Drove the 330 for the first time this weekend. Didn't talk deal, just drove. Dealer experience was very pleasant and without pressure.

Likes:
This vehicle doesn't feel like 4000lbs. It was very agile and had ample acceleration. Ours had the 18" wheels and I really like the feedback. Turn in was very good and tar strips etc caused muted thumps at worst . I doubt I would sacrifice any loss of handling to get a smoother or quieter ride. Overall it was pretty quiet. Road noise was even less than my TL (which has newer Turanza LS's - a very quiet tire). Interior generally first rate. The Tilt/Tele steering wheel was exceptionally nice. Engine exceptionally smooth and quiet, though not significantly more so than TL. Depth of the woodgrain trim was superb as expected since it's real wood.

Nitpicks:
Wind noise - a litte more than expected, although it was very windy out and with road and engine noise suppressed, there's not much else to hear. Also not used to the sound of a "hatchback-wagon-suv" where the open "trunk" creates a different sound environment. Upon further examination, the nose seems a little long and pointed viewed directly from the side. Love the wood - wish there was more of it. Wife and I both commented that the silver trim on radio/hvac area needs to be wood to better match the interior. (a la GX) There was a certain uneveness to the interior that could be warmed up with more wood.

Notice I said Nitpicks. There is lots to like about this vehicle. More than what I wrote. The quality of the vehicle is immediately apparent upon entry and thereafter. We're still going to drive the MDX, but it is such a different approach that the comparison may not be fair or valid. This Lexus is really for someone like me who enjoys DRIVING a car, but might want the occasional flexiblity and AWD of a SUV. The Infiniti has it's place, but it's too small and for the $ has a sparse looking interior. BMW X3 is also too small and will probably end up with BMW's reliability disease.

I love my 2000 TL and the new TL is even sharper. But it comes with 2 cu ft smaller trunk than the old model and that's just probably not enough. So I kinda have to convince myself that this little RX is worth $40K. That's a fair chunk of change. Affording it is not the issue. Justification is where I hang myself up at.

I'd be interested in hearing what those who own it have to say about my nitpicks and my likes in case anyone thinks I'm missing something either way. 15 mintes in a vehicle doesn't really give you ample time to view all of its strengths or weaknesses.