Trying to decide--2019 CTR vs 2018 M2

drledford93

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Help me decide between these two. Coming from a 2018 Focus RS (God rest her soul) that was tremendous fun. FWIW, this will be my DD and possibly see some track or autox time.

I test drove the CTR yesterday. Fast, tossable, great steering and transmission. It feels, in a straight line, like my RS (380 bhp) and former Mazdaspeed 3 (350 bhp). Much more stable in cornering than my MS3 (less US), not as loose as the RS. When driven aggressively, I was able to elicit quite a bit of wheelspin on corner exit once the boot came on just north of 3k rpm. Right or wrong, this put the idea in the back of my head that it will be a similar experience to my MS3, less the torque steer.

There are a couple of things that bother me and I need some input from you guys about. The first is no on-throttle oversteer. I understand this is a FWD car and it's inherent in the system. But, I'm really afraid I'll miss it. Are there other attributes to the CTR that will make up for this? The RS had a huge amount of it and the M2 does too, of course.

Next is the waiting and waiting to get the power down. Again this is typical of FWD cars. It's my main drawback to this car. When I raced, I learned to and loved to get on the throttle early and drive the car through a corner, turning the car as I needed with my right foot. Yes, this can be done with a FWD but not in the same way.

I see that the CTR has done pretty well in National-level SCCA autox events. That says a lot about it's ability to change direction and get a good amount of power down, being FWD.

So, I'm torn. Help me decide by giving me input from you, as owners. For you guys that have driven both RWD/AWD (that tends towards OS) and FWD, how do you rate the fun factor? Were you to do it over again, would you buy the CTR again? Something else?
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Drake

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You couldn't have picked two more different vehicles. I think you need to question what you want. You're pretty much asking whether you should eat an apple or an orange, you can't really compare the two directly.
 
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drledford93

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I disagree. Look at the number of people who have looked at both. There are obvious differences but the overall performance is close enough to be comparable. You may see them in different categories but I see them as competitors. I appreciate your input.
 

CaptClutch

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I lined up behind one in grid on Saturday and got to chase him for a few laps. Bear in mind this is HPDE2 so neither of us are "professional" drivers by any means


More footage from the same day, different sessions and different cars


Far as which to get...
- Consider insurance costs
- Consider maintenance costs (not sure if you are a DIY'er or take it to the shop)
- Aftermarket part costs/availability if you want to mod it. Depending on how much an '18 M2 costs you could dump the difference of cost into aftermarket parts on the CTR. I imagine the '19 CTR is a bit cheaper
- You mentioned it's going to be a daily driver, go test drive them both and see which is more comfortable to you and has the "quality of life" features you want. For example the CTR seats have big bolsters, is it going to bother you climbing in and out of it every day?
- Availability of the CTR. I looked for quite some time before I found the one I bought. I wasn't willing to pay ridiculous markup over MSRP and ended up buying mine out in West Virginia. Flew out and road tripped it back home (Utah)


Those are the things that come top of mind
 
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davemarco

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If the difference in money were no object, I'd probably go for the M2 Competition over the Type R. Personally, I'm a bit over the cheaper plastic-y interior of the R, as well as the complete lack of luxury when using it as a daily, but that's just me. I didn't even notice how cheap it was until my wife's new-to-us car arrived this week - a 2013 Audi TT RS. There's definitely a huge build quality difference that I find myself envying, even if the R is a more raw driving experience.

Also exhaust note - after hearing her 5-cylinder engine pur, eff my Remus exhaust lol.
 

Zeffy94

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Personally, I'm a bit over the cheaper plastic-y interior of the R, as well as the complete lack of luxury when using it as a daily, but that's just me.

...

There's definitely a huge build quality difference that I find myself envying, even if the R is a more raw driving experience.
Yeah... I have to say, even I'm not exactly thrilled at the build quality of my CTR when I use it as a daily. The rattles seemingly got worse after going through some rough roads last weekend, and for a car with just under 28K miles, I feel like it should feel more solid than this.

I think after you daily it for a few years, the novelty loses a bit of it's charm and these issues become more apparent. Or I'm just getting older and want something not as raw.
 

Jwolf

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Yeah... I have to say, even I'm not exactly thrilled at the build quality of my CTR when I use it as a daily. The rattles seemingly got worse after going through some rough roads last weekend, and for a car with just under 28K miles, I feel like it should feel more solid than this.

I think after you daily it for a few years, the novelty loses a bit of it's charm and these issues become more apparent. Or I'm just getting older and want something not as raw.
Happens when the car is primarily a daily. Some track days/AutoX will change that mindset really quickly though. At least for me.
 

Fountainhead

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I would BUY the CTR but LEASE the M2. German cars are amazing but maintenance and high mileage upkeep are hell.
For a year I debated between a used 911 (2009 and up) and a CTR. I chose the CTR because the money I was willing to spend for a used 911 was for cars that came with NO warranty.
Not being a trust fund kid I decided it wasn't worth the risk-used sports cars are a gamble and usually the house wins.
 

saiko21

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As fountainhead said I suggest the same. I would never buy a german car brand but will lease one for sure because of their high maintenance costs and ridiculous amount of complicated stuff for just a small bulb :D
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