I absolutely agree with you. I have been driving an Acura TSX since 2005 (I bought it because I liked the technology for the price) and although I know I'm comparing apples and oranges, every time I slide behind the wheel of my ES 350, I'm in love all over again. I really like the dash, instrument cluster and overall styling of the interior. I was disappointed that the ashtray came standard. I would have preferred a power outlet and another storage area. I also concur that Acura's voice recognition software appears better than Lexus voice recognition and hope that's fixable with a software upgrade at some point soon. In terms of exterior styling, ride, room, etc, I could't be more pleased. I have had the opportunity to compare to other Lexus vehicles including my former RX 330 and IS 300, and I prefer the interior of my ES 350 to those hands down. I also prefer the styling to that of the GS. As a techie, I wish the ES 350 had offered the LS new "auto-park" feature but I bet that option is one of the many reasons the LS tops out at $82G.