Here’s a big car that gives you more, much more, and pretends to be taking away less. Expensive, beautifully equipped, stacked with brainy hybrid technology, it’s hard to understand as anything more than a conceit. Yet for its striving for perfection alone, I loved driving it.

The hybrid system operates mainly in Eco mode which allows the electronic controller to shuttle between electric and petrol engine operation, and it’s almost totally seamless. Ev or electric only mode gives just a kilometre or two of silent-only operation. Pulling away mutes throttle response to give near silent going, but hooligans can hoof it and blow away the intent of all those azure ‘hybrid’ badges.

Fit and finish is superb as you’d expect from a R770 000 range-topping machine, and the LXH version has full array of  toys including sophisticated camera-based PDC, full leather,  superb 15-speaker Mark Levinson surround sound system, heated seats, electric sunroof and auto open/close boot. All useful for making the driving experience less of a chore. Lose these specifics and you have the R70k cheaper SX version. The main media interface includes a HDD navi system operated primarily through a mouse-like haptic device which is the Lexus version of MMI and iDrive. It’s a bit fussy in operation, perhaps less intuitive when there aren’t many menus to scroll through, and difficult in traffic. It works like a damped action trackball on the large format screen, with options selected via a side click. The navigation default (if you like it like that) and menu can both be accessed via two override buttons, and options can be scrolled through with a discreet up and down arrow rocker switch. But it still feels like a system that’s clawing for a point of difference rather than making a stride forward in the ergonomics department. I’m sure its fine when you have most of your defaults sorted. For me, I still find it easier to whizz through menus using a spin and push-to-select dial in the Merc, BM and Audi tradition.

For a large car with a heft of two tonnes, the handling is surprisingly good. The ride is soft without being wallowy, it goes where you point the lightly weighted steering with some precision, and while no racer by any stretch, it will handle the yumps and twists of any daily commute with aplomb and the absolute minimum of mechanical reminder. This car is seriously hushed.  It feels sorted, secure and solidly engineered. After all, Toyota’s been making big SUVs for years and this one carries forward the brand’s association with finesse.