technology is always standard on all its cars. (To me, it defeats the purpose of having safety ‘precautions’ if you have to pay extra for it.)

The technology built into Toyota / Lexus vehicles is also superior, which for me means that it’s easy to use and doesn’t take an advanced degree in Klingon just to listen my Olivia Newton-John cassette tapes. Called the “Lexus Enform App Suite 2.0”, which is complimentary (though, to be clear, it won’t voluntarily compliment your tastes or appearance), this software really does take care of you. It tells you what’s going on around you, tells you what’s going on inside the car and probably has figured out what kind of bear / beast you are and where you where you are best suited to hang out to be happy.  What’s not to like about that?

Driving around town, trust me, you do get noticed.  Yeah sure, people think you’re some rich jerk with no concern for anyone or anything, which in my case is definitely not true (I’m not rich).  Neighbors and friends complimented me on my car and how beautiful and stunning it was, totally ignoring my presence and personal space. Hey, what am I, chopped liver?That must be the feeling that dog owners get when walking their Best of Show puppies: people notice the dogs but rarely the person. Meh, works for me.

Over the last few years, Toyota Lexus has become one of favourite and most trusted manufacturers. I like the products they make and they have always been at the forefront of protecting LGBTQ+ employees and promoting our rights.

And after seeing how Texas voted in this last election when they came so close to electing a senator who really is a decent human being, I am now okay with one of Toyota’s big headquarters being based in Plano, Texas, which is just north of Dallas, a huge gay party city.