I am a 4'11" 61 year old female.  I currently drive a Lexus ES300
which I like very much but feel the hood distance is a little long and
the turning radius more than I can handle.  I would like a new car
that is as reliable as my Lexus and as luxurious but affords me better
ability to manuever the car.  Any suggestions?

Your car is a mid-size sedan with a length of 191.1 inches and a
turning circle of 36.8 feet. To improve the turning cirlce it helps to
have a shorter total length, however I found one mid-size sedan that
has a better turning radius.

2003 Cadillac CTS
Length: 190.1 in.
Turning Circle: 35.5 ft. 
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2003/cadillac/cts/100070497/specs.html?tid=edmunds.n.prices.leftsidenav..8.Cadillac*

Here are two compact sedans that have a better turning radius:

2003 Lexus IS 300
Length: 176.6 in. 
Turning Circle: 34.1 ft. 
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2003/lexus/is300/100172540/specs.html?tid=edmunds.n.prices.leftsidenav..8.Lexus*

2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Length: 190.1 in. 
Turning Circle: 35.5 ft. 
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2003/cadillac/cts/100070497/specs.html?tid=edmunds.n.prices.leftsidenav..8.Cadillac*

Here's the right one for the 2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class 

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2003/mercedesbenz/cclass/100187487/specs.html?tid=edmunds.n.prices.leftsidenav..8.Mercedes-Benz*

I can sympathize. I, too, am a petite woman, and it seems that most of
the world (including automobiles) is built for people at least six
inches taller than I am!

The March 2002 issue of Consumer Reports discussed the problems that
tall drivers and short drivers may have, and these are the cars that
were recommended for short drivers:

Acura TL, Acura RL, Audi A6, BMW 530i, Honda Accord, Honda Pilot,
Lexus IS300, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Camry, Toyota Highlander

http://www.consumerreports.org/main/detailv3.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=295225&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=113261