Over half a million copies sold are the rolling testimonies to the success of the Lexus RX300 which was first launched in 1999.

It was introduced to America just a decade after Lexus entered that market, and provided the ride height and offroad advantages of an SUV with the smoothness and comfort of a luxury car.

The latest version comes to US and European markets - including Ireland - in May, following its debut on this side of the world at the Geneva Motor Show.

Apart from major changes to the exterior styling, which provide a more 'space age' look that clearly differentiates it from the relatively boxier previous model, the new car has a raft of new and upgraded technologies, not least of which is a new 4-wheel air suspension option.

The standard suspension has also been refined, with a dual-link strut system combined with a more rigid axle at the rear. Front and rear suspension have new shock absorber systems.

Bigger brakes and an ehanced Brake Assist system improve stopping ability. Other safety features include an 'intelligent' adaptive front lighting system which analyses the vehicle speed and steering angle to calculate the best swivel angle for the driving lights. This is a first for an SUV.

Nine airbags, including a knee-protection one, seem now set to become a Toyota standard, as the new Lexus RX300 has this number in common with the new Toyota Avensis, also shown at Geneva.

Lexus are also highlighting a rear-view camera a la the Nissan Primera. But this writer recalls seeing a similar system a number of years ago in a Japan-market Toyota SUV which later became the base unit for the RX300. For some reason they left it out of the Mark I vehicle.

The interior has been significantly changed for the Mark II (not a designation used by Lexus, by the way).

The central ‘cool metal’ trim is complemented by curved light wood in the lower console containing the selector lever for the sequential automatic transmission, and as highlights on the steering wheel, door trims and on the centre console box between the front seats.

The adjustable console box can either slide forward to give a feeling of continuity with the centre console, or backwards to allow a ‘walkthrough’ between the front seats.

The rear seats match those in the front, being designed as separate entities with a padded central area. Each rear seat is adjustable fore and aft by 120mm and can be reclined. The padded central area additionally folds down to create a combined armrest and storage box, with two cupholders.

The centre armrest also accesses a ‘ski hatch’ allowing longer objects to be carried between the rear seats, while both rear seats fold forwar.

Overall, the latest RX300 is 160mm longer than its predecessor and 35mm wider. It's not all overhang, either, because the wheelbase is 100mm longer.

The rear tailgate is power operated, automatically opening and closing at the touch of a button. It can also be activated at distance by the vehicle’s key. The tonneau-type luggage bay cover is automatically retracted as the tailgate opens.

Hidden underfloor storage compartments are also accessible in the luggage bay, by clicking down on their pop-up lids.

The 3-litre V6 engine under the hood of the new RX300 can propel the car to 100 km/h in a commendable 9 seconds, and returns an estimated 23mpg.

And that last figure could have been 1mpg worse only for the fact that the rear lamps use light emitting diode (LED) technology that saves that figure in fuel consumption.

It also means the brake lamps light up ten times faster than a conventional lamp, and, at 100 km/h, that equals six metres of reaction time.

That's the kind of little detail that we drivers don't notice, but which Lexus engineers do. And, hopefully, that guy driving too close to us behind does.

And Lexus will say that he'll ALWAYS be behind an RX300.