2005 Lexus RX 330 Test Drive

One Smooth SUV

Lexus' buttery smooth crossover adds better handling and transmission--but also the pricey options.

A soft blue light shines around the base of my coffee cup. There's just enough glow there to see where to grab. Another radiance, this one warm and orange, faintly outlines the door levers of the all-new Lexus RX330 I am driving; soft green is the backlit hue that makes the window switches clear to the eye.

Yes, it's night, and it's cold out, but inside variable-level (not simply on or off) seat heaters are keeping my aft side warm, and crisply lighted white gauges are displaying information to me as I comfortably negotiate this nasty, frosty eve. And everything, everything, goes easily, comfortably, smoothly. From the time I picked this vehicle up and hit the button on the key fob that automatically swung open the rear lift gate (hit another button on the gate to close it automatically), then left under serious power with a simple stomp of my right foot, I've been living a Lexus ad.

That's not to say I've been surprised -- merely impressed.

Because, as the North American head of another Japanese carmaker said to me recently, "We don't ever, ever bet on those guys making a mistake." Those guys being Lexus, the luxury arm of Toyota Motor, a carmaker that might permanently overtake Ford Motor in worldwide auto sales, and will certainly overtake DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler division in this country in very short order; in fact, by 2010 Toyota may well be the world's largest carmaker, eclipsing even General Motors. By the way, Japan's largest carmaker has already done that on profitability and on sheer dollar value. (Today the total worth of Toyota stock is about $110 billion, way more than that of all Big Three equities combined.)

Like the man said, don't bet on Toyota making a mistake. Don't even bet on Toyota, or in this case, Lexus, merely copying its competitors. That's a slight that too often has been Detroit's and Europe's way of dismissing their Japanese competitors (and a not-too-subtle form of anti-Japan sentiment) instead of facing facts: Lexus is making better pure luxury cars for the buck than any other company in the world. Period.

To see that, just drive the splendid RX330 ($36,425; a whopping $45,828 the way our tester was equipped) back to back against the best from this category. That would include the Volvo XC90, the Cadillac SRX, Infiniti FX45, Volkswagen Touareg, Acura MDX and the Chrysler Pacifica. What, no Mercedes-Benz ML or BMW X5? Nope. Both of those vehicles are fairly long in the tooth and show it, which is why Mercedes will bring out a new, larger crossover next year. Any of the above are keener competition for the likes of the RX330.

Which, by the way, actually does have some shortcomings. Enough to make you want to buy something else? Darn good question.