I admit this is a very good car. Also, it retained 87% of its original value after 3 years and 42k. I think it means the car is under-valued in terms of MSRP. And of course more plainly it means people are willing to pay more for used ones. High residuals are a creation of people; the car does not create them. That said, as a new car I think this car is a standout value in its segment.
- Unmatched dynamics in class (see below for slight caveat on that)
- Good performance numbers (13.9 sec @ 103.5 mph, 60-0 MPH 100 ft, 1.00 g)
- Only 3,104 lbs (this should be celebrated)
- Value leader in segment
- True room for 4 adults (this is also a pretty remarkable accomplishment in concert with everything else)
- Comfortable ride (same)
- Reasonable fuel economy
If there is anything to pick at, it's this:
What's this? Funny business with the rear wheels to inorganically modify the handling in hard driving? Even with the system off? I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of that. However, if it turns out the car still feels really organic even while this is happening, I guess that is what matters. I mean it's two ways to look at it....like "wow, feel how it didn't understeer at all around that corner? That is amazing, I can't believe this is FWD." Or "wow I expected lift throttle oversteer but it held the line. Amazing!" When what really happened is the stability control system did some individual wheel braking to make the line happen the way the driver asked. And make no mistake - to wear out rear pads on a FWD car like this in 15k miles means they are getting used a LOT. Just saying.The 15,000-mile "B1" service would've cost the same for the same jobs (minus the would-be tire rotation, skipped because of its new $1,380 Michelins), but we had a coupon for a $50 service. However, the dealership called and found that the rear brake pads needed replacing ($222). "Odd," I thought, since the Brembo fronts do most of the braking. In fact, this is a common trait for the FK8 CTR, and its rear brakes do most of the work stabilizing the car on twisting mountain roads driven at a spirited pace—even with VSA stability control system supposedly disabled and in R driving mode.