It appears in the UK market the configurator allows you to pick and choose from the exact options you might consider critical. (and at reasonable additional cost) In the U.S., if we just want the backup sensors, we have to pay thousands for a whole bunch of crap that has nothing to do with driving. Apparently, us folks in the the colonies are too stupid to select options for ourselves. (A self opening rear hatch...wtf)

 

US is all about bundling ... you pay for minutes on your cellphone plan you either do not use or overpay greatly by going over the limit ... you pay for TV channels you never watch .... you pay for insurance you never use .... to get one feature in your car you have to purchase a package with 6 features you otherwise would not buy and free in the US is "NEVER" free .... nothing new ... on the other hand no other country buys a many cars off the lot as the US ... in Europe almost exclusively you have to order your car ....

 

This is why. This is 100% why.

 

+1, but it is also more profitable in a number of ways.

They sell higher price cars with a bigger profit margin, and a lot more cars are sold because of impulse buyers, who see something shiny and exciting on the lot and have to to have it now.

On the other hand, our car prices are so much lower, I don't think we have anything to complain about. An F-Type in the UK with zero options is going to sell for considerably more than the corresponding fully-optioned U.S. version.

 

Yes on the other hand the base price in the UK is higher.

The R Coupe is 75k pounds before tax and 90k pounds after tax. That's $112k pre tax with less standard equipment.

I'll take US pricing and packaging over UK any day.

 

We have "bundling" for our options here in Australia too, which I didn't like either. Seemed like whenever you added one thing you wanted, it was dropping something else you'd just selected.

And the R here, unoptioned, is equivalent to US$162k after tax.

Oh, and lhoboy, I've got the powered hatch and I'm glad I got it. No fingerprints all over the back of your car. It is a cool feature that a lot of people comment on.

 

Yes. Understood, for all those reasons. But it's just that much more gimmickry to go bad. All I want above and beyond an un-optioned V6S is heated seats (really just a heated seat for the passenger) and some backup sensors (because of the lack of rear visibility). Don't even want the camera. I would have taken the ceramic brakes, but not available with a manual transmission.

 

You should be able to get that or at least you could for '14 models. The only options on my base car is heated seats and steering wheel, HD/Sirius radio, and light grey top. Those are/were a la carte options, unless they are now being bundled with something else.

 

Take a few seconds to look at the '16 configurator. It's all bundles. The only option available by itself is the windshield heater. Order back up sensors and you you get power hatch, 1800 way seats (down, back and tilt is all anyone needs) tv cameras, radar tracking, multi-zone heating (it's a tiny sportscar for crying out loud) and a host of other things I'll use once and forget about.
[Oops, forgot to take my meds... I'll be ok in the morning.]

 

In that case, I understand your pain and need for meds. However, keep the faith. Once you can actually place an order, you may find that you can mix and match. I don't have much faith in the published "configurators" this far out.

 

Just enjoy it. These features are all good, and the price of the car in the US market is a bargain, even with a bundle forcing you to buy things you don't want.

 

Totally agree. If I'm ever in the position to order a car, it would probably be a low spec base car with heated seats and not much else. I tend to keep cars for a long time - I really have no use for gadgets and gimmicks that I suspect will just plain break and I'd never be able to justify the high cost of fixing them down the line (not to mention that I hate having 'broken things').

Dual zone climate, 14 way seats, backup camera, parking sensors, 'radar', clever headlights and the like - totally MEH for me. Keep it simple!

I'm sure the ceramic brakes are awesome, but I can't imagine (some years down the line) having to shell out replacement cost on those rotors and/or calipers once the car has depreciated to the point where those new brake components cost a large percentage of the depreciated value of the entire car.

Of course, its possible that I'm just plain cheap...

 

I have heard that the ongoing maintenance on the ceramics is actually cheaper than the standard brakes since the rotors don't wear out of spec every time the pads need replacing. But that may be an urban myth to help rationalize the ceramics that otherwise only provide additional value if you are continually braking into the turns at 175+. My interest in them would be the 55 lb reduction in un-sprung weight bringing the overall vehicle weight down below 3450 lbs.

 

You heard correctly, lhoboy. No, it's not an urban myth. To the best of my knowledge, the rotors will be unlikely to ever need replacing. At least not in the time I'll own it.

My RS5 used to chew through pads AND rotors (as does our Q7) - I have spent literally thousands and thousands of dollars on Audi brake maintenance. It was a key factor for me wanting CCB's. And their performance is staggering!

I've heard people say they'll squeal like crazy around town - that's complete rubbish. Steel brakes are much worse, especially with race pads. I had a WRX STi with Brembos, and I had race pads fitted for tracking. But after a couple of weeks around town, the squealing almost drove me insane and I had them swapped out for a softer compound pad.

The weight saving is a nice bonus too.

Another very pleasant benefit of CCB's is the almost complete lack of brake dust on the wheels. With the steel brakes, the brake dust carries a small magnetic charge, which is why it sticks so badly to wheels. You get less dust generated, and it carries no charge with CCB's, so your wheels are much easier to keep in pristine condition.

 

I know what you mean. I think the rotors on my MINI actually wear out faster than the pads. And the Cooper Works rotors are not cheap. There use to be a time when they put enough mass on rotors to allow you to surface them 2 or 3 times before they fell below minimum spec. Now they are manufactured new at minimum spec.

 

Doesn't that drive you crazy? The pads are meant to be the consumable, not the bloody rotors!

 

+1!!

 

The rear disks - possibly - although the handbrake side seemed to wear faster.

The fronts were usually 3 sets of pads to 1 set of rotors.

The 2nd or 3rd owner of a CCB-equipped car is likely to find the cost of new rotors punitive.

Careful commenting on powered tailgates. Some members are a bit sensitive about the subject. Although, the lack of fingerprints argument is a new and interesting one given that the release button is underneath, while the interior handle and latch mechanism mean you never have to touch the paint...

 

That would be me. Unless it's a lemon, I have no intention of selling it.

 

There are some sob stories over at Porsche regarding CCB costs.

Read this (there are several similar threads).

Beware of premature failure of Porsche PCCB ceramic brakes - 6speedonline.com Forums