Lexus LS less than the lap of luxury?

The expression, “Bite you in the rear,"  takes a whole new meaning with Washington Post scribe Warren Brown’s review of the 2006 Lexus LS 430.

He found the rear seating of Lexus’ flagship to be, well... lacking. Worse, so did other (admittedly fussy) friends and family. Nitpicking, perhaps, but as the columnist goes on to point out, this is a $70,000 uber-lux vehicle, not a $20,000 entry sedan (which might well have better seats).

And it gets worse. Harkening back to Healey’s review of the Buick Lucerne, Brown compares the offending seats to the less costly Lucerne and Lincoln Town Car which, apparently, better satisfy discriminating backsides. Brown also had other quality issues with the LS, namely a recalcitrant keyless entry fob.

Were Brown's LS 430 problems just aberrations? Or is Toyota's luxury arm losing its grip?

Never one to rest on its laurels, Lexus has already unveiled the LS 430's successor in Detroit, dubbed 'LS 460,' replete with optional reclining rear loungers. It will be interesting to see if Lexus' Maybach-aping armchairs will still offend Brown and company's sensitive posteriors, or whether they will sooth their savage behinds.

[Source: Washington Post via The Canton Repository]