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Walkaround
There are those who will lament the disappearance of Detroit's old luxury look. Gone are the hard, angular lines, the bustle-back trunks and etched opera windows. If the Imperial defined this post-war generation, the LHS is the car for the New Age. This is still an American car, no mistaking that, but the LHS is a handsome sedan that can stand proud at the country club parked next to a procession of luxury imports. That's all the more of an achievement when you consider other recent attempts by Detroit to create a new luxury look. The LHS is long and wide and visually well-balanced. The moldings and door handles are flush and modern-looking. The aggressive rake of the windshield gives this sedan an almost sporty feel, but the overall look is refined and elegant. If God is in the details, the most subtle refinements are what truly define the success or failure of an automobile. The switch to larger, 16-in. wheels is one of those details. Another is the car's curving C-pillar--the LHS's rear window frame--which provides a rich, formal look. Unfortunately, that feature combined with a high rear parcel shelf, also reduce rear visibility, one of the sedan's few real weaknesses.
Interior Features
As we noted, the hallmark of cab-forward design is its incredible roominess, front and back. Built on the same 113.0-in. wheelbase as the Concorde, the LHS body has been stretched by nearly 8 in., three of them added to the rear seat area, the rest sequestered in the trunk. The LHS is a car you could use to haul around the starting squad of NBA All-Stars. With the LHS, there is only one minor drawback to this design. By moving the passenger compartment forward, the driver's left foot now rests a bit awkwardly on the wheel-well hump. The leather seats in our test vehicle were sumptuous and rich--what they used to call the Italian look--and they provided good support. It's a nice combination--firm enough to feel the road, with enough lateral support to keep us in place on tight turns, but still comfortable, even after four hours behind the wheel. While Chrysler designers have been able to abandon many of the old rules that once defined an American luxury car, one dictum seems as immutable as an 11th Commandment: Thou shalt not build a luxury car without wood. In this case, rather cheesy-looking plastic woodgrain. The strips on the door and instrument panel lined up, but it seems Chrysler paid little attention to making sure they matched visually. It's too bad, for the result cheapens what is otherwise a rich-looking interior. The instrument panel is simple and well laid out, with easy-to-read analog gauges. Our test car's controls were easy to reach and switches operated with a comforting click. High praises for the optional Infinity sound system. A CD player is a must in an upscale car these days. If you read many reviews, you're likely to see the letters NVH used repeatedly. They refer to Noise, Vibration and Harshness, three areas where automotive engineers are devoting much of their attention these days. When the LHS made its debut, it fell a bit short, particularly on a car-to-car comparison with such Japanese competitors as the Lexus ES300. Chrysler has spent a lot of time and money trying to silence the interior of LHS, with noteworthy results. Interior noise levels are distinctly lower than they were when the car came out, though it still doesn't sit at the head of the class.
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