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The media surrounded the stage in McCormick Place as the folks from Lexus pulled the cover from a vehicle being unveiled on the 1997 auto-show circuit.

The machine was a concept derived from the Toyota Camry sedan called the Sports Luxury Vehicle, or SLV for short. But this was no Toyota.

It was part sedan, part wagon, part sport-utility. But the term crossover hadn’t been coined as yet, so it was called a sport-utility.

A few people giggled because it came with a purse holder on the floor in front of the center console. Didn’t the Japanese know that space was meant to hold cups?

There were those who treated the vehicle as if it came with a pox as standard equipment, until they opened the doors and lifted the tailgate and slipped into, over and around the seats. They noticed it offered front-wheel- or all-wheel-drive, and, despite its heritage, it looked nothing like a Camry. Better still, it didn’t look much like a station wagon either.

A year later, the new offering arrived in Lexus showrooms. It also has come to be called a crossover: the RX300.

The vehicle that was treated as an oddity when first unveiled has become the top-selling vehicle at that Toyota’s luxury division. Sales topped 100,000 units for the first time in 2004 and again in 2005. They are well on their way to a threepeat this year.

And the folks at Toyota have something else to giggle about–everyone in the industry has copied or soon will copy it.

Hadn’t been in an RX for a while so we tested the 2007 RX350 arriving in showrooms now to check out the latest update. The RX is offered in front- or full-time all-wheel-drive version. We tested the latter.

Styling doesn’t seem to have changed even a smidgen over the years, though the RX has had a number of names, er, numbers. It started life as the 300, then became the 330 and now the 350. Those numbers stand for the 3-liter, 3.3-liter and now 3.5-liter engine respectively.

The 3.5-liter V-6 with 5-speed automatic develops 270 horsepower, a noticeable bump from the 230 h.p. with the 3.3-liter. The V-6 responds to pedal pressure as if a V-8, but the fuel gauge does, too. While rated 19 m.p.g. city and 24 m.p.g. highway, the week behind the wheel of the RX350 put a broad smile on the face of the owner of the local BP station.

Ride is smooth, handling decent thanks in part to the optional 18-inch all-season radials–up from the standard 17 inchers–but expect some body lean in corners.

The full-time AWD doesn’t come with a low setting for off-roading, so you have to limit your adventures to snow on the expressway rather than steep hills or deep streams in the hinterlands. This isn’t a Baja cruiser.

In addition to the security of AWD in rain and snow, standard stability control senses lateral slippage in turns and applies the brakes and/or limits engine power to prevent a skid, and standard traction control keeps the wheels from slipping when taking off on slick surfaces.

Four-wheel anti-lock brakes with force distribution is also standard. Brake force distribution uses sensors to trigger the pedal at full force when it detects you’ve suddenly touched the pedal while traveling at speed.

There’s also a knee air bag to keep the driver from submarining under the dash, and side-curtain air bags come with sensors to stay deployed longer in the event of a rollover.

But what attracts folks to an RX350 are the amenities, such as the power liftgate that opens or closes by pressing a button or the key fob. That’s a nice touch when the hands are full of packages.

You also can open/close operate the windows and power moonroof with the key fob, though you can’t close the windows with it just to keep from “rolling” the windows up while a child is in its path.

Cargo space is good and second-row seat backs fold and the seat bottoms slide forward to expand the capacity. The cargo floor also has two covered stowage bins. One holds the cargo hold privacy shade that you can remove to carry taller items.

Another nice touch is that the center console between the front seats slides forward or backward. When it’s back, it exposes a tray on the floor to store a purse.

New features for 2007 are a standard premium satellite-ready eight-speaker AM/FM/CD MP3-compatible audio system with six-disc in-dash changer.

The optional ($1,840) rear-seat DVD entertainment system now comes with a 9-inch screen up from 7 inches; a tire-pressure monitor is standard; and the navigation system ($2,650) will display text in English, French and Spanish.

The navigation system has been upgraded. Though it had voice activation before, the destination had to be programmed manually. So most people fiddled with the screen while driving. For 2007 you can program the destination through voice activation too. The navi also comes with a rear camera to show what’s behind when backing up. Good clarity on the navi screen and a nice wide view in back.

The 2007 RX350 with AWD starts at $38,800, up $1,030 from 2006. Any feature that can be power activated is standard.

The ability to hold a purse, like the bud vase on the dash of a VW Beetle, is evidence Lexus aims this vehicle at women. The steady rise in sales shows that wherever it’s aiming, Lexus has hit the target.

Pleasant ride, handling, performance and most appreciated amenities. Just be prepared to pay a the price.

Got junque?: Winners in the desk-cleaning giveaway were O.B. from the planet Vulcan, who, by the way, is celebrating 74 years there; Emily Cloutier, Fairhope, Ala.; Bob Arthur, Libertyville; John Moriarty, Park Ridge; Pam Brint, Rochelle, Ill.; Ann McDonough, Blue Island; Don LaRosa, Crystal Lake; Richard Klarich, Chicago; Chris Griffin, Schaumburg; James Hagan, Orland Park; and Jim Weglewski, Frankfort.

Also, Nancy Hasselquist, Davis, Ill.; Mark Green, Bolingbrook; Dee Bugielski, Chicago; Ellen Frantzen, La Grange; Anthony Hiebl, Gulf Shores, Ala.; Barb Smith, De Pue, Ill.; John Mitchell, Oak Lawn; Robert Etherton, Mt. Zion, Ill.; Marilyn Irmis, Westmont; John Palumbo, Hinsdale; June Vandervest, Downers Grove; Deb Hopkins, Naperville; Carl Garrison, Naperville; and Tom Robbins, Bourbonnais.

Also, Chuck Williams, Lake Zurich; Heidi Leach, Bartlett; James Maass, Kankakee; Paul Christensen, Hancock, Mich.; Juan Lopez, Lake Villa; Josephine Korper, Schaumburg; George Moses, Chicago; Albert Makowski, Park Ridge; Angela Orlando, Bloomingdale; Steve Koleff, Hammond; Jean Jurs, Palatine; Scott Henderson, Schaumburg; Chuck Baygood, Chicago; and Lorraine Meyer, Morton Grove.

2007 Lexus RX350 AWD

Price as tested: $45,728*

Wheelbase: 106.9 inches

Length: 186.2 inches

Engine: 3.5-liter, 270-h.p., 24-valve V-6

Transmission: 5-speed automatic.

CITY 19 m.p.g.

HWY 24 m.p.g.

THE STICKER

$38,800 Base price

$2,960 premium package with leather trim, power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, power moonroof, high-intensity discharge headlamps with adaptive lighting

$2,650 voice-activated navigation system with Bluetooth/compass/back-up camera

$665 Heated front seats/rain-sensing wipers/headlamp washers

$495 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels with all-season radials

$92 cargo mat

$66 wheel locks

*Add $695 for freight

PLUSES

The 3.5 liter has much more energy and life than the 3.3-liter it replaces.

Lots of amenities, from power liftgate to moveable front console.

Loaded with safety and security systems such as full-time AWD, side-curtain air bags, ABS and stability control as standard.

MINUSES

Trying to reach the mileage estimate.

Pricey options.

Read Jim Mateja Sunday in Transportation and Wednesday and Friday in Business. Hear him on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:22 p.m. Wednesdays and 11:22 a.m. Sundays. jmateja@tribune.com