LA Times: Lexus has "emotional appeal of a public golf course"

The 2007 Lexus LS 460 is a "very nice robot" and the Japanese automaker makes "splendid appliances," but "passion takes the back seat" wit the new luxury sedan, says LA Times columnist Dan Neil. And for a car that prides it self on gadgets and gizmos, the car's headline-grabbing automatic parking system is "hearty, unstifled yawn," insists Neil. He points to the fact that the system requires a parallel spot be 6.5 feet longer than the car. "I don't need a computer and a rearview camera to dock in such a huge space," he argues. "A white cane and a Labrador service dog would do just fine." Mr. Neil says the new LS drives well and functions impressively, but compared to a Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, BMW or Audi, the Lexus "has the emotional appeal of a public golf course."