Seen in Hollywood and Hawera

By ALASTAIR SLOANE motoring editor

Actor Tom Cruise is driving one around Taranaki. Director Steven Spielberg drives one around California. The vehicle in question is the Lexus LX470, a highly refined heavyweight based on the Toyota Land Cruiser.

There is another 4WD Lexus, too. It's built more for Hollywood than Hawera and doesn't have the off-road ability of the LX470. But it appeals to a bigger audience. It's called the RX330 and will be launched in New Zealand next month.

It is the first Lexus RX model to officially go on sale here. Used imports of its successor, the RX300, have turned up wearing the Japanese domestic Harrier badge.

The RX330 was launched in the United States last year and is already proving as popular as the RX300, the bestselling luxury 4WD in the US since its launch in 1998.

The new model is clearly designed around the same idea as the RX300, but it has taken on a new character.

It is bigger inside and out, with more power and presence, says Lexus. The body is stronger, the sound insulation more effective, the aerodynamics more efficient.

The RX330 takes its handle from the capacity of its 3.3-litre V6 engine, a development of the 3-litre V6 in the RX300.

The new unit produces around 170kW (230bhp), up about 10kW on the RX300. It is said to be quieter and more fuel-frugal, thanks in part to a new five-speed automatic gearbox.

Lexus New Zealand is keeping many of the details of the RX330 to itself until the mid-April unveiling. It will come with rain-sensing windscreen wipers, a power-operated tailgate and a Mark Levinson sound system.

It might have the optional air suspension pack, which drops the standing vehicle about 4cm to help loading.

It won't have adaptive lighting, where the headlights steer with the front wheels for improved visibility around corners. That's a left-hand-drive option only. Nor will it have a rear-view video camera showing what's lurking behind. That's linked to the satellite-navigation system and New Zealand doesn't have a sat-nav set-up.

It won't be priced at $65,800, either. That's yesterday's exchange-rate conversion of the $US39,000 American dealers are asking. A rough guess at the price here is between $80,000 and $90,000.