Type R Vs Si

jakdotdot

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IDK about not looking sporty with a wing that big, but most wouldn't describe the CTR as attractive/good looking.


On topic,

The CTR is obviously the better performing car.

Having said that, you use to be able to get the SI for 21.x +TTL. So, the only real question was the CTR worth the extra 15K+ it was going to cost you.

Or to put it another way, you could have gotten an SI and a S2K, C5Z, etc for what a CTR would have cost you.

The CTR is just in a weird spot. It is kinda special.. but kinda not? 40K is a lot to ask for a souped up FWD econobox.
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SonicBreezerST160

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It's funny that most people who say the CTR isn't worth the $$$, don't actually own one.? I can tell you that my R could run circles around most heavily modified Si's. I kept up with a Scat Pack Charger the other day (newer model), and boy was he pissed off about it!!! I used to own a 403whp Supra (2jzgte powered) and my Type R could have smashed that as well.
 

booost

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Update: I was one of the first people replying on this thread and gave my insight having a fully bolt-on (actually full-bolt on, not just an exhaust and an intake) running e-30 with a W1 turbo and every part of the intake/exhaust upgraded and was saying that the R is a completely different animal than the SI in every way.

As much as I was trying to make my SI into an R, it was never going to be one. I finally found a new 2021 Champ White CTR and traded in my SI. It's such a better car and exactly what I wanted. It's a completely different animal if I haven't said that enough. The transmission, the clutch, the steering, the power is great, like I don't even want to touch it, it's such a great car.

Highly urge you to drive one if you haven't. It's a good feeling too knowing I can go wide open throttle and not worry about my engine exploding because I was pushing 100hp more than it was made to do/i'm not pushing the factory fuel system to the max like I was on the SI.

The SI serves a purpose to a lot of people, for the enthusiasts that want more there's the R. It's something special about it, you just have to drive one.
 

boosted180sx

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There's nothing sleek, streamlined or sporty looking about it. It looks bloated in the rear & has an idiotic looking wing/spoiler. Does not look anything like a McLaren, Corvette, Mustang GT, etc.
i dont think the CTR is really sporty looking but are you really comparing how a 4 door hatchback looks vs a 2 door sports coupe? Of course its going to look nothing like it.
 

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Owned both now.

Si pros:
14,500 cheaper, 36mpg average, heated seats, sunroof, don't have to worry about potholes, less time between fill ups, blindspot camera.

Si cons:
No hatch, significantly slower especially in cornering speed, have to floor it to gain speed, turbo lag seems slower, rev hang last longer, gearbox feels a bit cheaper in my opinion, clutch softer and more travel.

R pros:
Faster in every aspect, interior more premium feeling, less rev hang, gearbox feels shorter and perceived easier engagement, you'll get compliments, brakes bite harder, enjoyment of day to day driving is nicer, you'll compete with about any car on the backroads sub 100k.

R cons:
more likely to get a speeding ticket
And yet 18 months with aa Type R...0 tickets. 30 months before that with an SI?...lets just say that I am glad they have traffic school....after the second 73 in a 50 in the SI, I learned the value of cruise control. So I never -cough-bullshit-cough-exceed posted limits. You know, the ones posted on certain sections of the Autobahn.
There's nothing sleek, streamlined or sporty looking about it. It looks bloated in the rear & has an idiotic looking wing/spoiler. Does not look anything like a McLaren, Corvette, Mustang GT, etc.
It is also not as stunning as a Lamborghini or Lotus. No kidding. Try at least comparing the Type R to other hot hatches, not two door supercars. Because if you remove all storage space, and rear seats, and multiply the price by two to ten times, then yeah, your car should look better.

Next to other hot hatches however, it is one of the coolest looking out there. Attitude for weeks.
And that just fits.

Speaking of Corvettes, Is the squashed looking rear of the otherwise attractive new C8 a major design faux pas? I think so. But they have no problem selling those either, even without a manual option(oh the shame!).
At least you have the good taste to be driving a Honda, built by a company that carves its own path. And builds most of the Formula One engines used.

That spoiler / wing you hate? That keeps the wheels down and the shiny side up at speed. So if you are into that thing we like to call handling and stability, it is a work of freaking art.

Seems like the 11th gen is more subtle, so it may work better for you.
 


jabberwocker

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And yet 18 months with aa Type R...0 tickets. 30 months before that with an SI?...lets just say that I am glad they have traffic school....after the second 73 in a 50 in the SI, I learned the value of cruise control. So I never -cough-bullshit-cough-exceed posted limits. You know, the ones posted on certain sections of the Autobahn.


It is also not as stunning as a Lamborghini or Lotus. No kidding. Try at least comparing the Type R to other hot hatches, not two door supercars. Because if you remove all storage space, and rear seats, and multiply the price by two to ten times, then yeah, your car should look better.

Next to other hot hatches however, it is one of the coolest looking out there. Attitude for weeks.
And that just fits.

Speaking of Corvettes, Is the squashed looking rear of the otherwise attractive new C8 a major design faux pas? I think so. But they have no problem selling those either, even without a manual option(oh the shame!).
At least you have the good taste to be driving a Honda, built by a company that carves its own path. And builds most of the Formula One engines used.

That spoiler / wing you hate? That keeps the wheels down and the shiny side up at speed. So if you are into that thing we like to call handling and stability, it is a work of freaking art.

Seems like the 11th gen is more subtle, so it may work better for you.
For the people are not a fan of the wing. As far as the functionality goes, I think most of the people that don’t care for the current look would have been fine with the sportline CTR’s performance if we had the option stateside.
 
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rwk226

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I don't think it's a fair comparison to pit the CTR vs cars that cost double or even triple that of it. To say that, the CTR doesn't seem to have any issues holding its own against faster cars. But in terms of looks, sure it isn't going to look as flashy or exotic as a C8 or a Lambo or anything in those ballparks. But, if you put a Ford Focus RS/ST, Corolla Hatchback, Kia Forte Hatchback, Chevy Cruze hatchback, honestly any other hatchback to the FK7 or FK8, and while it does fall to personal opinion in the end, the FK7/8 definitely takes the cake for me in terms of looks. Focus and Fiesta look too much like an egg, Corolla hatchback looks sporty but is slow, Cruze is bloated, so forth and so forth. It is a matter of personal opinion.

I appreciate the opinions everyone has provided here. Honestly, I more than ever want to buy a CTR. Sure, my FK7 with the Phearable 1.5R is plenty quick and I can still get 40+ mpg, but I want more. I want more performance, I want the flashy looks (who would've guessed a 21 year old guy wanted a flashy car, haha), I want a CTR.
I know all this information and debate between which is better when, why, and how has helped me narrow my decision back down. I hope it serves to help others, too. Both the Si's and CTR are great cars in their own right, it's all a matter of budget and what your goals are. Me, I want that fast but still economical car. I want a 392 Charger but can't imagine getting sub 20mpg after driving my FK7 and getting 32 city and 48 highway. CTR strikes a great balance in the performance and fuel economy departments.
 

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Maybe sporty is not the right word to use, but the CTR performs like a good handling sports/performance car however it sure doesn’t look like one, IMO.

To me, “hot hatch” is an oxymoron, at least in the price range of the CTR. A boxy or bloated looking 4-door hatch does not exude performance, IMO.

As a comment in MotorTrend said about the CTR, the advantage of being in it is that you don’t have to look at it.
 
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rwk226

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Maybe sporty is not the right word to use, but the CTR performs like a good handling sports/performance car however it sure doesn’t look like one, IMO.

To me, “hot hatch” is an oxymoron, at least in the price range of the CTR. A boxy or bloated looking 4-door hatch does not exude performance, IMO.

As a comment in MotorTrend said about the CTR, the advantage of being in it is that you don’t have to look at it.
I respect your opinion, however I want to make a comment.
I originally didn't buy a sedan because I absolutely hate how they look. They look too long, the rear end/trunk doesn't look right, and the side profile reminds me too much of most mid-sized sedans on the market (Malibu, 200, Accord, Legacy, Forte or Rio, others). The hatchback actually stands out from the side profile in a way I personally love, it doesn't look like most sedans. I've had people ask me what I'm driving, and were genuinely confused when I told them it was a Civic because "it doesn't look like a normal Civic". While from some angles the sedan and hatchback are still both Civics, in other angles it seems like two different cars, but from the same company. Just my two cents
 

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I don't think it's a fair comparison to pit the CTR vs cars that cost double or even triple that of it. To say that, the CTR doesn't seem to have any issues holding its own against faster cars. But in terms of looks, sure it isn't going to look as flashy or exotic as a C8 or a Lambo or anything in those ballparks.
It doesn't look as flashy as a Civic Si Coupe which cost less.
 


natethegreat

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It doesn't look as flashy as a Civic Si Coupe which cost less.
The Civic SI coupe is a boy racer car. Which is why after 2 years of owning a coupe SI I never received a single compliment on it. 2 weeks with the R and I’ve already had a handful.
 

booost

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The Civic SI coupe is a boy racer car. Which is why after 2 years of owning a coupe SI I never received a single compliment on it. 2 weeks with the R and I’ve already had a handful.
I receive compliments on it everyday. I'm at gas station, work, hell on my way to work this morning 2 people rolled down their window—1 of them was a fellow R owner and just wanted to say "nice car man, have a great day". There's something special about it. I park it outside the ice cream shop to take my daughter for ice cream and i have a group of people looking at it. It's pretty cool. For sure attracts attention.
 

booost

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I don't think it's a fair comparison to pit the CTR vs cars that cost double or even triple that of it. To say that, the CTR doesn't seem to have any issues holding its own against faster cars. But in terms of looks, sure it isn't going to look as flashy or exotic as a C8 or a Lambo or anything in those ballparks. But, if you put a Ford Focus RS/ST, Corolla Hatchback, Kia Forte Hatchback, Chevy Cruze hatchback, honestly any other hatchback to the FK7 or FK8, and while it does fall to personal opinion in the end, the FK7/8 definitely takes the cake for me in terms of looks. Focus and Fiesta look too much like an egg, Corolla hatchback looks sporty but is slow, Cruze is bloated, so forth and so forth. It is a matter of personal opinion.

I appreciate the opinions everyone has provided here. Honestly, I more than ever want to buy a CTR. Sure, my FK7 with the Phearable 1.5R is plenty quick and I can still get 40+ mpg, but I want more. I want more performance, I want the flashy looks (who would've guessed a 21 year old guy wanted a flashy car, haha), I want a CTR.
I know all this information and debate between which is better when, why, and how has helped me narrow my decision back down. I hope it serves to help others, too. Both the Si's and CTR are great cars in their own right, it's all a matter of budget and what your goals are. Me, I want that fast but still economical car. I want a 392 Charger but can't imagine getting sub 20mpg after driving my FK7 and getting 32 city and 48 highway. CTR strikes a great balance in the performance and fuel economy departments.
I think you nailed it. My neighbor has a Focus RS that's FBO, tuned, the whole 9. My CTR does circles around him and it's a Honda, it's reliable. Last track day he couldn't even run 1 lap before throwing a code and the car went into limp mode.

The CTR is the way to go, I can't see any reason why someone would not want that over an SI. All of the styling for the most part is functional on the R, even the wing which I personally love the look of.

If you go on YouTube and look what the review channels put the car up against. It's that good. Throttle house, the straight pipes, the smoking tire have all put the car up against some really tried and true sports car brands. Just goes to show you what it can do.
 

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My take on the two is the Type R is a totally different machine in as far as the performance envelope goes across the board. The commonalities between the Si & Type R stop at the fact they are both 10th Gen. Civics and share many components. They are far more different from each other than say for example my 01, 05 and 08 CR S2000's are similar to each other. That said, I like the performance of the Type R, I just can't stand 4 or 5 doors and the styling of the Type R and thats why I went with the Si Coupe as another daily driver. Now had the Type R been a Coupe? ... I would have been all over it.
 

AlphaDigital

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Different strokes for different folks, the SI and Type R are very similar, yet very different at the same time. Type R is a head turning machine with a love it or hate it looks with performance to boot. The SI flies under the radar compared to the Type R. The Type R gets attention from lovers and haters, I see a lot of people pulling their phones out in my rear view mirror at stoplights, probably to snap their friends that the moron in front of them paid 30k+ for a Honda Civic Batmobile.

At the same time, ive gotten a lot of compliments, from people of all ages men and women alike. Is that what I bought the car for? no. Is it cool? sure. I bought the car to beat the shit out of it on the track, get 30+ MPG while driving there, to pick up my kids from school. And to flex on base model users. whats up PHEASANTS?
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