My experience test driving a new 2017 Si

[Blue Ridge]

Hey guys, I'm pretty new here and currently drive a 1999 Porsche Boxster. Lately I've been very interested in the 2017 Civic Si and have been looking into them for the last few weeks. It just seems like a practical sports car that isn't too serious. I don't mean that in a bad way at all and thats why I'm interested in purchasing an Si.

I ended up going to the local dealer today to test drive one of the Si coupes they had in stock. Now, I have a Porsche Boxster and it is a very well handling car even if it is pretty old. I was honestly a little worried that I might be disappointed by the Civic Si. The sales consultant took me out to the car and said we can go whenever I'm ready. Even though the interior isn't the best it still looks really nice compared to my Boxster and I thought it was plenty comfortable.

when I started the car and took off I noticed how light the clutch was. This is good but took quite a while to get used to since I have a much heavier clutch. Lucky for me there is a nice curvy road that was recently built and is rarely used nearby that I took the car to. I just want to say that I am very much surprised by the grip this car has and it gives great feedback. The steering in Sport mode is so nice and I like it better than most sports cars. It did have the Good Year Eagle Sport tires on it. It feels like an easy car to drive fast. It feels predictable and well balanced in my opinion.

I keep hearing about people being upset about this car not having VTEC and instead having a turbo. I have driven the older Si models but just briefly and can barely recall how they felt. Anyway, I thought the turbo was nice and liked the feel that the car gave. I've never owned a turbo car before but you can definitely tell the difference in how the power hits. Maybe I should refrain from driving an older Si but I actually really liked the new Si engine. The rev hang does suck but at least it can be fixed. It does pull nicely in lower gears and its honestly probably as fast as my Boxster or maybe even a little faster.

Now I'm stuck with deciding if I should wait for a 2018 model or not. I still have to sell my Boxster and need to get my finances in order first. I think I can wait two months for the 2018 model but it will be difficult waiting that long. I guess I do have a good reason to wait though. They tempted me with what I feel is a good price but I could be wrong. They said there was still a little more to take off if I needed more convincing.

For those of you that want to know the price they gave me:
Vehicle Price: $24,775.00
Autonation Savings: $2,075.00
Autonation Price: $22,700.00
Sales Tax: $1,053.95
Tag/Registration Fees: $62.75
Documentation fee: $699.00
Balance Due: $24,515.70 OTD

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[Design]

I also am coming from a higher performance platform and was surprised at just how well this Si drives. A Jack of All Trades, Master of Many type of car. I say this having owned the coveted 6th gen Si for many years.

Pricing is similar to what I was quoted here in So Cal. Sounds like Honda is trying to move units to make room for the 2018s.

According to the press release, no major changes expected for 2018. But I expect pricing will continue to go down the longer you wait. Maybe another 500-1000 at most. GL.

 

[dmitri]

The only thing I would keep in mind is the longer you wait, the fewer chances of getting a car that hasn't been test-driven to death you have.

 

[Gsnail13]

I had an older si myself, 9th gen, for almost 6 years and now I'm a 10th gen si owner and from my perspective I don't miss one thing from my 2012 si. But I'm pretty much in the majority of people who didn't really like cranking out each gear to get moving. I look for reasons to drive my car now, I looked for reasons not to drive my 9th gen lol. I also agree with the driven to death test car, I had that problem when I was looking at the new si's.The one in the specific color I wanted was there pony car, everyone in the dealership had tested it plus everyone in the area including there family had taken it out. Every time I went back the miles just kept going up and up. But it made me look elsewhere and even get a better deal in the process.

 

[Blue Ridge]

Well I have to wait until fall either way so I'll probably try to swing a 2018 model if possible. Until then I'm saving and trying to sell my other sports car so I can have a good down payment. I don't really like making payments for more than 4 years so I'm trying to put a decent amount down. In reply to GSnail13, I also don't want some car thats been driven on test drives. I want to be the only customer to drive the Si that I decide on.

 

[devert]

I also test drive the si the other day. I'm not sure if it was just my vehicle , but going 45+ seems like there is like slight wind noise. Sounds like the window is just slightly cracked open , but it's not . It came from the front windshield.

 

[Blue Ridge]

I also test drive the si the other day. I'm not sure if it was just my vehicle , but going 45+ seems like there is like slight wind noise. Sounds like the window is just slightly cracked open , but it's not . It came from the front windshield.

Hmmmm... I didn't have this issue during my test drive. Maybe the sunroof was open just a crack. I was actually surprised how quite the interior was compared to my other cars.

 

[devert]

Hmmmm... I didn't have this issue during my test drive. Maybe the sunroof was open just a crack. I was actually surprised how quite the interior was compared to my other cars.

It was super quiet. Just that annoying part. Maybe it was just my vehicle. The Si feels like a luxury vehicle compared to my frs.
I had a rsx-s before ... But not sure if my memory is fading away, but the rsx shifter seems a lot easier to get in gear. The Si requires more energy.

 

[Blue Ridge]

Haha yeah the Si felt so nice. I feel like its more comfortable than my Boxster. So what makes you want the Si? How was it compared to the FR-S?

 

[devert]

Haha yeah the Si felt so nice. I feel like its more comfortable than my Boxster. So what makes you want the Si? How was it compared to the FR-S?

The Si will be my daily. I just want something more comfortable and more usable torque. FRS will be driven mostly on weekend.

The FRS definitely handles better in my opinion. It's also nice having a extra 1k rpm before I shift. But the NVH on the frs is horrible, partially it's because it's been modified. Rattles are a built in feature on the frs.

The Si is also cheaper and easier to tune than the frs. Most likely when I get the Si , the only mod I will do is a Tune and Tint.

 

[Aldoraine]

The Si will be my daily. I just want something more comfortable and more usable torque. FRS will be driven mostly on weekend.

The FRS definitely handles better in my opinion. It's also nice having a extra 1k rpm before I shift. But the NVH on the frs is horrible, partially it's because it's been modified. Rattles are a built in feature on the frs.

The Si is also cheaper and easier to tune than the frs. Most likely when I get the Si , the only mod I will do is a Tune and Tint.

This. I actually sold my FR-S to buy my 17' Si. I had a 2013 Si before the FR-S, and loved it. I also loved the FR-S, but it's just not a good daily. Maybe if I were in my early 20's again, but I'm coming up on 30 and have a kid on the way, so back to an Si was the wise choice. I loved sliding my FR-S around, and loved the sound paired with an unequal length header, full exhaust and stage 2 tune. The Si is just so more refined, and has so much more usable torque, it's just nicer to drive in my opinion. I live in a place where straight, flat roads don't exist, perfect FR-S territory. Honestly I don't miss my FR-S even with that considered.

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