Apples and oranges, mahogany and rosewood, and yes they sound very different, I've owned many Martins of both woods.
Better? That's up to you ears, I have always prefered scalloped or scalloped forward shifted braces myself and personally would take the 2012 D-18 over a standard D-28, get into an HD-28V or D-28 Marquis then "for me" it would be a tossup.
Also consider the nut widths and neck profile differences, Martin has a lot of different combinations. Worth a road trip if you can manage it to be "sure", happy shopping.
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