Civic Si press reviews (dates and links) compilation

[bob190]

As an owner of 2013 Civic Si coupe, which I love, I am certainly going to reserve judgement on the 2017s until I drive one.

I will say that none of the reviewers in the three or so videos I watched looked very impressed by the car. They all said mostly the right things given that they were flown out there by Honda to do the reviews, but I certainly didn't get the sense any of them were blown away by the car's performance .. most really seemed pretty underwhelmed actually.

Personally, I really like the K24 engine in the car, and would have probably purchased a 2017 if it still had that engine plus all of the handling, suspension, and tech upgrades. It just feels like there used to be a pretty big gap between the base Civic and the Si, that seems to have closed considerably now with most models using the tiny 1.5L engine.

I hoping the next refresh will see Honda add a larger more powerful engine, but I doubt it.

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[Stock_07]

From my first test drive I was more impressed with the civic sport. I find it hard to pay another 4000k here in Canada for the si. I really like the led headlights though Taking a Si out for a long test drive Friday to see how I actually like it. Ride is also not smooth like some people have reported,the car is bumpy and you do feel all the imperfection in the road but that is a Si characteristic.

 

[Stock_07]

As an owner of 2013 Civic Si coupe, which I love, I am certainly going to reserve judgement on the 2017s until I drive one.

I will say that none of the reviewers in the three or so videos I watched looked very impressed by the car. They all said mostly the right things given that they were flown out there by Honda to do the reviews, but I certainly didn't get the sense any of them were blown away by the car's performance .. most really seemed pretty underwhelmed actually.

Personally, I really like the K24 engine in the car, and would have probably purchased a 2017 if it still had that engine plus all of the handling, suspension, and tech upgrades. It just feels like there used to be a pretty big gap between the base Civic and the Si, that seems to have closed considerably now with most models using the tiny 1.5L engine.

I hoping the next refresh will see Honda add a larger more powerful engine, but I doubt it.

I think on the refresh (2019) you will see 220hp, from my first drive that car needs it.

 

[PirelliPZero]

The Si is priced $800-900 less (MSRP) than a GTI.

The price difference of 2017 models is $1640. For the GTI that has 5hp more than the Si while weighing 142lbs more. And of course that one doesn't have the Si's LSD. Gotta get the $28,000 GTI for that. Or if you want a sunroof too, that's the $30,890 model.

Each has its pros and cons. But we can at least keep the facts as facts.

 

[zx2down]

The price difference of 2017 models is $1640. For the GTI that has 5hp more than the Si while weighing 142lbs more. And of course that one doesn't have the Si's LSD. Gotta get the $28,000 GTI for that. Or if you want a sunroof too, that's the $30,890 model.

Each has its pros and cons. But we can at least keep the facts as facts.

5HP, but over 60TQ. Lets not also forget that that GTI is underrated. It's 210HP on paper, but it's about 220 at the wheels.

 

[dmitri]

most really seemed pretty underwhelmed actually

What the reviewer is coming from makes all the difference. If one test-drives the Si back to back with a new WRX or GTI they will most certainly feel underwhelmed, as far as straight-up acceleration goes. It's just simple numbers; the others are more powerful, period (the trade-offs are little things like reliability and fuel economy which do matter to some people a lot more than 0-60 numbers ). However, on the other hand, if one (like me) is coming from a 13-year-old TSX that is 300+ lbs heavier with 200 hp and 166 tq, then I strongly doubt one would feel underwhelmed much.

Besides, "competition" isn't all about power figures or straight-line acceleration...

 

[erbee]

At least HPJ will rave about the car...

lol. He'll say "AMAZING" and "AWESOME" to anything Honda made. TFL point that out in their video..... "You're are Hondapro, You won't say the seat is horrible even if it felt like a bench". Gotta love dat face when Roman decides to use parking brake and turn off the engine at 55 mph. Lmao.

 

[Design]

The price difference of 2017 models is $1640. For the GTI that has 5hp more than the Si while weighing 142lbs more. And of course that one doesn't have the Si's LSD. Gotta get the $28,000 GTI for that. Or if you want a sunroof too, that's the $30,890 model.

Each has its pros and cons. But we can at least keep the facts as facts.

A big difference is driving behavior. The torque curve on the GTI allows for power to come on strong and heavy in the low to mid RPM range, vs the Si's powerband that builds in a linear fashion over the RPM range. The advantage of the latter is improved fuel economy (and less long term stress on the rods).

 

[Pur3MotioN770]

I just posted my impressions after taking my Sport Touring to the autox that helped set my expectations for this Si - maybe this will help those still on the fence of love vs hate this generation Si

http://www.civicx.com/threads/exyias-sport-touring-hatchback.9284/page-2#post-206620

I'm more anxious to test drive the Si (local dealers are expecting theirs around the 10th) in both good and bad ways. This base chassis is really impressive.

What track is this, and where?

 

[zroger73]

What the reviewer is coming from makes all the difference.

Yes. THIS.

At heart, the Civic is a small, economy car whether you're talking about a $19K LX sedan or a $35K Type R hatchback (even though the hatchback is EPA-classified as a large car based on interior volume - the same as a Ford Crown Victoria).

I'm used to driving my Ridgeline every day, so any Civic feels low, small, rough, noisy, and cheap to me. At the same time, any Civic also feels fun, but fun in a way similar to "roughing it" by camping out in the woods in a tent with no electricity or running water - not that that's a bad thing - lots of people enjoy camping.

If I were coming from a Nissan Versa, any Civic would feel impressive, powerful, spacious, smooth, quiet, and expensive.

If I were coming from a Tesla Model S P100D, any Civic would feel positively ancient, spartan, and slow as molasses in Winter.

What Honda should have done was made attendees drive 100 miles to the proving grounds in base, CVT Fits then turned them loose in the Si. You'd see a lot more grinning faces in the review videos. As it is, they were flown out in a fast, private jet, forced to endure marketing hype, then turned loose in the cars on a 3,840-acre area of open desert. First, anything will feel slow after getting off a 600 MPH jet. Second, marketing hype can set high expectations. Third, cars feel very different out in the middle of a barren desert than they do in city traffic or country roads.

 

[brandirena86]

People keep throwing these GTI numbers out there and I'm wondering where they are getting them?? I'm on their website right now and out of the box you get 210HP for 25k, that get's you NO sunroof, NO climate control, NO premium audio, NO keyless entry. And at 28k the only difference you get is Keyless entry and 220HP vs the 210HP.... you have to pay 31k to get the rest of it and that still doesn't include climate control. I would never pay that much extra for all that stuff when I can get it for FREE in the Si.

 

[Redglare]

Yes. THIS.

At heart, the Civic is a small, economy car whether you're talking about a $19K LX sedan or a $35K Type R hatchback (even though the hatchback is EPA-classified as a large car based on interior volume - the same as a Ford Crown Victoria).

I'm used to driving my Ridgeline every day, so any Civic feels low, small, rough, noisy, and cheap to me. At the same time, any Civic also feels fun, but fun in a way similar to "roughing it" by camping out in the woods in a tent with no electricity or running water - not that that's a bad thing - lots of people enjoy camping.

If I were coming from a Nissan Versa, any Civic would feel impressive, powerful, spacious, smooth, quiet, and expensive.

If I were coming from a Tesla Model S P100D, any Civic would feel positively ancient, spartan, and slow as molasses in Winter.

What Honda should have done was made attendees drive 100 miles to the proving grounds in base, CVT Fits then turned them loose in the Si. You'd see a lot more grinning faces in the review videos. As it is, they were flown out in a fast, private jet, forced to endure marketing hype, then turned loose in the cars on a 3,840-acre area of open desert. First, anything will feel slow after getting off a 600 MPH jet. Second, marketing hype can set high expectations. Third, cars feel very different out in the middle of a barren desert than they do in city traffic or country roads.

That's actually a great point, they put the Si out of its environment, they should've put them on a tight small track instead of that high speed monster more suitable for supercar testing. When I first drove the 9th gen it was in florida in the middle of summer on a long straight road, ofcourse it felt underwhelming and I didn't buy it at that time, then some time passed and I drove one on some twisty roads up north and the car felt right at home, bought it that day.


As soon as a local dealer gets one on the lot I will drive down in my '12 si and then write up a back-to-back review comparing it to the k24z7, granted mine has one bolt on (rv6 dp), but I feel it won't soil the experience much.
Who knows I may fall in love with it and come back home in the '17 haha.

It just sucks all the reviews have spoiled the taste a bit.

 

[thaseint]

People keep throwing these GTI numbers out there and I'm wondering where they are getting them?? I'm on their website right now and out of the box you get 210HP for 25k, that get's you NO sunroof, NO climate control, NO premium audio, NO keyless entry. And at 28k the only difference you get is Keyless entry and 220HP vs the 210HP.... you have to pay 31k to get the rest of it and that still doesn't include climate control. I would never pay that much extra for all that stuff when I can get it for FREE in the Si.

The numbers are a bit skewed at the moment as GTIs have been marked down by quite a bit (partly because of dieselgate and also because the facelifts are coming). I bought my '17 GTI SE 6MT for a little over $26k. DSG adds about $1k to that price. The top of the line Autobahn editions can be had for around $30k-ish....not really worth it unless you REALLY want navigation and/or climate control. Hell the SE is barely worth it, the only reason I went with the SE was because I wanted leather (could do without the sunroof). The best is the Sport which VW did away with in 2018.

 

[sfedai0]

I have strongly considered the GTI but if its be

People keep throwing these GTI numbers out there and I'm wondering where they are getting them?? I'm on their website right now and out of the box you get 210HP for 25k, that get's you NO sunroof, NO climate control, NO premium audio, NO keyless entry. And at 28k the only difference you get is Keyless entry and 220HP vs the 210HP.... you have to pay 31k to get the rest of it and that still doesn't include climate control. I would never pay that much extra for all that stuff when I can get it for FREE in the Si.

Since many people mentioned GTi as a possible alternative, I took a look and when I saw the pricing options for the GTI, its a no brainer which purchase would make more sense. Add on top that I plan to keep my car for well over 5 years, so I feel extremely uncomfortable owing a VW for that long. Lastly, aesthetics are highly subjective, but a 4 door hatchback with plaid seats isnt very appealing to me.

 

[zx2down]

People keep throwing these GTI numbers out there and I'm wondering where they are getting them?? I'm on their website right now and out of the box you get 210HP for 25k, that get's you NO sunroof, NO climate control, NO premium audio, NO keyless entry. And at 28k the only difference you get is Keyless entry and 220HP vs the 210HP.... you have to pay 31k to get the rest of it and that still doesn't include climate control. I would never pay that much extra for all that stuff when I can get it for FREE in the Si.

On the other side of that coin, I'd never pay for Climate Control moonroof, premium audio or keyless entry at all. I find them useless junk. I don't care that the Civic has them. To me, they are just "we include these because we lack X" items. I'd gladly have them stripped if it meant a lower price.

You act like "OMG how can a car NOT have these?" for me, it's "why the fuck would I want those?"

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