A lack of excitement about the 18-35 3.5-4.5?

It seemed to me that the 24-85mm VR really caught peoples attension because it was so much cheaper than the 24-120mm f/4 VR($700ish) and cutout the end of the range that performed worst.

The 18-35mm isnt such a big saving($500ish) and rather than losing the 16-35mm's weaker 30-35mm range it loses the 16-18mm range that dispite the distortion and extreme corners is still a strong performer and indeed the range many would buy an UWA zoom for in the first place.