Did anyone consider the Accord Sport 1.5T 6MT

Been shopping for a civic si lately, but can't find many in my state let alone any of the colors I want. I was wondering if anyone considered the Accord Sport with the 1.5T and 6 speed manual. My dealer will sell me one of those for only 500 more. Granted, you have a heavier car without the LSD or adaptive dampers. Also gives up the sun roof and heated seats. But I wonder if I would miss those features. While I do have some fun roads to drive in my area, as far as I know there aren't any tracks to take it to in Arkansas for a track day. I'm still looking for an SI and thats probably what I'll get.Thoughts and opinions appreciated.

Maverick91 said:

Been shopping for a civic si lately, but can't find many in my state let alone any of the colors I want. I was wondering if anyone considered the Accord Sport with the 1.5T and 6 speed manual. My dealer will sell me one of those for only 500 more. Granted, you have a heavier car without the LSD or adaptive dampers. Also gives up the sun roof and heated seats. But I wonder if I would miss those features. While I do have some fun roads to drive in my area, as far as I know there aren't any tracks to take it to in Arkansas for a track day. I'm still looking for an SI and thats probably what I'll get.Thoughts and opinions appreciated.

Click to expand...

500$ more for alot less car imo. Its the same chassis just weighs more and has more room. Less features and no lsd. Hold out for the car you want imo.

I think it depends a lot on your situation. If you are often carrying 2 or more people with you, or you prefer a softer ride, go with the Accord. Otherwise the Si might be worth waiting for.

Maroco said:

500$ more for alot less car imo. Its the same chassis just weighs more and has more room. Less features and no lsd. Hold out for the car you want imo.

Click to expand...

This… unless you want/need a bit more internal volume. I crawled all over an Accord 1.5 when I got my '18 Si... and there was just a single one on the lot in the showroom at the time (there wasn't even any '18s there yet... mine had to get shipped in because I didn't want a '17 leftover). There's pretty similar cars with the Accord just feeling a bit more stretched. For a value perspective... you can always assess the used value of a '18 Si with, say... 15k miles and a '18 Accord Sport with 15k miles to see what their assessed value is... as some models hold value and others depreciate differently. Still, giving up sporty bits (LSD/dampers) in a lighter package that likely has much better brakes as well coupled to that lighter car and the nice bits (sunroof and heatered seats) is a lot to give up... and it's more than just that. It's heavier with a little less power. The seats themselves are probably substantially different. Across the different Civic trims, their seats vary a lot and, so long as you aren't a super big guy, the Si seats are pretty decent. The shifting/clutch feel is likely going to be totally different.

From my profile picture, I regularly run around 5 deep in the Si and it's fine and should continue to be fine for years to come. If my kids all grow to be 6 footers, sure... the Civic will be small but by then, the oldest would be 16, the youngest 12 and she can have the old Civic to putt around in. People seem to lean to the biggest thing they can get when they have more than 3 passengers... and I really don't get it. I do have an Odyssey for hauling family + dog + lots of stuff when it is necessary but we probably take more trips in the Civic than the Odyssey. It's more fun to drive and more than enough room to get the job done.

Once you figure whether the Accord value proposition is relevant/important to you... then it's really down to getting a less equipped car that may have a little better highway manners and a little more rear legroom over a car that's performance and driver engagement characteristics will well exceed the Accords... with only a little less room. The Civic is by no means a small car these days. This one is worlds bigger than 7th gen eras... and was still a noticeable bump in rear room from gen 9. It's not much off from a turn of the century Accord so far as interior room is concerned.

Don't do it! Stick with the Si.

Maverick91 said:

Been shopping for a civic si lately, but can't find many in my state let alone any of the colors I want. I was wondering if anyone considered the Accord Sport with the 1.5T and 6 speed manual. My dealer will sell me one of those for only 500 more. Granted, you have a heavier car without the LSD or adaptive dampers. Also gives up the sun roof and heated seats. But I wonder if I would miss those features. While I do have some fun roads to drive in my area, as far as I know there aren't any tracks to take it to in Arkansas for a track day. I'm still looking for an SI and thats probably what I'll get.Thoughts and opinions appreciated.

Click to expand...

I think the best way to answer your question is to ask yourself: How bad do you really want the Si and what are the reasons you want it? If it's for the sportiness and features (most importantly the LSD) you will be missing out on with the Accord sport, then hold out for the Si. My personal advice is to not make any compromises on the car you want (as long as it's realistically affordable). This is especially true if this is going to be a car you will drive a lot and will own for long time.Compromising will only result in you getting a car that was your second choice, and that you didn't really want in the first place.

I also considered getting the Accord sport with the 6MT simply because it seemed a little bit more refined than the Si but was still (somewhat) sporty. In my heart I knew I wanted the Si though and would have kicked myself in the ass if I ended up going with the Accord because I would have a car that really wasn't what I wanted. I ended up getting a 2020 si and couldn't be happier with my decision. Go with your gut!

I saw a video on YT talking about the Accord 6MT, and it made mention that the shifter did not feel very precise. The Si is going to feel better from a handling perspective, and the 1.5T is going to feel better moving the smaller Civic around. If the Accord had a 2.0T it would feel peppier but the Si is always going to be tighter handling. The Accord is a very comfortable car though, yes the Civic is totally fine but my coworker has a 2.0T Sport and every time I sit in it I notice how much more room I have. But since you're looking at an Si I'm going to guess performance is the goal, and the Si wins out. Even if you don't track it you can have fun in the car.

The only Accord I'd consider is the 2.0. The 1.5 in a larger car would be such a performance downgrade.

I went to my dealer to buy an Accord sport with a 6mt. I drove one with the same color as my 2013 Accord sport CVT. It felt the same to me as my old Accord! The only difference was the shifting and it felt like I was rowing a boat! I then drove a SI and got a few feet and shifted into second gear! It was love at first shift. It had pep and handled like a dream.

Th

Blitted_Master said:

The only Accord I'd consider is the 2.0. The 1.5 in a larger car would be such a performance downgrade.

Click to expand...

Those extra 400lbs make a difference, even if it is the same chassis.

You lose horsepower and gain weight. You lose some features but gain others. Depends on what you want.

I didn't even consider the Accord Sport 1.5, because it lacked some must-have features for me, like heated seats, sunroof, and (I think) satellite radio. Plus while it's a manual, it's not particularly quick, with less HP/torque than the Si (I think). I had test-driven an automatic Accord 1.5T, and was unimpressed. I did consider the Accord Sport 2.0T manual. It's definitely a quick car, and if I needed a family hauler (I don't) I would have given it more thought, given the trunk space and back seat room (although the Civic sedan back seat room is excellent too). And the Accord's infotainment is way better. But a thousand miles in to my Si, the fuel economy is better than I anticipated, while the Accord 2.0 isn't very good (per Fuelly). I think it will more than balance out the cost of premium gas in the Si (premium not necessary in either Accord Spor model).

I'm an older guy who wanted a fun manual daily driver, but I don't have any plans to track it. I opted for the smaller, more nimble car, and I'm delighted with the Si I've purchased. If you really want the Si, be patient and wait; it's early in the model year. And use web sites like cargurus or autotrader to track inventories in your area. If you find the car you want at the price you're willing to pay, it's worth driving a hundred miles (or even more) for it. My two cents.

Here's Savagegeese's review of the Accord Sport 2.0 Manual. He says it's way too soft and desperately needs adaptive dampeners. In short, it ain't no Si that's for sure!

The Throttle House guys panned it (somewhat) too:

Nope, never. Civic Si was the only one on my radar during my last hunt for a new car.