I Actually Drove a 2018 Civic Si And it Was Alright.

I just got home from test driving a new 2018 Civic Si. Ater seeing the other post that was obviously BS, I decided to give you guys a legitimate review of the car. I've driven 9-10k miles in a 2016 Civic EX-T MT. So I'll be comparing it to the Si. I'm pretty good friends with the salesman so I got to really explore the car. Within the speed limit of course :).The Looks:The car I drove was and Aegean Blue sedan.The color was fantastic and looked incredible in the sun. Aside from the color and the black bar on the bumper (instead of chrome on the regular Civics), I didn't really like the looks of this car. I actually really like the look of the non-Si sedan. My main issue with the Si's looks is the massive fake grills. If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's the front of a regular sedan and a Si sedan. The rear is the same story. Regular vs Si. They just look stupid and make the whole car look wonky. Other than that, I like Honda's new design language. It's exciting and new compared to the boring designs of the past 10 years.The interior was pretty much regular Civic but with some sports seats and red stitching. The seats were comfortable and provided some good support. They might be an issue for bigger people though. Overall the interior is very inoffensive and functional.The Drive:The first thing you notice in this car is the shifter. The boy is it sweet. It has a good medium throw length. Engaging each gear was very satisfying. The clutch was just like the regular Civic; incredibly light. It really easy to figure out but I wish it had a little more weight. It's too bad Honda fucked up by leaving in quite a bit of rev hang. It's not nearly as bad as the regular sedan and you can certainly get used to it. But it's incredibly noticeable and annoying to get used to. I expected 0 rev hang in the Si. This was a really big disappointment for me.The steering is EPS and it's alright. Like the EX-T, it's incredibly precise and direct. It was heavier than the EX-T for sure, but it still felt a little light. Its downfall is the complete absence of any steering feedback. Most EPS systems have pretty bad feedback. But this was just as numb as the EX-T. However, it didn't have any torque steer that I could feel.The handling was really good. It took everything about the standard 10'th generation Civic and improves upon it. There was very little body roll and the car felt planted. You could tell the difference between the suspension settings. But the changes weren't huge. Being 2900lbs, it definitely feels more nimble and eager to turn in than a WRX or a GTI. It's pretty confidence inspiring going into corners. I really enjoyed just how light on its feet it was.The Engine:This is one of the biggest changes for this generation of Si. From what I've seen, people are pretty divided on this motor. It's the same basic motor in the EX-T+ Civics. However, I believe there are some different internals and a different turbo. I'm not really sure so I'm basing this on what I've read on the CivicX forums. However, I do now this engine makes 31 more horsepower and 15 lb-ft more torque. It's surprisingly good at pushing the 2900lb car and is noticeably more powerful than the EX-T. It has a solid mid-range torque shove. But it really falls flat after 5k rpm. It's really fun to drive stoplight to stoplight. But it's not as fun to wring out as the 8'th and 9'th gen Si's I've driven. It's also pretty responsive to throttle inputs. I found rev matching to be pretty easy.Overall it's a really great motor and a good step forward for Honda because it actually had torque. I just felt like it a was lacking the excitement that you get from previous Si's. It's faster and more powerful. But it's not the screaming VTEC (Yo) engine of previous Si's. It also has absolutely no exhaust note. From my initial impression, it's a little too grown up for an Si.The TL;DR:Good shifterShitty rev hangFlat handlingGood torqueDirect steering with little feedbackToo grown up.Overall the car has its pros and cons. But nothing really stands out to me and would make me want this car. Honda definitely could have done worse, but I feel like they also could have done better. It was just alright. I would definitely pick it over a Focus ST. But I would still rather have a GTI or WRX. via /r/cars http://ift.tt/2t4WR8O