Your TV viewing nowadays, minus coverage of the Middle Eastern conflict and hourly Taylor Swift/NFL updates, has recently been inundated with ads for Lexus’s new three-row TX SUV. There are so many that even I’ve noticed them, and my TV is safely stashed in a closet.

Lexus is indeed proud and hopeful for this all-new, family-oriented automobile, which they predict will be the company’s third-largest-selling model, after the smaller but updated RX and LX models. It’s an attempt to keep Lexus owners with young families in the brand, with a comfortable and capable machine whose third row is in full-time use. Pricing starts at just over $55,050, which is also a more family-friendly strategy for an upmarket vehicle.

Built on the same platform and at the new Indiana factory as the new, three-row Toyota Grand Highlander — I have not been in one yet but I hear the similarities are uncanny — the 203-inch-long, 70-inch-tall TX differentiates itself with one additional powertrain, a plug-in hybrid-electric model that will be exclusive to the vehicle and available at dealers early next year.

As you may have seen on the TV spots, TX sports a new-fangled “unified” rendition of the ever-evolving Lexus spindle grille, here a little more color-matched to the body and designed to offer a new look for the brand that’s a little less aggressive than other models.

I feared that TX might have moved Lexus into Chevy Suburban territory, but its size and shape is much more subtle than that, despite the fact that it’s a full-blown, up-to-seven-passenger vehicle with legit third-row adult legroom and well-orchestrated access.

There are a number of hidden but functional natural hand-holds to ease you in and out of those third-row seats (not to mention a built-in tether to keep seatbelts out of the way), with significant headroom and a comfortable seating position. That does not quite seem to be the case with the Infiniti QX60 I am driving this weekend, one of the vehicle’s closest competitors.

Lexus has gotten the absolute most out of the TX’s footprint, with a total of 97 cubic feet of cargo space behind the first row, and 20 cubic feet with even the third row up — space enough for seven carry-on bags.

While not designated in any way as a dedicated off-roader, my suspicion is that the all-wheel-drive variants of the TX will provide comfortable all-season cruising and light trail capability, courtesy of a combined trail mode setting that combines braking, AWD and power to enhance grip.

The TX’s three engines include a 275-horsepower 2.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder with either front- or all-wheel drive, a 27-mpg 2.4-liter turbo hybrid with 366 combined horsepower and AWD (both 2.4-liter models available now at dealers) and the AWD 404-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 plug-in hybrid, which will offer about 33 miles of all-electric range and zero-to-60 mph times of 5.9 seconds.

The plug-in version will feature a high-capacity lithium-ion battery pack that’s cooled with air conditioning refrigerant to deal with 101-degree days and also electrically heated to do better in our weather.

I had a chance to drive all three around a very urban route in Austin, Texas, last week (sadly I missed chauffeuring Shania Twain or Dave Grohl by a day) and the TX does indeed provide a smooth, composed and capably powerful (and very quiet) experience, even with its smallest engine option. The F Sport Performance model even adds dynamic rear steering to smooth curves and offer additional low-speed maneuverability.

As standard features, TX offers the adaptable 14-inch combined video display (which I finally saw with active navigation enabled, and is quite impressive), as well as 20-inch alloy wheels, with up to 22-inch wheels available. A power rear door, aluminum roof rails and a wireless phone charger are also standard on every model, as well as a 5,000-pound towing capacity, regardless of the powertrain. Like the RX, you also get the advanced Lexus Safety System 3.0, heated front seats, a 12-speaker premium audio system and three-zone air conditioning and heating. Seven USB ports are standard, and up to three power outlets are also possible, depending which TX you order. A full-cabin panorama sunroof and a 21-speaker, 1,800-watt Mark Levinson audio system are also available. Second-row seating can be ordered with Captain Seats and a removable cupholder/console to offer more cargo room.

Andy Stonehouse’s column “Mountain Wheels” publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Golden. Contact him at summitmountainwheels@gmail.com.