darcyw

There will also be a hatch coming in the fall.

I had an opportunity to drive the base model 4 door, 2 litre, manual last week. Excellent interior seats and interior appointment- even in the base model its top of class. Power was decent. Brakes excellent- I was driving this as a daily driver test not autocross/track etc. Suspension ok- not my style- too soft. Car was too quiet- not my style either- there is more than an inch of insulating material under the front seat carpets! Shifter and shift feel was less than stellar- decent overall but not EM quality.

If you were cross shopping the corolla and mazda 3 (I have driven them in manual shift guise) base models against this base civic, the Honda would be your best choice no question.

Now about that hatch- the dealer had little information to share but ideally, I'd like to see an Si hatch with more edgy handling and less sound insulation and tech. we'll see. I don't mind the 2 door- but it needs something. Maybe the tried and true springs and shocks with better looking wheels and tires.

darcy

Saki GT

I think the GTI is the gold standard here; I never really dug the new Civic's styling, and I doubt it can drive as well as the VW, but it is a Honda.

WolfpackS2k

^^what did you find superior of the Civic over the Mazda?

amsfoto

I drove the GTI & new Civic back to back & the Civic actually felt tighter & better sorted in my opinion...even the EX-T which isn't supposed to be sporty (compared to the Si at least). Less prone to understeer as well. Somehow the interior/tech felt more premium on top of the superior handling dynamics.

SlowTeg

I haven't driven the new honda civic, but the EM1 was definitely the "old" Honda, and they don't make them like that anymore. To be fair, the older civic Si isn't nearly as nice as civics these days. I think nostalgia is clouding people's judgement. I had a 6th gen civic in high school and it was a good econo car, but not in the same league as new civics imo. Newer Hondas are much more refined. The old ones were light, fun, and had a top notch shifter, but they were noisy, peaky (b16), and not very refined. I imagine the new civics should sell very well. I looked one up on their website and it looks like most options are standard these days.

WolfpackS2k

The older ones were immensely more fun to drive. You were more connected to the car and the car communicated a lot more back to the driver. Additionally, it had a far superior suspension set up to what you'll find on a modern Civic.

EastS2k

if It comes in under 22k would make a pretty interesting daily, but I have a feeling the price will creep into 25-30k range with the turbo which at that point is no longer a good deal. This may be the death of the Si as we know it.

Mister Jew

I have not liked a civic since 2000 so this is no surprise as they just keep getting worse and worse my opninon of course.

darcyw

Civic better interior fit/finish/steering wheel/seat comfort/value for money. remember, this is for the base models of each.

darcy

s2kTony

Anybody know if dealers will mark up the new si's when they release. All the boy racers are gonna be lining up for sure.