jpnh, if you can compartmentalize, and not dwell on our Clinton debate
I'm running a 235 in mineral white/vinyl interior/ 6 spd manual as a daily driver. Live outside of Baltimore so get freezing temps on many winter mornings, few snow falls and occasional ice-storm.
After two-years put on 17K mikes and need to replace drivers side front due to outside shoulder wear. Passenger side front replaced a year ago due to sidewall bubble - hit wear tarmac wore down between two lanes on a beltway, did same thing to my friends Tesla.
Only once did my PSS slide on dry but very cold tarmac, at slow speed on a downhill turn.
Also have picked up three nails; one the tire changed, one tire patched and plugged, one I plugged myself - one reason I'm getting a news set of PSS A/S's.
Car is great for traveling between cities like Balto to Philly on the interstate. As a city car where the roads are less then adequate the low profile tire's mean you have to drive around any pothole and navigate ridges at driveways.
I thought I would do many more late night runs on country roads, but with the extreme deer population there are just a few places, usually early at dawn on weekends where I feel it's safe to play.
My car doesn't rattle, very tight structurally it seems, and have had no warranty issues.
Maybe it's just me, because I haven't read others say this, but the manual transmission as the clutch heats up likes to be driven briskly, not stop and go creeping. Though, I enjoy the concentration or anticipating it takes to creep through congestion.
Where the car really shines is when it's driven hard and fast. It accelerates strongly way up into 130 plus mph and massive grip with the summer Pilot's staggered. The one time I went through a very fast sweeping curve on a highway the car definately seemed to understeer, I think about what it would have felt like if the fronts were 245/35-18, but for wet roadways like drivers commuting on a wet autobahn - the factory set-up is probably the best.
You say you have a 4x4, I wish I also had a 4x4 or beater for some activists. Your dog crate in a 2-series? how much easier would it be in a Honda HR-V to carry a dog crate or go through crappy roads?