Just bought a Civic Hatch Sport!

[VarmintCong]

Very nice. White was my first choice but couldn't find one with black interior.

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[hawk02]

I actually wanted the 2 tone interior and that was what this had, love everything about it and the pearl POPS all the time!!!!!!!

 

[VarmintCong]

I actually wanted the 2 tone interior and that was what this had, love everything about it and the pearl POPS all the time!!!!!!!

It looks great but my kids would trash it.

 

[ride4it]

Can you expand more about the car drawing more attention than you like, this is one of my biggest concerns, people already drive crazy and stupid where I live, most are stoned and not paying attention and I don't want to draw others who want to tailgate or be swerving in and out of lanes to try and catch and race.

Wow, that sounds like where I grew up . Nah, if you like the car I wouldn’t let that stop you. I have found its really not bad in that respect...Sure you may have a random stickered out Veloster come along side (had that), but I haven’t found it to be an issue at all. It’s nothing like... well the worst car I had for that was a Mustang Cobra. Every knucklehead would come out to race that.

Also, after spending more time in my car and getting feedback from others driving it, I would throw out a couple of comments:

This car has an aggressive tire fitment. It does cause more road noise and harshness than you would find in the average car. I know some folks were on the fence between the Sport Touring and EX trims...I would recommend going to a dealer and trying out the Sport to make sure its what you expect. Keep in mind that is with the tires at full tread depth... it will get worse as they wear. There is just not a lot of sidewall on a 235/40 tire.

I drove the and EX trim and the Sport (unfortunately, not back to back), and I felt the Sport was notably harsher and nosier. I still find it to be a wonderful daily driver, and I dont mind the bit of compromise, but we are all different.

(Oh, I am assuming that the wheels are the only difference, and that the Sport has the same suspension tuning as the other models. I haven’t seen anything that says differently. Someone correct me if I am wrong…)

I think perspective auto-trans buyers will also want to make sure they can get along with the CVT. Its different. Sometimes its brilliant. Sometimes its a bit of a buzz-kill when it comes to performance. Like its trying hard to save gas. Having said that - in the 800 miles I have put on my car I have averaged 37.7mpg. Thats mostly highway, but also a LOT of DC stop/go, rush-hour traffic...and there is only 800 miles on the car. That’s really outstanding...so really the CVT is doing just what is supposed to do.

For you Sport/SportTouring folks, if you ever want to feel better about it, put the trans in 'S' and use the paddles. Since my car still has such low miles on it, I havent driven it really hard using the paddles….. but from what I have experienced, that’s a ton of fun. I dont know how it would work out, say driven at ten, tenths on the track (not what you would buy a CVT for anyways), but on spirited back road driving, I have found it to be a blast. Still too early to say more than that about it…

To sum my thoughts up: this is a really great car. Its special. No doubt it will have a cult following in the coming years and the aftermarket will be huge. I get the same feeling I got driving my GSR way back when - that’s it’s a really well thought out and thoroughly engineered vehicle.

 

[VarmintCong]

Well said, i feel the same way about my Sport. It feels a bit special despite the price tag. Moreso after filling it with 93.

I find the tires remarkably comfortable, but I'm leaning toward downsizing anyway to 17", probably 215s, but summer tires. i might sell or just store the Sport 18s. With all the traveling I do for work i can't be worried about one pothole blowing out a tire.

+1 I thought the CVT was great in Sport mode w/ or w/out paddles. In fact I'd be ok with it - I mainly got the 6MT to save money/maintenance and cause I didn't want a moonroof anyway. Otherwise I'd have gotten an EX or Touring.

 

[joedog]

Hey folks. First post… since I just a hatch, figure I will be around here for a while.

I brought the silver sport hatch because I like to fly low in my daily driver... but I am finding even in sliver it draw more attention than I like.

I have done my rush hour commute and weekend shuttling kids around and as far as daily drivability with the 18's, I agree with richtj22's review that its entirely livable. The suspension has quite a bit of well damped travel to it and does a great job of soaking up bumps (wrx like came to my mind). I was driving the left lane of the George Washington parkway (DC) this week which is notorious for its drainage grates and torn up asphalt, and the car was perfectly at home. Of course that was with the tires at full tread depth....not sure yet, but I may still consider some 16's with all seasons for winter and all around beating.

I have found it to be a completely practical and fun to drive car - from beltway traffic, to hauling kids, bike gear, and home store runs. For cyclist out there, it easily swallowed my road bike with one of the rear seats still up, so I was able to pick up my 10 year old without unloading my gear. nice.

I have a dedicated track/autox car (97 GSR) but I cant help but think there is some great potential in this platform. I dont know where it will be classed, but I would think you will see the base, manual sport hatches showing up and being very competitive. I will be interested to see how folks will be setting them up...

Since mine is the DD, bumper to bumper rush hour, have to be drive-able by the wife and in-laws car, I have the CVT. Still, I will sneak mine out to a track day next season to explore its limits and see what kind of characteristics it has... I know, I like to avoid doing that with my DD but I cant help it... I REALLY want to drive one of these with a sorted suspension, manual, and some sticky tires. I think it will rock.

Some other random thoughts:

I am not a moon roof, etc, etc type, so I am love, LOVING that I could get a base hatch with the sport package. It does everything I want - basic phone integration, I can stream tidal, it has auto climate control but you can work it like a conventional system with the knobs (yes!)... speaking of knobs it has a volume knob.

The stock suspension is nice (maybe perfect) for DD duties, but it is soft....driven hard it rolls over but settles nicely (but I am used to cars with 700# coilovers).

There is noticeable turbo lag. Enough that if I were gonna autox it I would be dusting off the left foot braking skills. In fact even in traffic, in order to pull some of those quick lane changes, I find myself left foot braking to build revs, then pulling a quick, smooth launch to change lanes with little drama.

The car has a nice growl to it...just the right amount for my tastes and its intended use. I believe I am also hearing turbo whine, more than I would have thought (and this is not my first turbo car). Nice.

Steering is typical Honda in my experience: on the light side but great feel. Brake pedal is nice and hard.

So far, the CVT has been nice for DD type stuff. The motor seems to have a thick midrange and the CVT does a great job of keeping the rpm's in there, and it still has some shift points for that satisfying feel. I had to do a part throttle acceleration through traffic today and the CVT kept the rpm's fairly steady while the car just built speed. Very little drama - its sorta turbine like...and you have to keep an eye on it because you dont realize how much speed you start carrying. I like passing like that - no commotion, you just sail past. For spirited backroad driving, I think the manual shifters will be a must. The CVT in ‘D’ is just doesn’t know how to do that… initial impression anyways. I haven’t explored that aspect much…

And a quick glance underneath and that underbody fairing kit makes me wonder how much work it will be to change the oil!

Congrats on the new Sport.Looks good. I like the contrast with the wheels and underbody trim. I had considered the silver color, it will be a lot easier to clean than my black Sport I got just a few days before yours. I agree with a lot of your comments about the way they drive. Noticed the turbo whine, too. Light but there. Haven't really hammered it yet, waiting to put a few more miles on it. Enjoy.

 

[joedog]

Pics!

Finally took a pic of mine, not great, but kids make photography challenging.

View attachment 22149

The Aegean blues looks good. The first Sport I saw was in that color, I like the black wheels and the black under body kit and how it contrasts with the blue. Congrats. Good choice.

 

[ride4it]

Congrats on the new Sport.Looks good. I like the contrast with the wheels and underbody trim. I had considered the silver color, it will be a lot easier to clean than my black Sport I got just a few days before yours. I agree with a lot of your comments about the way they drive. Noticed the turbo whine, too. Light but there. Haven't really hammered it yet, waiting to put a few more miles on it. Enjoy.

Thanks. The black looks HOT...and mean. Like if Terminator and Darth Vader were gonna go for a cruise they would be driving a black hatch sport. I am sure, in the near future, when the street modder guys get a hold of them, we will be seeing some sinister looking, slammed black hatches running around…. Congrats!!

Well said, i feel the same way about my Sport. It feels a bit special despite the price tag. Moreso after filling it with 93.

I find the tires remarkably comfortable, but I'm leaning toward downsizing anyway to 17", probably 215s, but summer tires. i might sell or just store the Sport 18s. With all the traveling I do for work i can't be worried about one pothole blowing out a tire.

+1 I thought the CVT was great in Sport mode w/ or w/out paddles. In fact I'd be ok with it - I mainly got the 6MT to save money/maintenance and cause I didn't want a moonroof anyway. Otherwise I'd have gotten an EX or Touring.

Yeah, I hear you on that – with commuting on pot-hole torn city streets and all... Looks like the EX trims are running 215/50/17. I am thinking of doing something similar for DD, and then putting a summer performance tire on the 18’s (which I would swap on for fun or track/autox). I think some serious rubber would add another dimension to the car…

 

[MarkP]

More

I must say those 18" OEM rims are really nice!!! Would love to have these on my 2016 sedan.

Can anyone confirm if these can fit to 2016 Civic sedan without any rubbing issues?

 

[gtman]

They'd fit perfectly.

 

[Kluch]

Hey OP (and anyone else with a CVT and paddles) do you use the paddles that often? I'm just wondering how advantageous they are.

 

[bembol]

Hey OP (and anyone else with a CVT and paddles) do you use the paddles that often? I'm just wondering how advantageous they are.

Whether it's on the Gear or Paddles, 90% of my driving is using Tiptronic. I only leave it on Automatic when I want to cruise.

 

[Kluch]

Whether it's on the Gear or Paddles, 90% of my driving is using Tiptronic. I only leave it on Automatic when I want to cruise.

When you say gear, what do you mean? Does the "shifter" allow you to do "gear" changes?

 

[bembol]

Yes, on Tiptronic mode.

 

[cdmta]

haven't seen a pic of shifter in sport. Any pics? Seen L mode in my touring. Is there a "T" mode?
thanks