• For 2004, Lexus has produced a new-generation RX 330, with updted styling, considerably more room and more power;
• The 3.3-liter V6 provides 10 more horsepower and 20 more foot-pounds of torque than were previously available;
• New safety and convenience features abound, and the rear-view camera is so good that you can almost read the headlines as you back toward the morning paper in your driveway.

I wanted to like Lexus' all-new, 2004 RX 330. I really did.

I wasn't much of a fan of Lexus' original entry-level luxury sport utility vehicle, the RX 300, but I have to admit I may have been the only person on the planet with such an opinion, because year after year after year, the RX 300 was by far the best-selling vehicle in its class.

The RX 300 not only created what Automotive News calls the "premium sport wagon" segment, but it absolutely dominated it, outselling the Acura MDX, BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz M-Class and even Volvo's amazing XC90 by such whopping margins that Lexus had a nearly 35 percent piece of this very lucrative pie.

But I never understood why. Personally, I thought the RX's country cousin, the Toyota Highlander, was a lot more interesting, visually and dynamically.

Anyway, I was eager to try the all-new '04 RX 330, with its much improved styling, its roomier interior, its more powerful engine and with a long list of options that allow buyers to build a car that truly meets their needs.

And while Lexus claims that "the current RX is still at the top of its game," it knew that new competition from Infiniti (FX35 and FX45), Chrysler (Pacifica), as well as Cadillac (SRX), Buick (Ranier), Lincoln (a sports wagon is in the pipeline) and even Volkswagen (Touareg), demanded significant changes to the RX.

And the changes for 2004 are significant. They include a new exterior design that is cleaner, sleeker, eliminates cladding and adds a truly stylish flair with side windows that penetrate the D pillars like glass arrows. They also include building the RX in North America, which makes it the first Lexus product not to be an imported vehicle.

The 2004 RX 330 gets its name from its 3.3-liter V6 engine that delivers 230 horsepower (10 more than the RX 300's 3.0-liter V6) and 242 pound-feet of torque (up 20 over the '03 model). While more powerful, the new V6 nonetheless qualifies for Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle endorsement, and is linked to a new five-speed automatic transmission.

Like the engine, the RX 330's platform has been enlarged. The wheelbase has grown 3.9 inches, overall length by nearly 6 inches, width by 1.1 inches and height by nearly half an inch.

Inside the RX 330, those figures translate into everything from 1.8 more inches of legroom for those sitting in the front row to 9.7 more cubic feet of cargo capacity.

The interior also gets real walnut of bird's-eye maple wood trim with metallic accents around the instrument panel and switch plates, a fabric roof liner and coated interior pillars, a center seat arm rest with cupholders and storage, a cargo cover synchronized to retract when you open the rear hatch, three underfloor cargo areas, audio controls on the steering wheel, a lighted glove box and center console storage area, even lighted front cupholders, a new cupholder to the left of the steering wheel, and new pull-open front door storage pockets.

There are front-seat side-impact airbags and front and rear curtain airbags and even an airbag to protect the driver's knees. A tire pressure monitoring system is standard equipment, as is anti-spin Vehicle Stability Control.

Available options include adaptive front lights that adjust as you turn the steering wheel - up to 15 degrees to the left and 5 degrees to the right - to help you corner at night, a power rear hatch, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a multi-panel moonroof that opens a larger section of the roof, adaptive cruise control that uses lasers to keep you a set distance behind traffic, a rear-seat entertainment system and a navigation system that includes a rear-viewing camera, a towing package and air suspension.

Toyota and Lexus already have one of the most user-friendly navigation systems available. Now, with the rear-view camera, when you shift into reverse, the navigation screen becomes a TV monitor and gives you such a good view of what's behind your vehicle that we could almost read the headlines on the morning newspaper as we backed out of the garage.

This is a marvelous feature and without a doubt our favorite thing about this new RX.

One other thing that we know we'll like about the RX is that within the next two years it will be equipped with Toyota's wonderful hybrid (gas/electric) powertrain. By combining an electric motor with an internal combustion engine, Toyota already has made its Prius sedan both a practical and environmentally responsible -though small - vehicle, and we're glad to see Toyota and other automakers applying this technology to larger vehicles that will have much wider appeal.

Our sample RX 330 was the basic, two-wheel drive model with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $35,025, but the as-delivered price ballooned to $46,477 with such options as the adaptive cruise control, entertainment system, heated front seats, navigation system with rear camera and a performance package that includes 18-inch wheels, air suspension, power rear door, tilt and telescoping steering wheel with memory, high-intensity discharge headlights with the adaptive steering system, and rain-sensing wipers.

As you can see, there are lots of features you can select to customize your RX 330, though pushing $50,000 would seem to me to also be pushing out of the entry-luxury category.

Yet even those prices don't scare off RX 330 customers. Even with new competition from Infiniti and Chrysler, Lexus continues to hold a huge lead in the sales race.

Still, I don't understand what draws them to this vehicle in such numbers. The 2004 RX 330 I drove for a week had a disconcerting whine, both at launch and again if we lifted slightly off the throttle at around 40 miles per hour. It also had some strange tire and mechanical noise that violated what we thought would be a Lexus-quiet cabin. The mechanical noise reminded us of the sound we used to expect from an old-fashioned four-wheel-drive system, and that sent us to the Monroney sticker to double-verify that this was, indeed, a front-wheel-drive unit.

We also had occasion to look for something in the owner's manual and found a 622-page volume and wondered who would take the time to read through such a book.

Apparently tens of thousands of people, that's who.