Definitely do keep an eye on it. Granted it could've just been a one off issue that happened from a faulty part in production but... i would not be happy if honda started using more ZF stuff at this point.
I do totally see where you're coming from, and odds are you're right - but I'm just reading it differently.
And i certainly don't disagree with you that there is a market for an Si hatch. There definitely is! But honda likes to play it safe, and that'll alone be the reason we won't end up seeing one for at least the next few years depending on how hatch sales go. Also, because hatches (while on the rise) are still relatively a new concept for americans honda probably figures that the Si Sedan is enough to fill the space for the time being, unless sales and customer demand prove otherwise.I do totally see where you're coming from, and odds are you're right - but I'm just reading it differently.
To me, it looks like a classic way to increase ROI, considering that there is virtually 0 additional cost now to offer an Si hatch.
Assuming (as I am) that, regardless of the displacement, the new Si gets +/- 230 hp and an LSD, the Si would slot in perfectly above the Sport and alongside the Sport Touring, with an Si GT coming in above the Sport Touring (similar to what @Design discussed).
Want sport looks and no features? Get a sport for 24k. Want sport looks with features? Get a sport touring for 27k. Want actual sport and some features? Go si for 26k. Want sport and all of the features? Go si GT for 28k. Want hardcore with few features? CTR for 35k. Hardcore with features? CTR GT for 37k.
Without an Si hatch, they're leaving a huge hole in the middle of the lineup, right where the GTI currently plays all by itself (26-32 k well-equipped sport hatch)
They've got the shell, the drivetrains, the accessories and all variations of the body work developed, tooled, tested, approved, and ready to assemble.
But this is all just making stuff up. I want the real details...and i want to buy my Si hatch before Xmas.
(Yes, I realize that even if there were an Si hatch for 2017, it likely wouldn't arrive before March - but that doesn't mean I can't ask for an Xmas miracle...)
It's not so much that Honda plays it "safe" as it is that Honda likes to maximize their investments - typically, I would agree with you that not releasing an Si hatch would be a means of limiting their exposure in case the whole hatch thing falls on its face (for instance, the investment to build an Accord SiR would be prohibitive and I could see Honda using the Accord Sport trim to gauge public interest in a sportier Accord) - but considering the fact that we already see the otherwise "unique" Si bits already in production (body pieces, trim, etc) and that we've got a common "global" platform now (including all of the Si-related drivetrains and accessories), I see the release of an Si hatch - as soon as possible - as the best route to protecting their investment, and would in fact be the "safe" option (i.e., spreading the investment they've already made across multiple models, instead of putting them all into just a couple of baskets). The engines are going over to the UK for installation one way or another. The cars are coming back from the UK one way or another. There's no additional startup or transportation cost associated with making some of them Sis.
Those vents blend rather nicely!Like I said a while back this hatch will look better darker. Here it is in black...
I think I definitely want black or that polished metal dark grey. I didn't like the hatch in white. Those vents stick out like a sore thumb.
I've read a lot of people saying the wheels are identical to the sedan EX-T. Every picture I see, they look black or smokey gray. Anyone?Like I said a while back this hatch will look better darker. Here it is in black...
Well, they obviously are the same design as the wheels we've known for awhile. But, it's becoming increasingly clear that, in this application, they have what we might call a satin-gray patina; and to my eyes they look better for it.
