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Sedans Honda Civic Honda Civic Si Sedan
487 messages, Last post on Sep 22, 2009 at 9:49 PM
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Hey folks. I was wondering if I could get some input from those who had checked out both the GTI and Si. I am trying to decide between a GTi with DSG or an Si Sedan w/ Navi. Here's what I've come up with so far from two short test drives... Looks: To my eyes, the GTI looks better with its sophisticated styling and almost-Audi classiness (Beauty is in the eye of the beholder). Handling: Si takes this one hands down. The steering is much more direct than the GTi Power: The GTi wins due its torque advantage and more usable powerband, though its worth saying that the Si is a hoot about 6k rpm, and it still has decent pull around town. Price: Si is MUCH cheaper than the GTi, and this price difference would mean that I could swing a Navi system, whereas in the GTi, I can't. Space: Tie. The Si has a better back seat while the GTi has a better trunk with ski pass-through. Interior: Tie Again. The GTi is classy, but also a bit boring. I feel like it would age well, but it's not all that exciting. The Si on the other hand looks like a spaceship and has quality similar to that of the GTi, but something tells me it will look dated quickly. I've been trying to find a clear winner for quite sometime, and I still don't know. Do I pay more for a car with a trick transmission and a more upscale feel, or do I pay less for something that is more entertaining in the twisties but less of a long-distance machine? Any help would be great! Thanks!
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Replying to: sabastian (Sep 12, 2007 9:20 am) Hondas seem to be fairly bulletproof and I've owned 2 Civics and both were bland to drive but very very reliable. Newer Hondas might be more fun to drive (I haven't driven one in quite a while) but they really are bulletproof and that says a lot about a car. Just curious if you've looked at a Mazdaspeed 3? I have a friend who is considering one and it's like $23K MSRP! The MS3 is a sick car, I'd be very tempted if they offered it in white.
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Replying to: sabastian (Sep 12, 2007 9:20 am)
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Replying to: cz75 (Sep 12, 2007 12:09 pm) I'd like to know. |
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Replying to: tseosh (Mar 20, 2007 7:25 am) So far my only complaints are: Some popping from the suspension. It rides well for a performance car (much better than my 99 Mustang Cobra did). We have really rough streets where I live and it only does it at really slow speeds with fairly big bumps/holes. The exhaust is fairly loud inside the car. Louder than the stock pipes on my Cobra. Most of the time I like the sound. Sometimes it gets annoying. The interior is hard to keep looking clean and new. The black shows dust/dirt/hair easily. The black seats love to pickup lint. My wife took some friends out one night, one of which was wearing a pink sweater. I almost had a heart attack when I got in and saw my seat had a hot pink tint to it. The black plastic on the inside of the door scuffs easily and shows it badly. All in all, the car is really great. It's amazing how far the Civic has come since I had my 95 EX coupe. |
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Replying to: tiff_c (Sep 12, 2007 9:45 am) As a reply to the other post(s), I guess the throttle hang isn't so much a problem as an annoying feature. Are there any other known issues with the Si? I've had a look at the GTi forums, and it seems like the DSG is better than it was in the first A3's, but I'm still hearing about some problems. Another couple questions, how is the highway cruise in the Si. Quiet? Smooth Ride? Does the 6th gear help keep the revs down and the engine calm? How is the torque at low revs? Can you drive around normally, doing all of the normal A to B chores without going into VTECH. Please forgive all of these questions...This is the first Honda that I have ever really been interested in, and most of my car knowledge lies with Saabs and Audis. Thanks for the help! |
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Replying to: sabastian (Sep 12, 2007 4:55 pm) Quiet? Very. Even just sitting at a light, the noise level with the windows down vs. windows up is significant. pretty quiet even at cruising speeds on the freeway. Smooth? Reasonably. If you're going over kinda uneven roads, you'll definitely feel it, but on normal driving, it's great. Stiff enough to let you feel the road, but pretty smooth overall ride. 6th gear is fairly tall, in normal driving I take it from about 63 mph at 2800 rpms to ~80 mph at 3600 rpms, and 100 mph at around 4800 rpms. About the Si's rpms, remember that this engine is designed to drive with higher rpms... I normally don't let them go below ~2500, and (again in normal driving, i.e., non-vtec-fun-time ) shift at around 3500 rpms. About the i-VTEC, remember that it is ALWAYS engaged, anytime you start being aggressive with your driving (flooring it, etc.). With that said, I drive around town ALL THE TIME without kicking the VTEC into high gear... As I said above, just normal driving with reasonable shift points, that will keep the VTEC fairly quiet. Torque is pretty good at the low end (sub-2800 rpms) and the high end (6000+ rpms). In the middle it's marginal, but just fine as long as you're not loaded down with a car full of people. If you have 1-3 people in the car, you can still pull some good performance. With 4 or 5, you definitely notice an unfortunate lack of adequate torque...  ALSO... (sorry, this post is REAL long...) I test-drove the GTI before I bought my Si. Although I agree that the greater power in the GTI was nice, my main turn-offs were the price and a somewhat shoddy reputation for VW reliability over the long-term. I plan to keep my Si for at least 7-8 years or so, so as a college student, I wanted a car that would be happy and healthy over the long haul. Personally, though I look back with joy at that 'Launch Mode' of theirs, the GTI was really not what I wanted, and the SI was perfect in every respect for what I was after. Light/compact, good mileage, respectable/fun performance, and a nice appearance.
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Replying to: iomatic (Sep 12, 2007 12:21 pm) Or did you mean that I show proof that Honda still tops VW - that's as close as JD Power and Consumer Reports. |
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Replying to: kork13 (Sep 12, 2007 8:31 pm) 
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Replying to: sabastian (Sep 13, 2007 10:11 am) The reality is that when all is said and done what you should do is buy the car you like the most. Forget all the magazines and advice from friends etc.... When you sit in the car and you just really enjoy it that's the car you buy. The one you don't have any regrets buying when you drive out of the dealership. You've narrowed it down to 2 cars so buy the one you like the best, drive them a few more times and be happy with what you buy. It's really that simple. 
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