First Drive in the 2017 Sport Hatchback

[Jay.DeVries]

So our dealership finally got our first Sport Hatch( we are in South Dakota, takes forever for them to arrive here) and so I took the chance to go take it for a spin. I was surprised.

I originally had my heart set on a sport manual, as I plan on autocrossing this civic much like i did my 2016 sedan. I knew the sport was coming with paddle shifters, but that didnt give me much hope, as most paddle shifters seem to have such a delay.

I was actually surprised on the responsiveness of the paddle shifter. It actually made me consider getting the CVT. I can honestly say it was the most fun CVT that ive ever driven. The car feels like it has a ton of grip. Very fun car to drive.

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[hawk02]

Just got mine Monday and LOVE it!!! Yes the paddles are very responsive, I think it's due to them having a programmed simulated 7 gears so all is electronic.

 

[gtman]

I noticed that there is no "L" on the Sport CVT. What's the logic behind that?

 

[Billy4202]

So our dealership finally got our first Sport Hatch( we are in South Dakota, takes forever for them to arrive here) and so I took the chance to go take it for a spin. I was surprised.

I originally had my heart set on a sport manual, as I plan on autocrossing this civic much like i did my 2016 sedan. I knew the sport was coming with paddle shifters, but that didnt give me much hope, as most paddle shifters seem to have such a delay.

I was actually surprised on the responsiveness of the paddle shifter. It actually made me consider getting the CVT. I can honestly say it was the most fun CVT that ive ever driven. The car feels like it has a ton of grip. Very fun car to drive.

I keep hearing the dynamics of the hatch are better than the sedan. Since you've had auto-x experience, I'm sure you'd notice...did it feel true? If so, hats off to Honda. Didn't think the suspension changes would be that significant.

 

[bembol]

I really should test drive before I pick up my Sport Touring in December. LOL

No, I drove my boy's 2016 Coupe Touring enough.

I agree with the CVT/Tiptronic, though I wish it was on the gearbox instead of steering wheel, Paddles. This is the reason why I can't bother driving manual either, too lazy and very happy with it.

 

[VarmintCong]

So our dealership finally got our first Sport Hatch( we are in South Dakota, takes forever for them to arrive here) and so I took the chance to go take it for a spin. I was surprised.

I originally had my heart set on a sport manual, as I plan on autocrossing this civic much like i did my 2016 sedan. I knew the sport was coming with paddle shifters, but that didnt give me much hope, as most paddle shifters seem to have such a delay.

I was actually surprised on the responsiveness of the paddle shifter. It actually made me consider getting the CVT. I can honestly say it was the most fun CVT that ive ever driven. The car feels like it has a ton of grip. Very fun car to drive.

i posted elsewhere I drove 350 miles today and after 2 days I kind of feel like I'd be ok with CVT + paddles vs my manual. I still very much prefer the moonroof-less Sport, but the manual doesn't make the car any better imo.

As someone said earlier, the rev hang is ridiculous - when you clutch in, the revs literally don't seem to drop at all, til you actually upshift. I don't think it's a heavy flywheel, seems artificial to me.

I got 38 mpg on the first tank, mostly going 75-80 on the highway.

 

[Jay.DeVries]

I noticed that there is no "L" on the Sport CVT. What's the logic behind that?

The whole reasoning for L position was if for some reason you needed to keep the vehicle in an extremely low gear, the reason they removed it on the sport, is with the paddle shifter you can keep it in any gear you want, defeating the purpose of L.

 

[Jay.DeVries]

I keep hearing the dynamics of the hatch are better than the sedan. Since you've had auto-x experience, I'm sure you'd notice...did it feel true? If so, hats off to Honda. Didn't think the suspension changes would be that significant.

So obviously I work at a dealer and o take every chance I get to drive everything we have. The hatch does feel different than the sedan. Feels more solid , tho there are some things I like better in the sedan as well. But if I had to choose one for autoX, it would be the hatch. The difference is there, but it's possible that it's only as noticeable for me because I drive both regularly. The average consumer may not notice.

Now talking there difference between the sport, and the regular hatch, the difference is night and day. Being the car guy I am, who would I be if I didn't drive the car spirtedly down a few curvy roads. I've taken them both out and had my fun with them. The hatch works very well through the twists and turns. It does very well. But the sport, the sport makes me want to go back and do it again. It has enough grip to make you confident enough to keep your foot away from the brake, it begs to be thrown into the corner. It inspires a lot of confidence in the driver. The hatch is very enjoyable to drive. But the sport makes me want to take the long way, to go for a drive just for the sake of driving. It's not overly powerful, but it doesn't have to be, it gets to speed quick enough and gives you the ability to be truley in control of the car with the paddle shift, without having to give up the ability to have an easy daily driver.

 

[Jay.DeVries]

I keep hearing the dynamics of the hatch are better than the sedan. Since you've had auto-x experience, I'm sure you'd notice...did it feel true? If so, hats off to Honda. Didn't think the suspension changes would be that significant.

One more thing I must mention, I take the same route to work everyday. We have this ram horn exit, that start gradual and sharpens up as it spirals all the way around and goes under the overpass. I have pushed my civic sedan to its absolute limit on that exit, as I know it very well. The sedan is iffy at the edge, the tires don't like being there, and the steering and chassis don't seem on the same page, the car becomes very twitchy and on edge. But the sport feels very confident, and super stable. It almost makes the sport seem slower than the sedan, because in the sedan, I have to ease off the throttle as it tightens up in the turn. But the sport, it allows me to just keep pushing it harder.

 

[lzaffuto]

I guess the question is if the Sport is that way because of different suspension setup to the regular LX/EX hatch or if it is just the wheel and tire package that makes that difference. In other words, could you buy an LX hatch and put good lightweight 17" or 18" rims and good tires on it and have it handle the same or would it also require shocks, springs, sways, bushings, etc.

 

[Bjorn 1349]

Yes, does the Sport come with a different tire than the sedan you drove? Also, if you can answer this, does the Sport hatch feel that much better than a non-sport hatch? Or is that a change of tire question again? Thanks for the informative post so far though.

 

[SonicHB]

I haven't seen anything confirming the Sport has a more tuned suspension than other Civic's. The car tester that posts on here believes it does, and there was one vid where a tech mentioned it does....but nowhere can I find a spec list that says so.

 

[NorthernEX-T]

The whole reasoning for L position was if for some reason you needed to keep the vehicle in an extremely low gear, the reason they removed it on the sport, is with the paddle shifter you can keep it in any gear you want, defeating the purpose of L.

So there's no way to go WOT and keep the RPM pegged at 6k? In the sedan when you use L it will keep the rpm steady around 6000-6300rpm whatever the car decides it wants to rev out too, and gets rid of the fake shifting and IMO is the quickest way to accelerate in these cars.

 

[CosmicSilver]

Jay, did you happen to notice what brand of tires they are using on the Sport?

 

[Jay.DeVries]

I guess the question is if the Sport is that way because of different suspension setup to the regular LX/EX hatch or if it is just the wheel and tire package that makes that difference. In other words, could you buy an LX hatch and put good lightweight 17" or 18" rims and good tires on it and have it handle the same or would it also require shocks, springs, sways, bushings, etc.

The suspension is defferent from the sedan, but all the hatchbacks have the same suspension. The difference in the sport, is the steering has a shorter lock to lock, and then the wheels and tires. The sport has 235 instead of the 215 on the regular hatch. As well as tires with much more grip, a 400 tread wear instead of a 560 treadwear. So for the most part, you could get a regular hatch, and replicate the handling with new wheels and better tires. But you would still be lacking the exhaust.

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