Jeremy Clarkson
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From The Sunday Times
February 11, 2007
Lexus LS 460 SE-L
When the beeping stops, you may go
There can be no doubt, of course, that the three-letter acronym was created so that people at work could save time while talking. If I, for instance, want something in a medium-sized close-up, I simply ask for an MCU and the cameraman frames up accordingly.
This, presumably, is why TLAs are so prevalent in the army. In the heat of battle you can’t very well take up 20 seconds of radio time calling for something when you only need three for the abbreviation. “Can someone fetch that sort of portable light-machinegun thingy” can be changed to “Get the LMG” and all is well.
Unfortunately, army people spend so much time with one another talking entirely in TLAs that they can’t stop when they’re round at your house for a plate of FOC. This means you have no idea what they’re on about.
And to make matters worse, half their acronyms take longer to say than the words they’ve replaced. The late Douglas Adams once joked that the nine-syllable www abbreviation was the only TLA that took longer to say than the words it replaces. But he’d obviously never talked to an army chap about an IED. This means improvised explosive device. Which means bomb.
And then you have ACV, which means armoured combat vehicle. Which means tank. Or ADW, which means air defence warning. Which means siren.
Businessmen are similarly guilty. Instead of talking about work in China (two syllables), they talk about going to the PRC (three). And what’s more some even refer to the time it takes to get there as P2P, meaning pillow to pillow, which is just about the most custardish thing I’ve ever heard.
In other words, people are using three words where one will do, simply so they can use a TLA and therefore exclude you and me from their conversation. One chap even went on the Chris Evans radio show last week and said he was an “iffer”. It turns out this was an IFA, which is an independent financial adviser, which is a long and complicated way of saying “thief”.
My least favourite acronym of them all is PLU — people like us. Anyone who uses this has no connection with me, at all, except for the brief moment where my fist is connected to their nose.
I’m bringing all this up because I’ve just spent a week driving the new Lexus LS, which is so full of acronyms I spent most of my time with it on the verge of a very large crash.
Let me give you an example. There’s a feature in this car that monitors your progress down the road. If it senses that you’re straying out of lane it alerts you, not with a worryingly pleasant vibration in your seat — as happens in the Citroën C6 — but with an annoying beep.
Of course I knew that it must be possible to turn this feature off, but which button to press? Tricky that, because each time I looked down to identify a likely suspect I’d edge towards the white lines a bit and there’d be another beep.
One button was marked “TCS off”. Could this be it, I wondered, or might it be some device that detaches the wheels from the car? Hmmm. Beep. So what about this one down by my right knee marked “AFS off”? Beep. Damn.
I pushed it tentatively and nothing happened. So with a deep breath I hit the TCS button, and again nothing happened. Beep. So I pushed every single one of the car’s several hundred buttons, including two that said “auto”, until finally I pushed one of the 15 on the steering wheel, marked “LKA”, and the beeping stopped.
LKA? I presume the L is for lane and the A for alert. But the K? Khaki? Kind? Kipling? Kuwait? If anyone has any idea do please write and let me know because I’ve been through the alphabet and nothing seems to make sense.
I even went to the trouble of delving into the car’s press pack, but after a page or two I was even more lost. All I can tell you is that the D4S is combined with VVT-iE and the PCS can activate the VGRS, the AVS and the VDIM. You’d need to be a brigadier to have the first idea what the bloody hell all this means.
The boys at Lexus have plainly become so used to speaking in TLAs that they’ve lost the ability to talk normally. An advert for the Lexus I read recently said: “If we never came up with an eight-speed automatic transmission would you have asked for it?”
That’s grammatical nonsense. But I sort of get their drift and the answer is: “No, because I’ve tried Merc’s seven speeder and that’s too many, so why would I want eight?”
There’s more. It’s also got a device that looks at your head and beeps if you fall asleep. It’s got a collision avoidance system like an Airbus. It’s got a satellite navigation system that tells you if the road ahead is slippery or blocked, and what it’s blocked by. Small wonder there are so many acronyms. This has to be the most advanced piece of consumer electronics ever offered.
And yet, behind the almost impenetrable shield of buttonry beats the heart of a very satisfying car.
What makes it work so well is that unlike Mercedes, Audi or BMW, Lexus has no sporting aspirations for the LS at all. Oh, it shifts, be in no doubt about that, but it is not supposed to be a driver’s car. And by taking that out of the mix they have been able to concentrate on making it, above all else, unbelievably comfortable and quiet.
Really quiet. It may be a 4.6 litre V8 up there under the bonnet, but at tickover it barely makes a sound. Then there’s the suspension. Sadly, it’s made from air, which means it doesn’t work very well in normal mode, but put it in “comfort” and the leviathan just glides.
The driver’s seat should be singled out for praise too. It’s like sitting on a sumo wrestler. Couple that to the gearbox, which changes so smoothly you cannot feel the shifts, and you have a car that can be compared to the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
Except for the price, of course. At first the starting price of £57,000 appears to be a lot but a Mercedes S 500 with a similar spec will cost you about £13,000 more.
There are a few drawbacks, though. Its thirst, for a kick-off, but also its looks. It is a very handsome car but the styling means you can’t smoke while driving. No, really. If you crack the window open a tad in most cars your ash is sucked outside. In the Lexus, it’s blown back in.
This means you spend quite a lot of your time behind the wheel on fire, and that means you swerve about quite a lot as you try to put yourself out. And that means the LKA beeps furiously.
Then there’s the boot lid. You press a button on the key fob and it opens automatically, at exactly the same speed America is moving away from Europe. If it’s raining this is extremely annoying.
Hopefully this is an optional extra that you don’t have to have. But I can’t be sure because it’s almost certainly referred to in the press pack by a set of initials. LBJ? ACU? DDT? Who knows?
The worst problem, though, is the interior. It’s a bit like an executive suite at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham. Very comfortable and graced with lots of features that make your stay more enjoyable. But it’s all a bit nasty, if you see what I mean — the half-timbered steering wheel especially.
It sounds as if I don’t like this car and that’s not right. I do. In the olden days Lexi were bought only by northern businessmen who’d had a row at the lodge with the local Mercedes dealer. They were reliable, quiet and comfortable but utterly soulless. This new one, though, is AFB.
VITAL STATISTICS
Model Lexus LS 460 SE-L
Engine 4608cc, eight cyclinders
Power 375bhp @ 6400rpm
Torque 363 lb ft @ 4100rpm
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Fuel 25.4mpg (combined cycle)
CO2 261g/km
Performance 0-62mph: 5.7sec / Top speed: 155mph
Price £71,000
Rating 4/5
Verdict A satisfying drive — if you know your bhp from your BNP
The internet fast lane
Visit www.timesonline.co.uk/ingear for more of Clarkson’s reviews
Look at how many comment there are!
There wasn't that much when Richard Hammond crashed!
Anyway, I think that this is a FANTASTIC CAR!
An alternative to the king S-class, and it also looks very good!!!!
John, Surrey, England
There are none so blind as those that won't see...
WHATEVER the luddites of the motoring world say, this really is a SUPERB car. I looked at a selection of cars costing under £100k before buying my 2006 LS-E (used) and only one other made any impression - the Maserati Quatroporte. It was huge fun, handled superbly but constantly urged me to go faster and faster. I knew that if I bought one, it would kill me one day.
Meanwhile, I also realised that driving the Maserati for more than 20 miles (particularly in traffic) would be a VERY tiring experience. I also knew that I'd never want to park it at Sainsburys...
I love watching Top Gear but the views expressed very rarely reflect the requirements of REAL driving. By REAL driving, I don't mean 18-yr old, testosterone-dosed, power-slides but the daily hack around the M25 or school drop-off.
For REAL driving you need reliability, safety, comfort and SUPERB customer-support - something even JC won't argue that Lexus does best
Eddie, Guildford, UK
in contrast to what the merc lovers said: the lexus is cheaper, comes with more options standard, is quiter, is more comfortable, technologically is far superior, far more reliable, more refined with bettter build quality, just as quick, and despite clarkson claiming it to be complicated ( because he was to dumb to read the manual) the button control layout is much easier and intuitve to use then the command system in teh merc, the only thing one can say about a merc being better is PURELY SUBEJECTIVE, such things as it alledgedly has better "sole" and "presence"
David Sylvester, Toronto, Canada
if you have a lexus then you are a king. I have a one and it never breaks down, high performance,reliability and luxury. it is the latest Japanese high technology and this is my favourite car. .
Sandhurst, Manchester, United Kingdom
As an Army Officer who served during the invasion of Iraq i understand this car completely the manuals abreeze and so is the car nearly silent like a "divine wind".Hit the throttle with this v8 and it becomes "kamakazi".Forget your mark and sparks suits this is an Armani of silk! I'd like to challenge the stig round the top gear track in this i reckon with some tips from him & the gadgets on board this will shock a few posers in their "bling".As an i.am. driver instructor and the "max the limit" Army training this will out perform the "star" of Germany's finest barge? This blackbelt budo mind of mine will bend the record of the executives club and extinguish their ash once and for all.I agree jeremy its AFB! I want one!
bones, anglesey, wales
Does it mean that this Lexus is far more advanced than the mercedes s class? Hmmm Jeremy?
Musah, Nairobi, Kenya
A Phaeton is better. In the same way a J.K. Rowling Harry Potter is better than it's japanese Manga-variant. It's trashy.
Valentin, Hamburg, Germany
I had the fortune to drive one of these the other afternoon. The car is a technological masterpiece having one of the smallest options list available in its class. However, the ride made myself and others feel a little queezy and even the Sport setup didn't radically change things. I'm still in my thirties so I donb't thing I'll be driving another for a while yet.
Mr Nice Guy, Bradford,
FYI:
LKA = Lane Keeping Assist, I believe (Owner's Manual)
Rose, Nagoya,
I will probably drive one of these cars in about 10 years time when they all become very affordable. What also happens about that time is that all the TLA acronyms turn into alphabet soup! Why? because all these wonderful devices start short circuiting and trying to keep one of these cars on the road is a nightmare (ask owners of older models just how many doodahs still function). For example, I drive a relatively simple and outwardly reliable '97 Audi A4 and the thing won't start because the immobiliser has had a hissy fit and will not transmit the appropriate message between key and engine. You can imagine what the repair bill is going to be (why did I sell the Lada that I could fix with my penknife?). Perhaps the best thing would be to install another plastic thingy (IED) into the Lexus and its ilk that will put the car and the owner out of their misery once it passes its reliability deadline.
Tom Sinkovits, Griffith, Australian Capital Territory
‘Comfort Zone’
Thanks for that article, most enjoyable. Given the American WCOTY jurors gushed
about the "LEXUS LS 460 DECLARED WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR 2007" it was
pleasant to find your grounded comments. The use acronym is consistent with
the marketing approach used in this sector. After all, the stock exchanges
the world over are literally wall to wall with them.
This language is the ‘comfort zone’ for trust managers, traders and the money handling elite the world over. The cabin must feel immediately familiar to them, surrounded by proof of their superiority. That's a bulls-eye for Lexus (Toyota). As Ralton Saul said “The important thing in the role of writer is the maintenance of independence” Well pointed out, and eloquently.
PaulRichards, Melville, Perth, Western Australia
think it this way, a lexus no matter how good it maybe ,it will be a toyota ,and toyota are meant for japanese businessmen,not brits,only sissy brits wuth no motoring soul would buy a well made toyota.and jeremy, u are a great man with lots of humour..keep it up man.
daniel, dublin, ireland
Jeremy, you Sir are a funny man... Informative as well...
John, Vancouver, Canada
low-key alarm: that's how a lexus alerts
oooyee, budapest, hungary
The LS 460 SEL model is far better speced than the Merc 600 and about £30,000 lower cost. There is no doubt this is a better car than the Merc
David Croft, Blackpool, UK
Keep up the subjective keyboard strokes Jeremy.
The more "you" you are, the brighter your shine.
Nobody wants an objective spec. sheet.
Let it flow!!
Derek Bell-Morris, Perth, West Australia
What was that report about??? Why not spend the time checking out the manual to get an understanding of the car first to see whether the equipment can be turned on or off and then write about it as a journalistic point of view for the benefit of the reader or potential buyer of the vehicle? I really don't care if Clarkson likes abbreviations on not, but I do care if Clarkson can or cannot be bothered to research the functions of an added extra...a motoring journalist ay...tell US how the car functions and why and don't leave it up to US to find out....you Clarkson are the paid motoring journalist...unbelievably!!!
Brian Taylor, Poole, UK
You like it??? It's a Lexus, it has too many TLUs, looks like a BMW, doesn't handle, and the interior is a sea of plastic....... HOW do you like it?
Not that I don't like it... I think it's pretty good....
Hari, Chennai, India
Complicated and too many TLAs? Hey, atleast it's not iDrive.
H Tran, Sydney, AU
Hydrogen Solar, Guildford. Independent Energy supplies for everybody
Jon Baxter, Oxford, England
So finally Jeremy finds a Lexus he likes.
Avinash Machado, Bangalore, India
Looking for a new or nearlynew car to use as a Taxi, "not the black cab type".
A car that's reliable with great fuel economy must look good, a bit of leg room wouldn't go amiss Jeremy and not overpriced like a lot of modern cars.
So much choice from the new cars or nearly new second hand cars what do you guys recommend?
I will keep looking back no major rush.
Peter, lancashire, england
Some companies have Managing Directors who wear suits from Marks & Spencer, have no interest in cars and believe there is no need to spend more than 3.99 on a bottle of wine. Surprisingly, these people often make effective CEOs (get the TLA). Lexus makes cars for these people - how do I know - my brother-in-law is one of the tribe.
Robin St.Clair, Canterbury, UK
LKA is Lane-Keeping Assist system. You are right, nobody in the sane world know this. BTW I'm not insane, I googled it.
Robingazi, Dhaka, Bangladesh
I think Lexus is to complicated... but ay the same time, complicated in good way??
Ali, Amman, Jordan
Yet again an AFB article also last weeks Top Gear AFB laughed till I cried. I have to say as a nurse anything relating to medicine collects acronyms at a speed only the army can surpass, and to be fare the army needs to have the prize for being the fastest for something when they get to sit in the back of Bedfords on the motorway's of Britain traveling at around 45mph downhill with the wind behind them!
Joanne, preston, lancs
Why worry about the amount of gears you can't hear them change anyway. Too many mercs overpriced for the equipment. At least you are sort of getting VFM. Cool car I like it.
Colvin, Morden, England
Lane-Keeping Assist. That's the full name for LKA.
Peter Robinson, Tamworth, Staffs
tell Jezza everyone knows it's Lane Keeping Assistance . . .
Sally, London, UK
AFB='A Fine Beast' or 'A Flying Banana'.
Your pick. :)
JL, Melbourne, Australia
Varun, I could tell you but they wouldn't print it.
Pinkerton, choice moves mankind forward. Your Marxist regimentation holds us back. Today's big-car gizmos are tomorrow's ubiquitous safety features.
Ed Moran, Torquay, England
The beeping also helps when you drift left without a hard shoulder. LKA - Lookout Kerb Approaching!
Muqbool, London, UK
HOW many gears?!
Russell Gowers, Cirencester, Gloucestershire
LKA = Lane Krypton Alert.... It's a Superman thing!
"Lane" refers to Lois Lane and is a reference to your mind wandering.... thinking of the fair lady instead of
concentrating on your driving.
"Krypton" is another way of saying you are out of your zone.
So Superman get back into line.
Richard, New Plymouth,
AFB? A full banana?
I think the mercedes S600 would be much better, despite the Lexus being quieter.
But, who cares. Lexus only copy what the Germans do, most of the time. Whats the point of an 8-speed gearbox? They only wanted to show the world that they can "do better". And, Mercedes' reliability is surely getting better, so anyone with commonsense would buy a similar Mercedes anyday.
Varun, Bangalore, India
Hi Jeremy. I love your programmes and they make me laugh.. but you know.. it is about time you started reviewing some nice economic and environmentally friendly vehicles. You have children too so think of them... let that be your favourite acronym be TOC for Think of the Children.
Pinkerton, London, England
People refer to PRC ("People's Republic of China" aka mainland China) to distinguish it from ROC ("Republic of China" aka Taiwan). ROC was one of 5 victorious powers after WWII and a founding member of the UN; it encompassed all of China before the Chinese Communists took control of the mainland, and till today considers itself the sole legitimate government of all China. Therefore referring to PRC as "China" is politically, if not factually, contentious. Great article, anyway. Really enjoyed it.
Wendy, Cardiff, Wales
The merc is the better of the two.
Ethel,Hell.
robert jameson, edinburgh,
The owners manuel is a tad ineligible,.
Dave,coops sore heid.
martin, glasgow,
AFB? - Any Fing But?
James, cHICAGO, usa
LKA - might mean Lane Keeping Alert?
It's a nice car for those that just want a zen, not-too-involved driving experience with an emphasis on gadgetry and listening to music (sadly, Lexus does not offer native ipod/zune integration, instead relying on a small HDD - bad move Lexus)
It's perfect for someone who wants a quiet drive most of the time AND owns a sports car on the side, for those weekend thrill rides.
Masood, Karachi,
Clarkson is right about the million buttons and the interior that lacks any kind of styling finesse. The drive (with the optional air suspension) is unbelievably smooth. The acceleration is fast. Though it never feels fast because of the car's quietness. If you drive this car as it was meant to be driven then it's brilliant. The LS460 isn't meant to stir the soul. It's meant to soothe it.
K. Inoue, Los Angeles, CA
Jeremy, I cannot believe that you actually LIKE this car! It is a gigantic missed opportunity.
The mid-range cars have been getting so good, that the high-end cars are increasingly pressed to justify the price difference. Mercedes and BMW responded by layering on problematical electronics. Mercedes reliabity has been dreadful. BMW ergonomics are unforgivably bad.
Lexus had the reliability and electronics nailed. What it needed was style and "fun to drive." The style is now fine -- certainly competitive with any rival save Audi. But this car is just AWFUL to drive: floaty suspension, vague steering, long stopping distances. It makes any secondary road a chore to be avoided.
My original 1990 LS was a better driving machine -- and I eventually sold that because it was too soggy. Where is 17 years of progress? Oh, it is in the automatic parking feature that only sort of works.
In short, this is a car for people who hate to drive. I found it profoundly disappointing.
Jonathan Seybold, Santa FE, NM, USA
Is this a first for you? An article with out a BBB (Blame Bloody Blair)
Ken Tuohy, Twickenham, UK
www is only longer in English. In german it is pronounced "vey vey vey". A small matter of schadenfreude perhaps?
Andrew Briscoe, Kidderminster, UK
At last - a Clarkson car review which actually reviews a car!
Big Joke, Kent,
A quick point, you say that the Merc S500 is £13,000 more then the £57,000 that the Lexus costs. Look at the summary at the bottom and the Lexus is listed at £71,000. A grand more than the S500? Most confusing, I dislike both brands but would probably prefer the Merc were it a toss up between the two. OR is the Lexus £71,000 grand fully spec'd up and the Merc £70,000 but with no extras?
All seems a little contradictory. Which is it? £57,000 or £71,000?
tobias, oxford,
Jeremy,as we all know LKA stands for LOOKOUT!,KNACKER ABOARD.
As for the beep warning instead of you backside getting a massage,I prefer the latter as well,try it with a lady on your lap,see her smile without any effort.
Keep up the lengthy rants,just sometimes do remember its being read by car enthusiasts.
john lowdon, washington, tyne and wear
In the industry we've always pronounced www as dub-dub-dub, which should save you a little time...
As for the LKA... did you check the owner's manual index?
PLU should be able to look things up if we don't know what they mean. ;)
Robby, Ontario, Canada
That LS seems A-OK b/c the ABS and DSC on my BMW need some TLC ASAP. Just an FYI.
Scott Millson, Toronto, Canada
Jeremy..you said that "Douglas Adams once joked that the nine-syllable www abbreviation was the only TLA that took longer to say than the words it replaces. But he’d obviously never talked to an army chap about an IED. This means improvised explosive device. Which means bomb"
As you said the point Douglas Adams was making was that WWW takes longer to say than the words it replaces i.e World Wide Web. However the same doesnt apply to the examples you gave. They are TLAs that have pointlessly replaced simpler expressions(i.e bomb>IED tank>ACV)...
D, Stanmore, UK
LKA = Lane-Keeping Assist
AFS, BA, CRS, LKA, PCS, RDS and VDS are discribed in the Lexus 460 owner's manual (598pp).
Van Zijl Schreuder, Kuwait, Kuwait
AFB, in this case, means Away From Brain.
Wow, this is like Jeremy Clarkson's 1st Lexus to be awarded 4 out of 5 rating!! Could it be that this is the 1st Lexus with a 'character'? Which is tonnes of TLA......
Nicholas, TTDI, Malaysia
LKA = Lane Keeping Assist
Steve Turnbull, Munich, Germany
I've long thought cars to be infinitely better when not blighted by the curse of the boy-racer. It's nice to have one's prejudices confirmed, but I've always seen Jezza as the chief blighter.
Ken Leyland, Liverpool, U.K.
Airbus use TCAS which is an FLA......
TBH Lexus really needs to write a good set of SOPs to make driving this car a little easier IMO.
Nice one Clarkson!
Charlotte Hay, Swansea, Wales
Some Army TLAs:
NEWD Night Exercise Without Darkness
JEWT Jungle Exercise Without Trees
PEWP Parachute Exercise Without Parachutes.
I have participated in all and of course they save the treasury a fortune. No trips to the rain forest, no overtime and no aircraft just low flying lorries.
David Ellis, Shekou, Peoples Republic of China
So would Jeremy take the Lexus or an Audi A8?
Kent LeVan, San Jose, CA
Clarkson is a God.
Can he be Prime Minister please?
Amanda, Beverley, xk8 land
Glad to see that you have updated the article with a photograph, although my comments would have made better sense if they had actually been posted some eighteen hours ago when I wrote them.
Mark, Hong Kong, The People's Republic of China
P2P= Person to Person
Anthony Lee, Hong Kong,
I'm in IT and MAN do I hate acronyms.
I think I'll pass on that car thanks ;o)
Amanda, Abingdon, Oxon
Jeremy, I think the "K" in "LKA" is for Kamikaze! Beacuse if you strayed over to the oncoming lane, this is what you'd be! So maybe Lexus have a sense of humour, that their German rivals lack!!
Jonathan Hay, Fullerton, USA/CA
I want one!!!! But I'm not paying £71K!! I'll buy one second hand in a couple of years!
I have a GS 300 and it's made me a Lexus fan for life.
Dr Nick Ashley, Huntingdon, England
I thoroughly enjoyed this article. It was easy to find too: one link right from the front page - lovely. The only thing is that by following this link, I did not get to see a photo of the car until I had finished reading, and then navigated the long way back round to the Jeremy Clarkson section and found it there. This new web site layout is, like the new Lexus LS, AFB, but unlike the car, the B does not stand for "Brilliant".
Mark, Hong Kong, The People's Republic of China
Should have been Lane Barrier Warning, but I suppose that this would confuse further
ivan trundle, Canberra, Australia
Jeremy Clarkson on top form....I couldn't stop laughing. Get him on the TV. He has a great outlook on life
Steve Bell, Stroud, Glos
I now know what LKA means, but what does AFB mean? Are we supposed to know?
Paul Rogers, Parker, CO, USA
Jeremy, Google reveals it's 'Lane Keeping Assist".
Yours sincerely, Andrew SPA (Society for the Prevention of Acronyms)
Andrew, Melbourne, Australia
LKA means Lane Keeping Assist.
Flows off the tongue doesn't it.. :o)
Daren , Hudson, USA
LKA = Lane Keeping Assist
Stefan Forster, Basel, Switzerland
LKA stands for "Lane Keeping Assist"
miti_gta, vidin, Bulgaria
LKA = Lane-Keeping Assist
Richard, Bristol,
LKA = Lane-Keeping Assist
Richard, Bristol,
I have driven this car and can say with conviction, it is the perfect car for the person who hates to drive. If you enjoy driving at all it is dull as paste.
Chris Cochran, St. Louis, MO, USA
Jeesh, Jeremy., any old granny knows that not straying over the white lines is known as Lane-Keeping! (Well, any old granny who is a computer nerd, I suppose.)
Granny Nerd, Exeter, UK
AFB means Absolute Flippin' Beauty I suppose? Maybe the middle F is wrong?
M Bradley, Nottingham, UK
LKA = Lane Keep Assist
John Lambert, Evesham,
I know what JC (No, the other one!) looks like so why can't I see a picture of the car? I have to now whether I'm RRD (really, really disappointed) or just MM ( moderately miffed) to know that the 71k (yeah, you know that one), can't be spent on this particular OOD (object of desire). This is getting tiresome - what does the car look like?
Andrew, Zlatibor, Serbia
acronym
noun {C}
an abbreviation consisting of the first letters of each word in the name of something, pronounced as a word:
- AIDS is an acronym for 'Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome'.
a gaff, london,
Mr Clarkson is wrong about acronyms and Brigadiers. Brigadiers are the ones that refer to locomotives as 'choo-choos'. As every soldier knows the only people in the British Army that know everything are Regimental Sergeant Majors (RSMs).
Peter Cardwell, Saintes, France
Jeremy, like the rest of this nation we've come to know you for your witty and articulate expressing reviewing cars. Now, I was wondering where you were going with the TLA's at the beginning of the article but it all made sense when you explained all the 'BSW' (Buttons on Steering Wheel) and took me down the review highway captivating every nuance of Lexus driving pleasure. Excellent article. What's the 'AFB'.
Olusola Odesanya-Muhammad, Windsor, UK