test drove the 2013 civic si

[Bt216]

My sister was buying a new civic. So it was my chance to test drive the si. The one I tested had the honda performance package. I was disappointed the car feels heavy, the handling and steering wasn't even close to the frs. The seats are ugly and they don't grab you like the frs seats does. I felt I wasn't driving a sports car.. FRS ALL THE WAY!!

[Mister]

My brother has an SI (2012). You're right it does not feel like a sports car, but if you need 4 doors and good practicality/mpg that is a great way to go.
I am surprised it felt heavy, it is a pretty light car with decent steering and a great transmission. With the summer tires it holds the road pretty well as well, and the extra torque is definitely noticeable.
The 2012 was a little soft but I heard they tightened up the 2013? Not sure if this is true or not...
I think it is a great car, however definitely not a sports car, more of a "sporty" eco box. If I needed the extra space I would probably go for it, but as is I do not, so the FR-S is better for me.

[Bt216]

I felt I was going grocery shopping. The engine does feel strong but didn't sound like my 2011 si. The front wheel drive sucks honestly, It is convenient and great features for the money but I couldn't wait to drive my frs again.

[CaptainSlow]

Originally Posted by Bt216

My sister was buying a new civic. So it was my chance to test drive the si. The one I tested had the honda performance package. I was disappointed the car feels heavy, the handling and steering wasn't even close to the frs. The seats are ugly and they don't grab you like the frs seats does. I felt I wasn't driving a sports car.. FRS ALL THE WAY!!

That's because it's the sports version of a family sedan, rather than a purpose-built sports car. Similar to how a CTS-V would feel heavier and less responsive than a ZR1 Corvette, even though they share the same engine (pretty much). Don't get me wrong, I love the CTS-V, but there's a big difference between a performance version of a normal car, and a car that is purpose built.

[Chimpo]

Originally Posted by Bt216

My sister was buying a new civic. So it was my chance to test drive the si. The one I tested had the honda performance package. I was disappointed the car feels heavy, the handling and steering wasn't even close to the frs. The seats are ugly and they don't grab you like the frs seats does. I felt I wasn't driving a sports car.. FRS ALL THE WAY!!

HFP hung with the BRZ... in fact it edged it out. May not be as much of a turd as you believe.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBPq7D28xGg"]2013 Subaru BRZ vs. 2012 Honda Civic Si HFP - YouTube[/ame]

[thill]

And if you changed the the awful Primacy tires to something like Dunlop Star Spec tires it would not have been close:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/special-...transformation

The FR-S against a MazdaSpeed3 and WRX was last on the stock tires around the track. With the tire swap (on the stock rims) it was first. The tire change alone lowered the track time by over 2 seconds.. 2 seconds! That is huge. My guess is the BRZ on better tires would beat the Honda by 2 second easy and it would be much more fun doing so.

[Lonewolf]

Originally Posted by thill

And if you changed the the awful Primacy tires to something like Dunlop Star Spec tires it would not have been close:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/special-...transformation

The FR-S against a MazdaSpeed3 and WRX was last on the stock tires around the track. With the tire swap (on the stock rims) it was first. The tire change alone lowered the track time by over 2 seconds.. 2 seconds! That is huge. My guess is the BRZ on better tires would beat the Honda by 2 second easy and it would be much more fun doing so.

Exactly, equal tires and its not even close. I would like the 2.4 liter from the new Si though...

[Chimpo]

I wonder what tires were on the HFP? Honda lists them as high performance all season.
http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-si-coupe/hfp.aspx

What we need is to see them on the same tires try again.

[Mr.Jay]

Pretty sure if you wanted to do special edition cars and looked at HFP Civic vs TRD GT86 against each other the 86 would win consider the tires will be swapped out and the HFP barely beat the BRZ with stock tires on

[Deslock]

Originally Posted by Chimpo

HFP hung with the BRZ... in fact it edged it out. May not be as much of a turd as you believe.

The Civic is a decent enough car for FWD, but unless you need more space, why settle for the understeer and extra heft when the BRZ exists? From the video you posted, starting at ~3:50:

In terms of the overall driving feel, it's true that the Civic Si HFP just isn't as low, as light, and as engaging as the Subaru BRZ. On the upside however, it is about the most fun you can have without going rear wheel drive.

(leading right into the BRZ portion of the comparison...)

It's really pretty hard to say anything negative about this car... it's just so much fun to drive. You feel how lightweight it is when you're coming into corners and you're on the brakes and once you're into the corner it's so well balanced... you know it's never hard to get it into a drift but it's never hard to get it out of a drift either... it just inspires confidence at the limit.

The transmission's really nice... it's quite a short throw and has a really positive feel when you're changing gears. And the engine really surprises me... I was expecting it to feel a little bit underpowered but it's actually very responsive. It's got lots of torque whenever you want it and it's got a pretty willing top end too. It revs right out to 7k and it really motivates this little car very well.

The other thing I really like about the BRZ is the seating position is very driver oriented. You sit nice and low, it's got a nice little racing inspiring steering wheel. The pedals are well spaced for heel and toe downshifts. It's definitely been engineered with this kind of driving in mind. The suspension tuning is also pretty amazing... it's firm but it's still quite compliant. I mean, you can pound the curbs here around the race track and it soaks them up really well but at the same time when you're going down the straights and you're hitting little cracks and grooves and stuff, it never feels harsh or choppy.

I guess maybe the only knock on it is the wheel and tire combo. I mean to me the wheels are a little weakly offset. You know I'd love to see a wider, more aggressive wheel and tire on here. And these all season Prius tires... they really don't have much drip to speak of. I know you can't see it because I've got a helmet on, but I'm smiling right now. For twenty five grand, that's a hell of a bargain.

He's wrong about the BRZ tires being all-season, but it's not surprising the HFP is grippier.

They went on to comment that it was the closest track shootout they've ever had, and though the HFP was faster around the track by one tenth of one second, it has much stickier tires. They said that if you swapped those tires onto the BRZ, it'd be about 2 seconds faster (and that'd bring it up to the same price as the HFP), while again commenting about the joy of RWD and how balanced the BRZ is.

It was pretty clear which vehicle they preferred.

[Bt216]

si has a bad ass motor but the chassis sucks

[Retro86]

all we are missing is bigger rims.

[Nepenthe]

Wonder how it compares to the 2007. My coupe had HFP suspension, Hondata, and 235/40-18s.

I miss some things about it -- much nicer interior, less road noise, better engine note, great shifter, VTEC lunge, better audio, tighter turning radius, more storage capacity, little things like the passenger door unlocking when the car was turned off, more comfy seat, better lighting, etc.

FR-S has a better ride (obviously), better outward visibility, significantly better gas mileage, slightly better brakes, and then the big thing: way nicer balance, power slides, rotation, the ability to take turns at speeds that would have the Si plowing and pushing, etc. And no rev-hang.

Still, my girlfriend firmly believes the FR-S was a solid downgrade. So there you have it folks.

[fatoni]

why does this thread keep happening?