SI vs GTI Car and Driver

[SI_honda_2k17]

Price vs equipment may be a decision factor too for you. Try to configure and price a VW GTI with the same equipment than the SI and you will see the difference.

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[Yal]

On the VW DSG issue, if they are anything like the Fiat/Jeep DSG, it will burn it self to death in stop and go traffic. I had a Mk V GTI that worked for 70k miles without a problem until I got bored and decided to buy a Crosstrek. I love forums. My car and every one like it will run for years without oil or water, but every VW will be in the shop weekly. I did like the fact that I had more torque down low, didn't have to hit 4k for boost, and no one told me not to floor the VW in 6th gear.

Oh, and as pointed out earlier, you never pay MSRP for a VW. Last GTI I looked at was a 2018 SE for 26k plus tax, etc

 

[Blindeye_03]

On the VW DSG issue, if they are anything like the Fiat/Jeep DSG, it will burn it self to death in stop and go traffic. I had a Mk V GTI that worked for 70k miles without a problem until I got bored and decided to buy a Crosstrek. I love forums. My car and every one like it will run for years without oil or water, but every VW will be in the shop weekly. I did like the fact that I had more torque down low, didn't have to hit 4k for boost, and no one told me not to floor the VW in 6th gear.

Oh, and as pointed out earlier, you never pay MSRP for a VW. Last GTI I looked at was a 2018 SE for 26k plus tax, etc

Thats still ~3k more than a SI for similar features, granted the GTI does have more power. I still prefer the SI seats, and it'd take a lot to get back into a VW. I just had really bad luck with my mk6.

 

[aldo]

I’ll chime in, personally I would never own a German car, they’re not as reliable as a Honda, never have been and never will be. Also they’re much more expensive to fix, parts, labor, etc. If you’re leasing go for it, but I like to own and will get much better resale and reliability and mpg with a Honda, they’re just great cars.

 

[bikejog]

I’ll chime in, personally I would never own a German car, they’re not as reliable as a Honda, never have been and never will be. Also they’re much more expensive to fix, parts, labor, etc. If you’re leasing go for it, but I like to own and will get much better resale and reliability and mpg with a Honda, they’re just great cars.

Depends on what you mean by inexpensive. As for a reference, I was quoted $1600 parts and labor to replace the cat and clean the EGR port. And I paid $400 to have one rear caliper replaced with a third party re-manufactured one. Both from Honda dealerships.

2000 Honda Prelude.

 

[bikejog]

Thats still ~3k more than a SI for similar features, granted the GTI does have more power. I still prefer the SI seats, and it'd take a lot to get back into a VW. I just had really bad luck with my mk6.

Except the GTI SE has LED all around, side mirror turn signals, and emergency braking. If the SI has those, I'd have brought one already. I like the SI's look better than the GTI, but just can't pull the trigger because of the halogen headlights and no sensing. Plus, I like the GTI's gearbox more, but I probably can get by with the SI's.

 

[MaxPower]

Except the GTI SE has LED all around, side mirror turn signals, and emergency braking. If the SI has those, I'd have brought one already. I like the SI's look better than the GTI, but just can't pull the trigger because of the halogen headlights and no sensing. Plus, I like the GTI's gearbox more, but I probably can get by with the SI's.

Well, it looks like the 2019 Si will have sensing. So that's one step closer.

I'm struggling with the same choice. Both the GTI and Si are cars I've wanted to own - on and off, to varying degrees - for years. I'll make a move one of these days.

 

[racer]

I'm struggling with the same choice. Both the GTI and Si are cars I've wanted to own - on and off, to varying degrees - for years. I'll make a move one of these days.

I really like the current GTi. Almost bought (another) one.. but I preferred what I found to be a more "spirited nature" to the Si. Lighter.. a little buzzier.. a little stiffer.. The GTi feels much more mature to me.. I was looking to be a little more rambunctious. imho, the Si handles a little better and I think at certain price points, particularly at base model, its a better bargain.

Apples to Orange, I had a Mark V Jetta, 2.5l, manual for 12 years and 220,000 miles. I found it extremely reliable. Had a GTi VR6 before that for 8 years.. 130,000 miles.. also quite reliable.. Had a 1988 Golf GT for 7 years.. 120,000 miles. Not so reliable. Clutch failed at 50K miles for instance, but it was a fun car to drive.

 

[Paprocjo]

Well, it looks like the 2019 Si will have sensing. So that's one step closer.

Where did you see that? I only found refresh notes for the 2019 Civic Trims that are not the SI. Would love to see what else they are bringing!

 

[SI_honda_2k17]

On the VW DSG issue, if they are anything like the Fiat/Jeep DSG, it will burn it self to death in stop and go traffic. I had a Mk V GTI that worked for 70k miles without a problem until I got bored and decided to buy a Crosstrek. I love forums. My car and every one like it will run for years without oil or water, but every VW will be in the shop weekly. I did like the fact that I had more torque down low, didn't have to hit 4k for boost, and no one told me not to floor the VW in 6th gear.

Oh, and as pointed out earlier, you never pay MSRP for a VW. Last GTI I looked at was a 2018 SE for 26k plus tax, etc

Based on my experience when i shopped for both, the GTI was not negociable (only available on order) while i was able to get an excellent deal on the SI since there were several units in stock.
In addition to that , here in canada the SI comes in only one model fully loaded. For the same price, you have a GTI with no led, 17 ‘’ wheel etc.

At price equivalent for the same equipment, I would be driving an GTI since, for me, it’s a superior vehicle

 

[CIVICSPORT]

Civic Si wins out on handling, price, reliability. GTI wins on cargo space, reliability, and straight-line speed (at least in stock form). Jury is split on looks, as it will be between any two different cars.

All this argument over which is the better car is meaningless, because certain aspects matter differently from person to person. If you are willing to put down the money to get a better interior at the cost of handling and perceived reliability, the GTI is a better car for you. If you want the best in handling, the Civic Si is the better car for you.

Which is why nobody is considering the turbo Sentra here. It is inferior to the Si, GTI, and even the Elantra Sport on too many metrics upon which a car's worth is measured. Same with the Elantra Sport. It loses on handling to both Si and GTI, only equals the power of Si and loses to the GTI, and the interior is not noticeably better than the Si (minus leather seats).

This is why it's a bit of a tough decision for me. Do I want something that's more sedate but is not as fun/reliable/cheap, or go for the best handling FWD car under $30k.

I drove the GTI, I wasnt impressed. I didnt like the interior, the steering wheel is SO thin.... feels very odd, and regardless of what the numbers say, I thought the Si felt quicker. Reliability wise. Honda FTW. I dont care if the GTI is a few tenths quicker.

 

[bikejog]

Well, it looks like the 2019 Si will have sensing. So that's one step closer.

I'm struggling with the same choice. Both the GTI and Si are cars I've wanted to own - on and off, to varying degrees - for years. I'll make a move one of these days.

I hope the '19 SI will come with sensing. That would pull me closer to buying one. But I'm thinking it's still the same that you can't get sensing with manuals with the Civic lineup. At this rate, I'll probably get the Veloster turbo or the Veloster N.

I'm in the same boat as you. Been looking to replace my Lude since mid 2000, but keep hearing rev hang on the then SIs and it wouldn't be much of an upgrade from the Lude, blah, blah. Meanwhile, I'm still having fun chugging along in the Lude so here we're in '18. Lol... The Lude is just my daily and I got access to other fun cars so I wouldn't care more or less.

 

[zroger73]

I hope the '19 SI will come with sensing. That would pull me closer to buying one. But I'm thinking it's still the same that you can't get sensing with manuals.

The following models with manual transmissions have Honda Sensing:

2018-2019 Fit EX
2018 Accord Sport
2017-2018 Civic Type R (UK)

They just can't have the Low Speed Follow feature of the Adaptive Cruise Control for reasons that should be obvious.

 

[bikejog]

The following models with manual transmissions have Honda Sensing:

2018-2019 Fit EX
2018 Accord Sport
2017-2018 Civic Type R (UK)

They just can't have the Low Speed Follow feature of the Adaptive Cruise Control for reasons that should be obvious.

Was sensing added to the Fit manual trims during the '18 facelift? If so, then the '19 SI will def have sensing. If sensing was already available to the Fit manual trims before the '18 facelift, then it's hard to say.

 

[JNRS]

What is all the fuss about Honda sensing? If I'm buying a sporty manual car, the last thing I would be thinking about is if it had all this automated tech. The only benefit I see with a manual car having that is that it may reduce your insurance because of the extra safety features. I was under the assumption that people buy manuals because they want to be more involved in the driving experience.

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