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Never happens in Chicago, of course, but when the weatherman in Wisconsin says the roads will be clean and dry and the only thing clean and dry the next morning are the guys in the plows trying to erase 6 inches of snow, you begin to appreciate a sport-utility vehicle.

Of course, when you stop to refuel after a few hours on the road and have to break a $100 bill, you begin to wonder whether it would have been cheaper to fly.

The adventure took place in a new-for-2003 Lexus GX470, an addition to the lineup of Toyota’s luxury division. The GX was added to provide a $45,000 model so owners of the $35,000 Lexus RX300 had a vehicle to move up to when they needed more room without having to climb all the way up to a $63,000 Lexus LX470.

The GX470 is built on a 109.8-inch wheelbase and is 188.2 inches long overall. By comparison, the RX300 is built on a 6-inch shorter wheelbase and is 8 inches shorter overall, and the LX470 is built on a 3-inch longer wheelbase and is 4 inches longer overall.

One reason RX300 owners move up is a need for more room and comfort and one more row of seats. The RX300 provides two rows, the GX470 allows for three. The added seats run a hefty $2,030, though for that price Lexus throws in rear-seat air conditioning. The LX470 also offers three rows of seats, but $2,030 is a lot cheaper than $63,000, don’t you think?

To get to the third row, you pull a lever and the seat back folds and the seat flips forward. Not a bad aisleway to get in, if only it wasn’t so high to reach. More on that later.

If you need more cargo capacity than seats, each side of the split bench third row flips up sideways and hooks to the cabin wall. No need to remove them. If more room is needed, the second-row seat backs fold as well.

Rather than a flip-open hatch lid, the GX470 comes with a swing-open rear door. The advantage is that the door opens very wide for loading luggage, gear or clubs while in your driveway. The disadvantage is that if someone has parked close behind your bumper at the mall, loading may not be so easy.

The GX470 is built on a Toyota 4Runner sport-utility platform, which means it is truck-based and, as expected, delivers truck-like ride and handling. It comes with a system called Adaptive Variable Suspension Damping designed to smooth out the ride by continuously adjusting shock rates at each wheel based on road surface, vehicle speed, steering and braking inputs. All well and good, but the seat-of-the-pants sensation is that you are in a truck and not a sedan.

The RX300 (which becomes the RX330 when the redesigned model with a bigger 3.3-liter, 230-horsepower V-6 replaces the 3-liter, 220-h.p. V-6 in March) is based on the Camry platform. It delivers much smoother ride and handling, not to mention mileage (18/24), though it does so at the expense of a third row of seats–or a V-8 engine.

The GX470 is powered by the same 4.7-lite r, 235-h.p., 32-valve V-8 in the larger LX470. It is teamed with a 5-speed automatic. Adequate power, and when the roads cleared, pulling out to pass was a quick and easy task.

However, the fuel economy is only 15 m.p.g. city/18 m.p.g. highway, so always carry a $100 bill. And if the motorist in the car ahead of you has a “Sierra Club” sticker attached to his bumper, don’t expect a friendly wave when you pass. No, he’s not gesturing that you are No. 1.

The GX470 sits high to provide the clearance needed for off-roading. On the road, the ride height makes it nice to see ahead when the weather is clear, even nicer to see down the road when it is storming and you need to allow for quicker reaction times.

The height has two drawbacks–one being a tendency to lean in turns, the other being stepping up/stepping out when entering or exiting the cabin. The GX470 comes with an illuminated running board and the illumination is excellent at night, but the board is rather teeny and meant more for toes than feet.

If Lexus doesn’t blink at charging $2,030 for a couple of seats, why doesn’t it offer a power retractable running board like the Lincoln Navigator to help you get in and out? Or at least it could widen the running board.

The all-wheel-drive system is full-time so you don’t have to twist any dials or levers to engage it. AWD helps put you at ease when having to maneuver through a storm. Of course, there are a variety of sophisticated technology systems employed by the GX470 to ensure safe, stable, driver-in-control motoring in fair or foul weather, such as:

Anti-lock brakes with traction control and brake assist that automatically employs more force to engage ABS when it senses a panic situation and the driver is not applying enough pedal pressure; Vehicle Skid Control to help control loss of lateral traction when cornering on slippery surfaces by using throttle control or brake intervention; Downhill Assist Control to limit and hold vehicle speed when negotiating steep declines off-road; and Hill-Start Assist control to keep the vehicle stationary when starting on a steep incline or slippery surface.

If you need routing assistance, the GX470 offers an optional navigation system that’s packaged with a Mark Levinson audio system for $2,700. Of course, for $2,700 you could employ a guide–Mark Levinson, perhaps.

Didn’t quite have time to master the system, however, because the ride was only from Illinois to Minnesota and back. Truth be told, however, if the trip was from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Statue of Liberty, we probably wouldn’t have been able to make it function. If the clock on your VCR has been blinking 12:00 for the last couple of years, use road maps and forego the navi system.

Base price of the GX470 is $44,925. If you need three rows of seats and the electronic roadmap, $50,000 is within sight.

Standard equipment includes heated and folding outside mirrors that tilt when you put the lever in reverse, which may be good to see the curb, but takes the focus off people or things directly behind when backing up; water-repellent front door glass, excellent when driving through a storm; and rain-sensing wipers.

Also, power and heated driver/passenger seats; automatic climate control with driver/passenger settings; digital outside temp display; power door locks; power windows with retained accessory power to open/close later; manual swing-out rear side windows; 12-volt accessory outlet and 115-volt power outlet for such items as small appliances in the cargo hold; power tilt/telescoping steering wheel with audio controls; remote fuel-filler door release (hidden, make that buried, under the steering wheel); first-aid/tool kits; AM/FM radio with six-disc CD changer and rear-seat audio system; and front-seat side-impact air bags and first-/second-row sid e air bag curtains.

Lexus expects to sell 20,000 GX470s, which compares with 75,000-plus RX and less than 10,000 LX models.

TEST DRIVE

003 Lexus GX470

Wheelbase: 109.8 inches

Length: 188.2 inches

Engine: 4.7-liter, 235-h.p., 32-valve V-8.

Transmission: 5-speed automatic

Fuel economy: 15 m.p.g. city/18 m.p.g highway

Base price: $44,925

Price as tested: $49,747. Includes $2,700 for navigation system/Mark Levinson audio package; $2,030 for third-row seat with rear-seat air conditioning; and $92 for cargo net. Add $575 for freight.

Pluses: New entry that provides a step up from the $35,000 RX300/330 without going all the way up to the $63,000 LX470. Full-time AWD. Excellent cabin room and more than adequate cargo capacity. Fairly easy access to optional third-row seats, which fold along side cabin walls so they don’t have to be removed when loading.

Minuses: A $45,000 move up from RX300/330. Another truck-like ride, handling, mileage SUV with high step-in height. Figuring out the navi system.