Sold once test drove

After researching for a SUV over a year, I have decided that there are several candidates. RX300, MDX, X5, and ML320.

The impression that I had is as follows:
MDX - Good size, 240 horses, 7 seater is a bonus. Plastic interior, bad salesmanship (at least the dealer that I went to), and noisy.
X5 - It's for sure ultimate machine. Seat is high, LOTS of electronic gadgets. But very pricey.
ML320 - Noisy, drive like a truck, below average workmanship, not as luxury as ones thought.

I thought X5 was sold because of the ride. Not until I stepped into Lexus dealership and test drove the RX, my mind has changed. First, the sales service is second to none. The salesman that I dealed with was very professional, and he provided a lot of insanity check when I wanted to buy options impulsively. Second, once I was on the driver seat, it has changed my mine completely. The seats are very supportive (firm) covered with silky smooth leather. The dashboard and the information screen (either you love it or hate it) are simple and yet informational. The wood and leather trimming are the first of its class (as opposed to MDX with faux wood interior trimming). The engine, though the test-drive RX300 had nearly 2000KM on it, but the car did not vibrate a bit when idle, and the interior was extremely quiet. When I shifted the transmission to "Drive", that's when the best part kicks in, the engine was silky smooth, though it's only 220 horses, but the response was great, and it is enough for city driving.

VSC, traction control, and ABS work hand in hand. I drove the vehicle to a empty parking lot with deep snow with ice layer, stepped on the gas and when it reached 40Km/h, I made a sharp turn to the right and thought even with the traction control, the RX300 will spin. And I was wrong, the VSC works its magic and brought the car back to my control (I did exactly the same to MDX, X5, and ML320, the control with the X5 and RX was the best).

What is the drawback? I think there is a design flaw with the RX300 (hope Lexus fixed it in the 2004 model).
1. Roaring wind noise when opening a single window at a certain speed inside the passenger compartment.

But if you consider it as an SUV, it is above average. RX300 definitely drives like a sedan, and it feels like a sedan when sits inside. RX also short enough so that it can fit in any types of parking space. Great to find parking in the city.

If you have the following criteria when buying a SUV
1. Quiet
2. Luxury
3. Top three of the JD power Luxury SUV category
4. Top three Initial Quality of JD power
5. Fantastic "After Sales Services" (Strictly at the dealership, haven't tried the Roadside assistance yet)
6. High resale value
7. Need to drive and feel like a sedan without a feel of SUV
8. Simple but practical interior

RX300 will be your best choice. LX470 is great too, but it does not fit into my garage.

I bought the RX300 in Canada, and paid approximately USD32500 for its 4WD Luxury Edition (the package is different in US and Canada).