Bruce, thanks, I do understand about the adaptive suspension, but it sounded to me like you were characterizing the base as a 10 in firmness, and calibrating to maximum possible firmness would to be counter-intuitive for a base model from any manufacturer.

 

PS: If the base model you drove had 19s or 20s I could see how you might get that impression. I'm riding on 18s. I did drive the base on 19s in cold weather; it was noticeably firmer but I found any handling compromise to be negligible. Wanting to drive year-round in this climate and on these roads I opted for 18s and haven't looked back.

 

So, I decided on a 2016 base model in storm grey, 21k miles, premium + vision package. I had it shipped from CA, arrived two weeks ago today. Pricing was far more reasonable than anything locally or regionally. Thanks to everyone who offered advice, very much appreciated.