We looked at the 2012 TL and both my wife and I were very impressed with the interior and the richness of the leather (much better quality than in the ES2013 IMHO.) The TL is more of a "driver's car", with a sportier ride, tighter handling and faster acceleration. But the backseat forces your passengers to sit tight or else; and inasmuch as we preferred the TL's ineterior, we thought that the exterior look of the ES350 2013 was a clear winner.

So we drove back to the Lexus dealership and bought the 2013 ES. I'm not sure if our decision would have been the same, had the 2013 TL been available at the time.

 

Both being comparable in price and really luxury... I think it comes down to what you want from your car. Slightly better handling, but harsher ride with that (TL) or a quieter, smoother ride, but with somewhat soft steering response (ES).

Having a '99 RX, '04 LS, and '10 MDX, I can say that for us, the few days and far between where I can even try to use the sportiness of the MDX are outnumbered by the other days where I feel "oh man, this is loud and rough ride..." when I drive the Acura.

For me, I have driven the current TL several times (my brother-in-law has one), but I have not driven the current ES yet so my opinion is based on the ES being much like the just passed gen ES (basically a carryover).

 

I don't think the OP has checked back in. I wonder what he/she did?

 

Which one does your wife prefer? That's the one! I speak from experience, LOL, and am completely happy with her choice, which I would have done anyway, but this way she gets the credit.

 

I think he made his decision since no other posts in CL.

 

Honda toned down the styling cues of the TL.Looks much better than the early same style model.
It's a nice car now but not one I would choose.