Stuck in the Past

>> Go back in time a century.

Think Ford's Model T. It had an internal combustion engine in front, drove through the rear wheels, rode on what amounted to inflated balloons, had headlights and windshield wipers.

The new 2007 Lexus RX 350 is much the same.

The basic vehicle hasn't changed much since that Model T. In a century where technological development ran rampant, the automobile has not come a long way, baby.

This Lexus sport utility is state of the art. But muffle the applause.

All vehicles should be much better than they are. Compare vehicle advancement to what has happened in other fields. In the past 50 years, we've gone from party-line telephones to wireless cell phones with cameras, GPS maps and e-mail access. Computers filled entire rooms 50 years ago; today you take your Tablet PC to the library and connect instantly to anyone in the world. Think of what has happened with TV, movies, air conditioning, audio systems, cooking with microwaves.

Now think of today's vehicle, this well-respected and honored Lexus RX 350.

Its highway mileage-the best it can do-is 25 miles per gallon. The Ford Model T got 25 mpg in 1908.

The Lexus rides on balloons, has an internal combustion engine up front, drives the rear wheels, and has headlights and windshield wipers.

Its major advance seems to be what it calls "adaptive headlights." They are indeed marvelous. Adaptive headlights contain beams that turn as the wheels turn, lighting areas the vehicle will soon enter.

But new? An advancement?

Ever heard of Preston Tucker? George Lucas thought so much of this auto-making maverick that he made a 1988 movie called Tucker: A Man and His Dream. Back in the mid '40s, Tucker dreamed of making a better car. The Detroit Big Three were simply not interested in innovation and scorned making cars safer because that would admit their offerings were dangerous in the first place.