imho, it all depends on what you wear, and how you ride.
I've owned an '08 since '7/07, but, I wear an Aerostich 2 piece suit, and shin high specific m/c boots. Never held any real credibility to the "heat issue", as I protect my shins.. and, in colder weather, it's a nice feature.. if you wear jeans, and ride around town at slow speeds... well, it may not suit you. But you mention wanting grip heaters.. funny pairing of comments in the same posting. Personally, I don't want linked brakes, and am completely happy with my bike, being an ABS only model. Buying a '10, unless it had been sold late, and had extended warranties added on, just doesn't really over come anything, as you basically are buying an older model, with no warranties... so it's a coin toss, and whatever suits your budget thing... there are a lot of '08-'09 rolling around, and most owners of those simply love them, as do I.
Also, having watched the progression of "issues reported" since the beginning, when I was a Tech Editor for COG, the most common year I saw being problematic, was the '10 model.. not saying it was a lemon, but mentioning that I've seen more "issues" when that model was ridden hard (i.e. linked brakes being new, ABS pump issues, and transmission issues.. minimally, but they happened.), if I was to buy a "newer model", which I don't think will ever happen due to my age, and they haven't made the bike loose weight.. I'd jump well forward to '15 and later, where extended warranties, and less issues, are being documented. again, JMHO. YMMV.
ride safe, and best of luck with whatever you end up with... I will note tho, the '08 model, with a Mountain Runner Premium flash, and good tires, is the supreme Concours zG1400 to have.. they were made right, and perform extraordinarily well..... and the '08 released bikes had very few problems.. ask around.