Redglare
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 13, 2017
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 108
- Reaction score
- 139
- Location
- north carolina, US
- Vehicle(s)
- '12 si, 11' z34.
- Thread starter
- #1
I am sure everyone here is sick of reading reviews; but for anyone curious about what a 9th gen Si owner thinks, read on.
A little background about my past and current vehicles that I will be using as a baseline to assess the new gen.
I currently daily drive a 9th gen Si with around 45k miles on the clock that I owned since its inception in 2012.
my weekend toy is a 370z 6mt, which won't really be compared due to being a completely different type of animal, but still being relevant as a baseline.
I am no stranger to honda, my first being an 05' s2000 which in my book is still the best sports car that I've driven to date.
-----
The review:
Interior: I love everything in this car from material feel, it punches above its weight and far supersedes the 9th gen interior in both ergonomics and quality of plastics/soft touch materials. The seats are a 10/10 - immense upgrade over the 9th gen, very nicely bolstered. In fact I like the seats even better than my 370z, they actually remind me of the s2000 buckets in terms of feel and grip.
Being cloth is a huge plus for me as it provides the perfect grip/ doesn't feel too cold or hot with the seasons.
I didn't get to play much with the HU or apple/android playy but the layout/gauge cluster felt right at home in this car.
10/10 - good job honda,
-------
Handling/suspension:
I kept the car in sport mode so I can't give you a baseline on the normal mode; but basically - it feels even lighter vs the 9th gen, the spring rate feels perfectly dialed in for street use and firm enough to carve some corners, make no mistake the car is dialed in for understeer but I am sure with a nice rear sway bar it will dial out just like the 9th gen.
My only gripe here is the turning radius is much worse vs. the 9th Si, also not a big deal but for a daily driver I prefer a much tighter steering rack with a narrow turning radius.
I drove the car equipped with summer tires on a hot & humid day, pushing the car inspires confidence and the chassis definitely has A LOT of room for more power, this car could easily handle another 50-60hp/tq on the current suspension/tires without pushing the boundaries too much.
As far as the LSD goes, I do not feel it on my 9th gen just like I didn't on the 17', I think you really have to push the car at 10/10 on a racetrack to feel the benefit, maybe im just a noob but I feel like its more of a gimmick/something to put down on the spec sheet because in the real world I just never felt the benefit, including the VLSD in my 370z.
8/10 - impressed.
---
Drivetrain;
I swear the shifter feels nearly identical to the 9th gen, which is a great thing since the 9th gen was rated as the best transmission in MT back in '12, and it still has some of the s2000 feel as well - making this transmission far superior in terms of feel vs many cars above its price category - it puts the 370z manual shifter to shame, the Si has a satisfying engaging point for each gear and clearly defined shifter gates making a money shift/miss-shift nearly impossible, again adding to the ease of driveabiltiy.
The clutch is surprisingly slightly lighter, this is interesting since it makes the car much easier to drive for a beginner but does take away some of the visceral feeling, it has become more like an on/off switch in this iteration, meaning its nearly impossible to stall it/ drive train lash. I'd prefer a stiffer clutch but I can understand why an entry lever performance sedan has a feather clutch, ultimately its for driveability - your foot will never tire in heavy traffic and driver fatigue will never be an issue.
To the people who are used to stiffer clutches you may be disappointed as I was, but ultimately I can get used to the feel.
Unfortunately this is where the fun stopped and I got a dagger stabbing pain behind my right eye, I am not sure what honda was contemplating when they put the 1.5T in this car, compared to the K24Z7 in the 9th gen this engine is a huge downgrade in terms of feel (at least stock for stock), the torque hits much earlier vs the k24 but that is the only upside, after the initial surge - the car is just dead, in the 9th gen you would first get an initial surge at 4400 and it would keep building all the way to 7000 rpm allowing you to ride the wave of exhilaration with anticipation of the next gear pull.
Don't get me wrong, on paper and in real life the 10th gen is most likely as fast or maybe even faster vs the 9th Si, but sitting behind the wheel of both, the excitement of acceleration is just not there - maybe its partially due to the 10th gen exhaust being at least half as loud or the much narrower power band, but the end result is not good in stock form - this car needs a tune badly.
This chassis is a gem, but the motor honda chose was a huge mistake, this car needed the 2.0 from the CTR, period.
I came with full intent of trading my 9th gen in, and left with teary eyes and a broken heart, going to wait and see what the tuners can do and maybe redeem the let down that honda bestowed upon us.
4/10 - heart broken.
edit:
I apologize in advance since I know a lot of people already picked one up and are enjoying the car, and honestly If you never experienced the K series engine - this car will feel great and is a perfect daily, but for anyone who touched an 8th or a 9th gen - definitely expect to feel the pain.
This really threw a wrench in to my plans since I already had financing lined up from my bank, not sure what I am going to do next.
A little background about my past and current vehicles that I will be using as a baseline to assess the new gen.
I currently daily drive a 9th gen Si with around 45k miles on the clock that I owned since its inception in 2012.
my weekend toy is a 370z 6mt, which won't really be compared due to being a completely different type of animal, but still being relevant as a baseline.
I am no stranger to honda, my first being an 05' s2000 which in my book is still the best sports car that I've driven to date.
-----
The review:
Interior: I love everything in this car from material feel, it punches above its weight and far supersedes the 9th gen interior in both ergonomics and quality of plastics/soft touch materials. The seats are a 10/10 - immense upgrade over the 9th gen, very nicely bolstered. In fact I like the seats even better than my 370z, they actually remind me of the s2000 buckets in terms of feel and grip.
Being cloth is a huge plus for me as it provides the perfect grip/ doesn't feel too cold or hot with the seasons.
I didn't get to play much with the HU or apple/android playy but the layout/gauge cluster felt right at home in this car.
10/10 - good job honda,
-------
Handling/suspension:
I kept the car in sport mode so I can't give you a baseline on the normal mode; but basically - it feels even lighter vs the 9th gen, the spring rate feels perfectly dialed in for street use and firm enough to carve some corners, make no mistake the car is dialed in for understeer but I am sure with a nice rear sway bar it will dial out just like the 9th gen.
My only gripe here is the turning radius is much worse vs. the 9th Si, also not a big deal but for a daily driver I prefer a much tighter steering rack with a narrow turning radius.
I drove the car equipped with summer tires on a hot & humid day, pushing the car inspires confidence and the chassis definitely has A LOT of room for more power, this car could easily handle another 50-60hp/tq on the current suspension/tires without pushing the boundaries too much.
As far as the LSD goes, I do not feel it on my 9th gen just like I didn't on the 17', I think you really have to push the car at 10/10 on a racetrack to feel the benefit, maybe im just a noob but I feel like its more of a gimmick/something to put down on the spec sheet because in the real world I just never felt the benefit, including the VLSD in my 370z.
8/10 - impressed.
---
Drivetrain;
I swear the shifter feels nearly identical to the 9th gen, which is a great thing since the 9th gen was rated as the best transmission in MT back in '12, and it still has some of the s2000 feel as well - making this transmission far superior in terms of feel vs many cars above its price category - it puts the 370z manual shifter to shame, the Si has a satisfying engaging point for each gear and clearly defined shifter gates making a money shift/miss-shift nearly impossible, again adding to the ease of driveabiltiy.
The clutch is surprisingly slightly lighter, this is interesting since it makes the car much easier to drive for a beginner but does take away some of the visceral feeling, it has become more like an on/off switch in this iteration, meaning its nearly impossible to stall it/ drive train lash. I'd prefer a stiffer clutch but I can understand why an entry lever performance sedan has a feather clutch, ultimately its for driveability - your foot will never tire in heavy traffic and driver fatigue will never be an issue.
To the people who are used to stiffer clutches you may be disappointed as I was, but ultimately I can get used to the feel.
Unfortunately this is where the fun stopped and I got a dagger stabbing pain behind my right eye, I am not sure what honda was contemplating when they put the 1.5T in this car, compared to the K24Z7 in the 9th gen this engine is a huge downgrade in terms of feel (at least stock for stock), the torque hits much earlier vs the k24 but that is the only upside, after the initial surge - the car is just dead, in the 9th gen you would first get an initial surge at 4400 and it would keep building all the way to 7000 rpm allowing you to ride the wave of exhilaration with anticipation of the next gear pull.
Don't get me wrong, on paper and in real life the 10th gen is most likely as fast or maybe even faster vs the 9th Si, but sitting behind the wheel of both, the excitement of acceleration is just not there - maybe its partially due to the 10th gen exhaust being at least half as loud or the much narrower power band, but the end result is not good in stock form - this car needs a tune badly.
This chassis is a gem, but the motor honda chose was a huge mistake, this car needed the 2.0 from the CTR, period.
I came with full intent of trading my 9th gen in, and left with teary eyes and a broken heart, going to wait and see what the tuners can do and maybe redeem the let down that honda bestowed upon us.
4/10 - heart broken.
edit:
I apologize in advance since I know a lot of people already picked one up and are enjoying the car, and honestly If you never experienced the K series engine - this car will feel great and is a perfect daily, but for anyone who touched an 8th or a 9th gen - definitely expect to feel the pain.
This really threw a wrench in to my plans since I already had financing lined up from my bank, not sure what I am going to do next.
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