Debating on Si or Accord Sport

Good morning all,
I am new to the site as i have not yet owned a Honda before. I currently have a 2008 Saturn Astra (opel Astra, Vauxhall Astra). It was only brought to the states for 1 year so its kind of a quirky/wierd car in my opinion. I have had this car since new and have not had much of any trouble with it, BUT.... My wife says its time for a new car. She has gotten 2 new cars since i've had mine and she feels it is time to upgrade, namely because my car doesn't even have an AUX input, let alone apple car play and such. I used to have an old 02 WRB WRX back in the day that i played with and auto-x'ed and such. My main goal and my wifes, is to maintain the manual car (my astra is manual) while getting a much needed upgrade. Now i am a researcher so i've been on the hunt for a while.

I was strongly considering the 19' Si but i couldn't get over the facts that it didn't have HID or LED headlights, when base Corollas came with it, big turn off for me, again i plan on keeping for a while. then the GLI was announced. serious contender and i drove it and its nice, but i'm not a HUGE VW fan, kinda indifferent. So i started looking at 19' Accord Sport 2.0t's. I love the blue (reminds me of my old WRX) but finding a manual is very difficult, especially toward the end of the model year when i went to test drive. But then, BEHOLD!, the 20' Si literally fixed all the issues i had with it, and made available all the tech gadgets that were on the accord sport. So now i can have my cake and it be cheaper too. andthe Agean Blue Si is actually able to be found on lots unlike the blue manual accord.

So just wondering, i don't necessarily need to spend the extra cash for the accord, (i do have 2 kids but they rarely ride with me and aren't rear facing seats or anything so the space should be fine in the civic). So is there any reason other than the "bigger car" that i should get the accord? or should i now stay with my top pick of the "sportier" Si?

sorry for the TL/DR

C/N: Is the accord Sport 2.0T worth it now that the Si has all the goodies (LED headlights and sensing) other than the space.

If you value comfort over performance get the accord. The si beats it in everything except for the power( if you get the 2L.) and space. It really depends if you want power or handling. The accord still does handle pretty well, best for mid size cars of the same bracket. Don’t get the 1.5L accord. It’s underpowered unless mpg is a concern

Si:
Comfort and sport mode suspension settings
Limited slip differential

If you just drive your car because you need transportation neither of these matter. If you like to have fun driving these may help you decide. Both are great cars and the Si is an incredible value. IMO the 2.0 accord is not worth the additional $4k if you're not into performance. It doesn't even come with a limited slip differential for that extra cost. I considered the Si, accord sport 1.5 and 2.0. The Si was the most fun the accords maybe had a little more bling to them. The shifter also felt sloppy in the accord, Si was much better.
If the Si ticks most of the boxes for you that's the way to go. The price bump from the 1.5 to the 2.0 is too much to justify imo.

Have you driven them both? I thought I was going to buy a Jeep until I started test driving different makes and models

It sounds like you've already done a substantial amount of research and know your two options pretty well. At this point it looks like you just need to decide if you want to pay more for the comfortable Accord, or pay less for the sporty Si.

Also, the civic blue is even more amazing in-person and looks better to me every day I see it

I'd say go Si bc it has the LED headlights now and the Honda Sensing suite on them is sick too. The Si will get better gas mileage and has more aftermarket support for parts than the Accord. One thing to keep in mind is to make sure you get the sedan since you have kids and the coupe is a big annoyance and hassle to get people in the back

Having had both, I'd pick the 2018 Honda Acccord Sport 2.0T, especially after Honda dropped the price so much. They can be found in the $26-$27K range all over now.
Both vehicles had a KTuner tune & PRL Stage 1 intakes. The 10 speed automatic is what really convinced me, it combined with the K20C4 engine makes for a great power train.
I drove a manual 2.0T Sport and it was good but not like the 10 speed automatic. Very special transmission!

I was over the moon with the Si and frequently just went out to drive all the time, we have beautiful roads here.
After awhile the little 1.5T just seemed less fun unless I was driving it like I stole it. It just doesn't have the low end like the Accord, even on several different tunes.
My wife traded her new 18' CRV 1.5T CVT in for the Accord as she could not stand the lack of power and engine drone with the CVT.
I noticed more and more often I'd start taking her car to go do little errands and before I knew it I was barely driving the Si. To & from work and then I just drove the Accord everywhere else, even stock it's amazing!
Very smooth & powerful, feels like a V6!



The 2.0T engine has much more "useable" low to mid range power & torque...1,500rpm spool up with that twin scroll & 2,500 full torque is sent to the wheels stock! The tune spreads it out a bit but still there!
I hardly have to ever fully punch it and it's nice to be in a powerful & comfortable luxury sedan(for me.) I keep the engine in the 2,000-3,000 range and still stay pretty zippy around town.
Also getting the same overall average miles per gallon.....24mpg with mostly zippy city driving......thing even gets 38 mpg on the highway and I think I could have got 40mpg if not for the wind! Shall see on an upcoming trip!

Just felt like I was always hunting for the power band in the Si where I am always in the power band with the 10A/T & K20C4.
The Accord also allowed me to walk away from a pretty bad rear end collision while I was at a complete stop just 3 months ago.....I do not believe the Si would have been as safe as well!

Car also may look big but it can really handle and get down on stock tires.....the American Lightning Lap results over the past year have it beating a BRZ and keeping up with a lot of more well handling cars you can think of.
I love sport mode and some paddle action on the hilly & winding roads around us, this thing gets down even stock! The Si is definitely the more sporty model however but doesn't leave the Accord behind like you would think.

I was able to have a blast with the Si for a little over a year and 15,000 mile but trade it in for about what I paid for it. Not sure if this is still the case.
Both excellent cars and essentially almost the same price now!. Honda actually lowered the MSRP & Accord 2.0T's can be found significantly cheaper, especially the manuals!

Usually starting price on the Accord 2.0T Sport is $26,900-$27,000 for even newer models 2018-2020......you can find some very low mileage ones for under $23-$24,000 easily.
I do miss the LSD in the Si but not as bad as I would have thought, especially since I now have Advanced VSA with KTuner. Very overlooked car but seriously a hidden gem.
Constantly shocking people with how just lightning fast it is off the hit....I love the instant torque!

A Type R turbocharger bolts right in and you can buy your RV6 downpipe & add an 02 sensor bung for a later Type R turbo swap.....very good numbers however you loose that instant torque hit but gain a ton of horsepower in the mid to top end. Hoping for some cheaper used units once people start buying turbo kits for the Type R's so it can become more affordable, Hondata has a base map, I believe. Flex Fuel kits also turn this thing up another notch as well.

Car truely is a beast but so was my Si with the TSP Stage 1 tune......Probably need to drive both to decide, if you can! Can't go wrong with either though.

I love my Gentlemen's Type R! Just my 2 cents!

As a former owner of a 2018 Si Sedan (1 year 3 months and 17K), and being 51 years old, I can tell you it was a great car, handled nice, and by doing a few upgrades (Two Step Performance Stage 1 tune, Performance Intercooler) it made the car step up. But if I could do it again, I would have bought the Accord Sport 2.0T. If you are not going to do any performance driving, than the Accord is more comfortable, more refined, and damn that engine is quiet, smooth and powerful. And you can get it in a 6 speed MT, although you will have search for one, they are not as common on the dealership lots. One caveat is that a lot of people report that the manual is rubbery and uninspiring. I drove AT version of the car, and I loved it. But I hate the look of the 2019 redesign, I would pickup a used 2018.

If you are looking to do some performance driving and get a fully loaded inexpensive fun vehicle with a much better MT, LSD, and more performance oriented suspension setup, than the Si would be the choice. That's my opinion on this matter

I owned a 2017 Civic Si sedan that I traded for a 2018 Accord Sport 2.0T 10AT.

As one would expect, the Accord felt more expensive and luxurious and was faster in a straight line. However, I quickly missed shifting. The lack of a limited slip differential made for lots of performance-hindering and embarrassing one-wheel-peels. While the audio system sounded "okay" at low volumes for background music, it didn't sound nearly as good at "moderate" volumes and was incapable of playing at "high" volumes (there's no external amplifier or subwoofer). The Accord Sport's fixed dampers are softer than the Si's adjustable dampers. Finally, the Accord averaged 25 MPG while the Si averaged 34 MPG - same driver, same routes. Overall, the Accord was a bit more comfortable to drive and had a nicer interior, but it wasn't as nimble, light, and fun to drive as the Si.

You can read more detailed comparisons in this thread.

If you're planning on doing any track or autoX time, definitely the SI. The handling and LSD will be we well worth it.

As for backseat space - my Civic has more space for the 2 car seats than my previous BMW 3 series and my wife's current Mazda CX-5 - it's a pretty big rear seating area. Just food for thought.

I have a 2019 Si Sedan and my wife has a 2018 Accord. They are very different cars, both very good in my opinion.

- Who will be driving it more?
- What kind of driving do you do? How long is the commute, etc.?
- How important are these things to you?
--- Radio/Music/Infotainment quality
--- Fun To Drive
--- Comfort & quietness
--- Back seat and trunk space

I was going through the same thing. I was leaning towards the accord sport 2.0t because of honda sensing and LED headlights, but then the 2020 Si came out with those things, so I put in an order for the Si in August. It is getting built this week

I traded in a 2017 Si sedan for the 2018 Accord sport 2.0T with the 6 speed.

After driving both for about two years, I would choose the Si (And did.. as I'm now back in a 2020 Si)

Accord 2.0T Pros:

- So much torque!
- Much better reverse cam
- More interior space
- Very soft ride
- Bigger and higher resolution infotainment display

Accord 2.0T Cons:

- Handles like a boat
- Terrible speaker system
- Lower fuel economy
- REALLY SLOPPY GEARBOX

The Civic has a much better speaker system, it has adjustable suspension, amazing gearbox and the LSD. I just purchased KTuner 2.0 to get a little bit of that torque I'm missing back, but I know to go easy on the clutch.

To me these are still two very different vehicles. The Si is a sport compact. That Accord is a large family sedan with power. I'm always surprised when I read how many people here cross-shop these cars.

I guess it's a personal thing. I'll always take a smaller, better handling and lighter car over a boat. No matter how much power that boat has.

I don't think it's surprising at all. Honda people usually stick to Honda. I know I do. And Accord with a 6spd manual like the Si but with a lot more power? I know a lot of Si owners were tempted.