Why I Bought 2021 Sport Touring Hatch 6MT

ECCST

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My first post - new member.

Up until last week, I had a 2016 CRV Touring. I do a lot of highway driving and had racked up over 140,000 miles on it. Solid car, no problems, maintenance done by the book. Prior to this I had a '13 Golf R with 6MT, so I was missing that car, although I traded it off at 40,000 miles fearing future maintenance. I was looking for something of a "touring car" (a good highway cruiser) with the manual being the must-have, considering the CRV driving experience to be boring.

2 weeks before COVID, I checked out the Accord 2.0T 6mt and an Si Coupe to see which one fit my need for a highway cruiser with manual. The Accord was very impressive and I eliminated the Si because it felt too stiff for me - great car, but felt track car-like as compared to the Accord even though the Accord could put the power down mightily. At the time, I didn't feel the purchase was right, so I passed. 2 weeks later COVID happens and then I find out no more manual Accords.

I spend the next few months hearing about which cars are losing manuals (including 2021 Civic Sedans),so I figure if I'm not going Si, then now must be the time to get what may be the final manual Hondas (except again, 2022 Si or CTR). Tried out the ST Hatch and liked it. Far from the increased power, adjustable dampers, suspension setup of the Si, but I figured that actually is what I wanted. Feels like this may be the last manual Honda I may be able to buy if I keep it for at least 5 years.

My deciding factors over Si:
1. Gas mileage
2. Softer setup/ride - I'm getting older. I figured maybe the touring has some degree of improved insulation to reduce NVH, but maybe it's just in my mind.
3. Perceived additional maintenance costs (adjustable dampers have to cost more).
4. The standard 1.5L engine in the majority of the rest of the Civic line - hopefully since it's 5 years past 2016, the engine has been refined /bugs worked out in this final year of 10G.
5. Additional luxury features of the Touring - yes, it's debatable about whether they are worth the cost over the regular Sport, but I'm going to flatten the depreciation curve by keeping it for at least 5 years. I also must have satellite radio, so Touring was necessary (yes, you could stream XM through phone, but I wanted built-in).
6. Hatch body style. There probably will be a 2022 Si Hatch, but I don't do first year models, so if I wanted this, I would wait for '23 or '24 and I didn't want to wait. Plus, the hatch has lessened the impact of the hauling ability I had with CRV.
7. Happier with less HP - meaning, 180HP is an average HP output in today's cars (maybe slightly above average) and just driving normal with a 6speed puts the excitement back into driving again for me. Not overpowered, not underpowered for what the Civic is. Sometimes, I feel it's better to drive a "slower" car fast than have a car (like the Golf R) which made me an aggressive driver just by driving it.

These above points are probably the exact same considerations that most people have who mad the same decision that I did.

I for a very brief moment thought to wait for MK8 GTI, maybe WRX, whatever Kia has or had in 6mt, but then I remembered I am a Honda guy.

Nothing wrong with Si in my book, just personal preference. No matter the choice in Civic, I now have a fun car to drive that should be reliable for my next 5 years of car.
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Conika

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Bruh, live your life for you my guy. Do what makes YOU happy. Enjoy the car, make it your own. A few people have asked why I didn’t get a type R instead of an Si. Well because I don’t need a Type R... lol. The Si is exactly what I wanted in a car. It’s also funny to me when I see social media posts where it’s like “tag the owner”, and someone tags a bank. In a few short years that bad boy will be yours. Meanwhile someone is crippled with high insurance, and a large car payment. You do you and don’t worry about others man.
 

Bhartz412

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I am still back and forth on what to get after my LX hatch is paid off. I'll use the LX as a family/kid friendly car and have either a Type R or Touring 6MT as my daily. I love the look of the Type R, but it is quite a bit more expensive, especially since I wont be taking it to a track or anything crazy. I just do a lot of highway driving and have no rush hour commute, so I want to give manual a go.
 


xbbnx

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My brother is actually in the market for the Touring Hatch Sport 6mt, it is proving very hard to find. According to the dealerships here they are a unicorn. How easy was it for you to locate yours?
 

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The only thing about my sport touring 6mt that I didn't like was the subwoofer. Extremely disappointing for a "premium" audio package. A new amp fixed that.
 

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My brother is actually in the market for the Touring Hatch Sport 6mt, it is proving very hard to find. According to the dealerships here they are a unicorn. How easy was it for you to locate yours?
I thought it was too low for him?
 

xbbnx

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I thought it was too low for him?
He changed his mind lol. He's looking for a comfortable, fun, and crossover like spacious cruiser, this checks all the boxes for him.
 
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ECCST

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I watched the Honda website where it shows you cars in transit or already on dealer lots. My dealer had 2 in transit that I was watching daily and went to the dealer within a day of when the Honda website said it had landed. Benefit is I got to the car before the dealer had a chance to put on the extra markup stuff that costs them nothing but they try to charge for.

What I noticed about mine is that while it is a 2021, the sticker price reflects the 2020 price before the announced model year increase.

Fun car to drive and real world 37mpg at 75mph on highway. just did about 300 miles.

the reality is that this car is probably the size of the accord of not so long ago. It’s not exactly small anymore but feels small enough to get around and park in town and yet big enough to cruise comfortably on highway.

however, I wouldn’t have this car if it weren’t a manual......

My brother is actually in the market for the Touring Hatch Sport 6mt, it is proving very hard to find. According to the dealerships here they are a unicorn. How easy was it for you to locate yours?
[/QUOTE
 


VarmintCong

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The 2020 hatches got improved sound dampening so that's probably what you're noticing. If you want a more comfortable ride drop to 17" wheels.

I don't think the 6mT hatch gives up much to the Si in terms of fun - and the Sport hatch looks fantastic imo.
 
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ECCST

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The 2020 hatches got improved sound dampening so that's probably what you're noticing. If you want a more comfortable ride drop to 17" wheels.

I don't think the 6mT hatch gives up much to the Si in terms of fun - and the Sport hatch looks fantastic imo.
Well said. That summarizes my decision. I do think that the Si in resale may do comparatively better because of the additional “sporty” hardware and the name. The used Si buyer will know they they have to get the manual whereas the used market buyer of the non-Si Civic will be surprised to see a manual because there will not be many made. Time will tell.
 

VarmintCong

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Well said. That summarizes my decision. I do think that the Si in resale may do comparatively better because of the additional “sporty” hardware and the name. The used Si buyer will know they they have to get the manual whereas the used market buyer of the non-Si Civic will be surprised to see a manual because there will not be many made. Time will tell.
I got great resale on my 6 mT Sport hatch. 88k miles and Carmax paid 53% of original sale price excluding taxes.
 
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ECCST

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I got great resale on my 6 mT Sport hatch. 88k miles and Carmax paid 53% of original sale price excluding taxes.
Good to know. Afterall, these still are Honda’s and should always do better than the rest.
 

MorrisGray

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Just checking to see if you still like your Sport Touring.... Any problems ?
Would you make the same choice again from today's knowledge of ownership ?
Or do you wish you would have gone in a different direction ?
What do you like / dislike about the Sport Touring Hatch ?
Do you run regular 87 octane ? What are your average MPG for non spirited driving ?
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