2017 Si Driving Impressions and review - Turbo lag?

LoveToDrive said:

Bwahaha, a great practice, no doubt! One of those entrances are a long uphill from a dead stop. Short of needing a nitrous, go, WOT!!!

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CDM 98 ITR said:

Just got back from driving an Si sedan back to back to back to back with a GTI, WRX, and my 9th gen Si.

The Si seems like a great car. Definitely a momentum car though, especially compared to the GTI/WRX. Once you get up to speed the cornering capability is just as good or better than the other two. However, getting up to speed was a little disappointing. The first 10% throttle is dead and it wakes up rather slowly until it gets into boost. A quick shove forward and the party is over quickly as the RPM's get up past 5.5K and the engine starts to choke out. The power is fairly linear, but the powerband is small which means you're constantly rowing the gears to stay within it. Compared to the WRX/GTI it's under-powered, but again, once you're moving it will certainly keep up with them on a twisty road.

The shifter is fantastic. Feels just like my 9th gen but the throws are a little shorter and the shift knob a little bigger. I'm not sure who it was that said it wasn't as good as the BRZ shifter, but I couldn't disagree more. The BRZ shifter (and any Subaru shifter for that matter) is like rowing a stick through a bowl of oatmeal. NO comparison. The Si transmission feels like the 9th gen, and gear ratios are pretty similar as well. Nice to have the LSD in there but for 99% of daily driving you're never going to use it. If you track your cars like I do, it makes for a much more authoritative corner exit.

Handling wise, the Si really shines. Turn in is crisp and flat, and the car doesn't plow into terminal understeer (although I feel it's a little under-tired - all seasons on the Si I drove). Mid corner and on throttle lift there's a bit of involvement with the rear end and you can modify your line. It's not like the Focus ST where you get that snap oversteer on throttle lift, it's much more linear on the Si. Corner exit you can stomp on the throttle and get the LSD involved which feels great. The Si maintains speed very well, transitions side to side well and recovers quickly (well dampened), and the suspension in both sport and normal mode is comfortable around town, although it's still fairly stiff. Compared to the GTI, it doesn't feel quite as supple and communicative. Compared to the WRX it's fairly close in ride quality.

Interior is typical Honda, and the seats are MUCH better than the 9th gen. Seating position is a little lower too which is great if you want to fit a helmet in there (I always used to have to open the sunroof on the 9th gen). The Si feels about on par with the WRX in terms of cabin quality, but both are far behind the GTI in that department.

Overall a great entry in the segment. If you're the type to drive the canyons or circuit, this is a great platform. Anything that involves a good amount of sustained momentum. However, for autocross you might feel underwhelmed with the acceleration coming out of hairpins.

Go drive it!

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Joker33 said:

Here is another comparison with the 2017 civic si. And the pic let's you know what is what lol.

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ne0guri said:

so only the fully modded Si BARELY beats the stock 2017 Si... sounds good to me!

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Joker33 said:

Is this a clip of Hondapro Jason's 0-60mph video driving the 2017 civic si?

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Vtak Groceries said:

I heard you cannot fully deactivate traction/stability control. True? Major bummer if so.

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Vtak Groceries said:

I heard you cannot fully deactivate traction/stability control. True? Major bummer if so.

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Vtak Groceries said:

I heard you cannot fully deactivate traction/stability control. True? Major bummer if so.

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ne0guri said:

From the video yesterday, Roman says that only cars where you can turn it completely off is Type R and NSX

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