TOV: Si Sedan first drive

[skittleslegend]

Good read and pretty good videos and pics. This car looks dope as ish in Fiji and Rallye Red.

http://vtec.net/articles/view-article?article_id=602757

Let's take a moment to personally thank Honda's product planners for a couple of things. First, we must thank them for spreading the love and making the Civic Si available to an audience that couldn't previously justify purchasing an Si (Coupe). Secondly, we must thank them profusely for not messing up such a great thing.

We spent a day checking out the full lineup of Honda's 2007 models at an event in Detroit recently, and we were extremely pleased to find that the 2007 Honda Civic Si Sedan drives almost exactly like its 2-door sibling. Besides the four door configuration, things are so similar between the two it's difficult to find any meaningful differences. The only real item worthy of mention mention is that Honda has tweaked the exhaust system slightly with a prechamber that's about 31% smaller (4.4L vs 6.4L) than the Coupe's in order to change the pitch of the exhaust note, but in quick back to back drives I found that the difference was difficult to sense from inside the car. Exhaust diameter and flow rates remain unchanged.

The Si Sedan accelerates, brakes, corners, rides, and sounds almost identical to the Coupe, but now people with the need to frequently carry backseat passengers have no reason for despair. According to Honda's internal testing, the Si Sedan accelerates to 60mph around a tenth of a second behind the Si Coupe, but it still outpaces the Volkswagen GTI, Scion tC, and Mazda 3 S (the MazdaSpeed 3 was notably absent from this particular chart). In terms of slalom and braking figures, the Si Sedan and Coupe perform identically. This means that Honda has just created one of the most rewarding and fun to drive Honda sedans ever to be offered in the USA.

Our time with the Si Sedan was limited to some brief freeway romps and around a short and tight autocross-style course that Honda had configured in a parking lot of the Dearborn Hyatt, so we'll have to wait until we can spend more time with one to provide the full rundown. Our earliest indications, however, are that Honda absolutely nailed it with the '07 Si Sedan.

The chassis responds in a very similar fashion to the Si Coupe, which means the LSD and available summer tires provide it with an exciting level of lateral grip, and it possesses amazing steering response. But it also means the car is dialed in with a bit of understeer to keep things safe. There are ways to induce oversteer, but you have to familiarize yourself with the car (and the corner) a bit to determine the right balance of braking, steering, and throttle inputs required to provoke it.

Out on real-world streets, the Si Sedan delivers an almost perfect balance between ride comfort and handling. The engine is audible when you want to hear it, but if you prefer to cruise in a more relaxed mode on the freeway, the tall 6th gear ratio delivers exactly that. The Si Sedan is one of the lightest (credible) sport sedans you'll find on the market, and this is certainly one of the reasons I enjoy driving it so much. The best part about the Si's low curb weight is that it exploits all of the advantages of its reduced mass without any real tradeoffs. The car feels very solid and carries itself impressively down the freeway, with a commendably low level of road and wind noise. Dynamically, the Si does an amazing job of masking the fact that it's based on an entry level platform.

The Si Sedan borrows virtually everything from the 2007 Civic Si Coupe, including the road wheels (which have a new darker "Sparkle Silver" finish for 2007), available high performance tires, the 3-spoke steering wheel, drilled pedals, red stitched seats and interior trim, the complete drivetrain (yes, that includes the 6-speed transmission and LSD), stereo system, and even the i-VTEC decals on the rear doors (these probably will be peeled off by a number of Si Sedan owners). One thing it doesn't quite inherit from the Si Coupe is the styling. People seem to be divided in terms of their styling preferences between the Civic Coupe and Sedan bodies, but I've never fully warmed up to the stubby, abrupt styling of the sedan. Fortunately, that's not a dealbreaker for me. If there's a single thing I would change about the Si Sedan, it would probably be the odd rear spoiler, which looks something like a dead otter draped over the trunklid. In my opinion, the lip spoiler from the Civic Hybrid would have been a much better choice, but that's just my opinion. Again, it's certainly not a dealbreaker in my eyes - the car is so rewarding to drive, I can look past its styling.

While the Si Sedan retains all the hardware of the Coupe (including the new-for-2007 VSA system), you may think that the supply of good news has been exhausted, but there is indeed more good news: the addition of 2 doors pads less than 60 lbs. onto the Si Coupe's curb weight, and the Sedan is projected to be priced almost identically to the hot selling Si Coupe. That means you'd better be on good terms with your local Honda salesman because Honda only plans to build about 15,000 of these Sedans per year.

With so many choices out there in the low $20,000 range, it's a great time to be an enthusiast, and now is an especially good time to be a Honda enthusiast. The Civic Si Coupe has already proven itself to be a superb platform for aftermarket upgrades, and many parts (such as suspension components) should bolt right up to the Sedan, so that means there's an instant aftermarket awaiting prospective owners of the 2007 Civic Si Sedan. We applaud Honda's recognition of their enthusiast base and hope to see more products oriented to their large contingent of fans. With a few minor exceptions, the Civic Si Sedan meets or exceeds every one of our lofty expectations and delivers it all at a superb price point.

Looks like a fair amount of dive.




Thank (or loathe) this woman for product planning on the Si and Si sedan. On a side note, I didn't realize these fine-ass women worked at Honda. I need a career switch...

[foolio_67]

This car will make a ton of people happy, honda did another awsome job.

[RODSCIVIC]

I think I will be willing to take a big loss on my trade in for this Si. I wonder what MSRP will be.

[skittleslegend]

Originally Posted by RODSCIVIC

I think I will be willing to take a big loss on my trade in for this Si. I wonder what MSRP will be.

I'm thinking $200-300 over the current 2007 SI coupe MSRP

[fa1]

Didn't know it would look so cool in Si colors.

[Skyline4life]

I'm so glad i didnt wait for that..

[2evolved]

Originally Posted by Skyline4life

I'm so glad i didnt wait for that..

+1 some cars just dont look right as a sedan

[MaKo]

Originally Posted by 2evolved

+1 some cars just dont look right as a sedan

+2 Sure it will appeal to some. Don't see it though.

[RODSCIVIC]

I was thinking of a coupe, but then I got to thinking about all the punk kids and wannabe racers that would be rolling up next to me revving their engines. The Sedan is so subtle that no one will know and no one will bother you. I plan on taking those Vtec stickers off and doing a trunk swap.

[Kevin]

Great read!

[si_civic]

Originally Posted by foolio_67

This car will make a ton of people happy, honda did another awsome job.

Except for us Canucks. We don't get the Sedan here. We have the "CSX Type S"

[Nathan]

I can see how it will atract some people, mostly girls and older guys. But IMO it looks like shit. I'm sorry for the sedan lovers, but it takes away the true race car feel of the Si. Honda is simply doing this because of money! I don't get it.

[Cookstar]

If I had a family, I would like to have one, but I'll stick with the coupe at the moment.

[CMByrd]

Originally Posted by Nathan

I can see how it will atract some people, mostly girls and older guys. But IMO it looks like shit. I'm sorry for the sedan lovers, but it takes away the true race car feel of the Si. Honda is simply doing this because of money! I don't get it.

Im 22, and male. If I could afford to eat the money I'd lose on my trade, I'd swap my Haben Red (which I LOVE) coupe for any color sedan I could get, and do it in a heartbeat.


Lower insurance, lower cop attention, less ricers revving me on the street, more room to get my wheels in and out at auto-x events, and I personaly prefer the back end of the sedans to that of the coupes. I will grant you however that the wing looks beter on the coupe than the sedan, but such is life.

[RODSCIVIC]

Originally Posted by Nathan

I can see how it will atract some people, mostly girls and older guys. But IMO it looks like shit. I'm sorry for the sedan lovers, but it takes away the true race car feel of the Si. Honda is simply doing this because of money! I don't get it.

According to the TOV review it drives exactly like the coupe.

[Rev 2 8K]

If there's a single thing I would change about the Si Sedan, it would probably be the odd rear spoiler, which looks something like a dead otter draped over the trunklid.

[foolio_67]

Originally Posted by si_civic

Except for us Canucks. We don't get the Sedan here. We have the "CSX Type S"

Hmm, I didn't know we weren't getting one. Its a good trade off though:)

[L8apex]

Sold! Ditto on the spoiler. I'm hoping it's not a factory installed item and I can catch one pre-PDI and not put it on.

[TommyD]

Originally Posted by skittleslegend

Thank (or loathe) this woman for product planning on the Si and Si sedan. On a side note, I didn't realize these fine-ass women worked at Honda. I need a career switch...

Was about to same thing. She looks damn good and probably makes good $, a real score for a wife if you are looking :)

[TommyD]

Originally Posted by Nathan

I can see how it will atract some people, mostly girls and older guys. But IMO it looks like shit. I'm sorry for the sedan lovers, but it takes away the true race car feel of the Si. Honda is simply doing this because of money! I don't get it.

Race car feel in a front wheel drived vehicle? That's pretty damn funny.

I think it's great. Many people have the need for 2 rear doors to either carry passengers or other things. I think it looks great in Fiji but I agree that the spoiler needs to go, and quickly. Once the spoiler is gone it will look great.
I think they did a real good job.