Low-fat SUV substitute, now in extra creamy

In 1998, defying the critics who scorned Lexus as a Mercedes copycat, the division placed a calculated bet on a new type of vehicle. The RX300 was taller and more outdoorsy-looking than the Lexus ES300 sedan on which it was based, but not nearly as rough-and-ready as Lexus' big LX sport utility. With its blend of car and truck characteristics, the RX practically invented an automotive category that keeps expanding despite its lack of a clever label.

Since the industry's unimaginative term, "crossover vehicle," sounds like a taxi you'd take to the afterlife, let's just call the RX a sport utility wagon. Stifle any urge to shorten that to SUW and be done with it.

The lack of clever nomenclature hasn't kept copycats - Lexus executives surely appreciate how the tables have turned - from cranking out their own versions.

But while the competition remains in the first act, with some (like the Cadillac SRX and BMW X3) just now arriving on stage, Lexus has come back for an encore. For 2004, it thoroughly redesigned its offering, renaming it RX330 to denote a larger 3.3-liter V-6 engine. On sale since March, the new version is slightly more sporty, just a bit larger and even plusher than the RX300.

The design is strikingly similar, though the new model seems to have been stretched a bit in all directions. It is, in fact, a half-foot longer and a bit wider and taller, with modest increases in passenger and cargo space. The tail lamps have clear plastic covers like a fast-and-furious street racer.

But the most striking difference is how much more refined this already smooth character has become. The old RX was polished, but the new one is so creamy it could have been mixed in a vat by Ben and Jerry. Each time you settle into the soft leather seats, turn a precisely calibrated knob or rush through the cacophonous world in soothing near-silence, you marvel at how Lexus makes sophistication seem so simple.

The materials feel rich and the textures blend just right. The workmanship is impeccable. While there are as many complex electronic doodads as you will find in most luxury cars, the controls are simpler and better-marked than most, and they operate with a precision that is all too rare.

To drive the RX330 is to get a reality check on how Lexus has altered the streetscape. Like navy blazers at a cocktail party, RX's are so common in some areas that you scarcely notice them until you are wearing one, too. Heading north from New York City, I started to take notice of those all around me: a green RX300 there, a silver one in the passing lane, a black one on the exit ramp, a blue one, a white one. The traffic on a gloomy Saturday seemed like nothing so much as an exodus of Lexuses.

About 430,000 RXs have been sold over five years, and women account for six of every 10 buyers. Lexus has distilled the characteristics that many say they want: a trim size with ample room for four or five; the performance, comfort and economy of a midrange luxury sedan; a high-set body with a regal view of the road; a bit of the assertive look of an off-roader without the exaggerated size of many SUVs; a plush interior packed with electronic devices (albeit ones that appeal to feminine practicality, like the optional backup camera, the power liftgate and the adaptive headlamps that swivel to help you see around corners).

There are things you do not get with the RX330. There is no third-row seat, and the sleek new roofline hints at a sporty character that is largely missing. For sure, this Lexus has adequate power - Car and Driver magazine recorded 0-to-60 acceleration of 7.8 seconds, the same as the Acura MDX and a bit faster than the BMW X5 3.0i - but lead-footed enthusiasts will prefer the Infiniti FX35 (around 7 seconds) or one of the rivals that offer a V-8, like the FX45 or SRX.

The steering is Lexus-soft, not German-solid, and the chassis sacrifices agility on the altar of a smooth ride. My test model had an optional performance package ($5,455) that included 18-inch wheels, instead of 17s; a four-wheel air suspension with four settings, including a kneeling feature for getting in or out; and a manual shift gate for the five-speed automatic transmission. I cannot explain why the performance package also included things like a roof rack and a one-touch moonroof.

But even with the sporty add-ons, the RX leans on corners and protests against vigorous exercise on winding roads. If you want a $40,000 wagon pretending to be a sport sedan, check out the X5, the SRX or the FXs.

You can have your RX with front drive or with a newly simplified all-wheel-drive system that relies on the electronics of the vehicle stability control to send torque where it is needed on slippery surfaces. These increasingly common systems can usher you through a couple inches of snow, but don't kid yourself into thinking they will take you up a ski slope or through deep muck.

The V-6 is smooth and quiet, with intelligent variable valve timing for enhanced power delivery, and it gets credible fuel economy: 20 mpg in town and 26 on the highway with front-wheel drive. Lexus says regular gasoline can be used, though the manual recommends premium. Aside from the stability control, which works the antilock brakes individually to help prevent spinouts, the RX has the safety equipment expected in this class. There are seven air bags, including a knee-protector for the driver and side curtains that cover both rows of seats.

But the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said last week it had given the RX330's bumpers a "marginal" rating for their resistance to damage in 5 mph impacts. Of the nine utilities tested, only the Honda Pilot was rated acceptable.

The RX gives a lift to the vertically challenged. The driver sits at an exaggerated height, towering over the road and the instruments. While perhaps empowering for short people, the position may strike taller drivers as an odd affectation, like platform shoes.

No one can accuse the RX330 of being thrown together. From the time you open the door, exposing an illuminated "Lexus" in the chrome kick plate, to the time you retrieve your beverage from the illuminated cup holder, you luxuriate in well-tended details. The surfaces are glare-resistant and handy storage compartments are scattered about. Metallic trim brushes against real wood and even the carpeting is classy. The owner's manual is wrapped in better leather than anything in my apartment.

You must pay, of course, for this couture. While the RX330 has a reasonable base price of $35,650, don't expect to find one without pricey options. Edmunds.com says the typical transaction price is about $40,000.

The test car had a sticker of $45,503, and it lacked both the premium Mark Levinson audio system and a DVD player. (It did have the $2,350 navigation unit, which told me that my house in upstate New York was in an "uncharted area" where I should exercise caution.)

Not long ago, the prospect of a $45,000 sport-utility-whatever was shocking, but I've spent time this year in a dozen that cost that much or considerably more. Some were more fun than the RX330 and several were more versatile. As for styling, I'd take the extreme look of the FX or the chunk-of-granite sculpture of the Touareg and XC90. But nothing this side of a $75,000 Range Rover or a $90,000 Porsche Cayenne Turbo is as seamlessly executed as the Lexus.

This is not a sport wagon for those who favor driving gloves or muddy boots. But it is a competent designer wagon that will coordinate nicely with the designer clothes in designer closets. Ask the neighbors: They may have already decorated their driveway with an RX330.