Ad Nauseam: Holy Rollover Risk, Batmom!!

Lexus has suspended sales of its GX 460
after Consumer Reports issued a “don’t buy” warning earlier this week.
Apparently the luxury SUV’s electronic “stability control” system can
fail to correct drivers taking turns too quickly, resulting in a
rollover risk. Times car blog Wheels reports:

Mr.
Champion [Consumer Reports auto testing director] said that the problem
came to light at the magazine’s test track in East Haddam, Conn., while
looking for “any nasty habits that might catch a driver out.” He
explained, “We want a car to be benign.”

Speaking
of nasty habits, the problem might well have come to light during this
commercial shoot. Far from presenting the GX 460 as benign, Lexus hawks
it as the nimble vehicle every upwardly-mobile mom needs to whip
through city streets teeming with urban dangers (and cleared of urban
traffic, natch). Strap in, precious, we’re goin’ to lacrosse practice!

So
we have a carmaker promoting its product as a street-legal racing
machine, and a consumer watchdog group telling the public it should not
be driven as advertised — or better yet, not driven at all.

We’ve tapped this vein before, but until “Closed Course/Professional Driver/Do Not Attempt” marketing goes the way of the “healthy” cigarette ad,
supposed fail-safe features — mostly designed to protect those inside
the car — will continue to be so much window dressing. Like those
pedestrians in Batmom’s peripheral vision.