A trapezoidal grille rimmed in bright chrome is flanked by exaggerated triangles of gleaming multi-lens headlamp clusters that wrap each corner and stand above the thick chin-leading bumper. The bumper is segmented by a thin top bead of chrome and low port mouth plus fog lamps curved on the corners. Smooth creases in the sides of the grille thrust it forward on the face and these stepped lines move up the hood toward windshield pillars to bump the central hood section higher than side shoulders.

All other body shapes look subtle in a conservative treatment where shoulders roll fluidly into side panels with only a hint of flares around wheelwells. The cant of the windshield doesn't tilt any more rearward into the roofline than the rear window slants in an opposing line. Curvaceous rear pillars blend seamlessly into rear flanks. A conventional tail features a horizontal deck leading to a vertical back panel with oversized corner taillamps, which conceals a big trunk.

Despite the quiet linear statement this styling suggests, streamlining is so good that this Lexus earns a best-in-the-world aerodynamic rating of 0.25 Cd (coefficient of drag), which enables it to slice through still air so smoothly it practically negates wind noise. The smooth exterior form is further enhanced by the remarkable fit of body panels. Although Lexus has long been recognized for achieving superior fit for body sections, the quality achieved by the LS 430 reaches to a new dimension as engineers used a supercomputer to digitize all body surfaces, then worked out new fit tolerances ten times more precise than the previous process.