I think the Lance is about the same length isn't it?
They're both good--we looked at them both seriously and almost ordered a Laredo. I preferred the less froufrou interior of the Northstar and wanted the cassette potty. I think I was turned off by some of the features on all the Lances I saw at the dealer--microwave? Stereo? But if you camp with hookups or a generator those things might be nice.
In your situation it may come down to little things like do they both have electric jacks? All LED lighting? How comfy is the dinette?
In the end I decided I wanted windows and just got a popup. (Have you checked out the Northstar popups? They have a popup Laredo--the 850SC. Up and down easy! :))