This is just another one of those threads...

bLaCkAnGeL07 · 04-29-2007, 12:41 AM

Yup, I did it. I finally drove an Si today after a year of anticipation and after buying my EX. On top of that I drove my buddy's 03 RSX-S and got to do a side by side comparison of the two and how they both rape my car in the booty.

SO I guess here it goes, my first write up/comparison test:

Taffeta White 2003 RSX Type S
First off, I'd have to say I love the look of the car and the hatchback functionality. While the trunk space in the Civic is decently large, the hatchback of the RSX has a little more room, ok, more like 4.5 cubic feet, but who's counting? It does have the 60/40 rear seat split like most of the Civic models so you pretty much can't lose space wise with the RSX. I do not, however, like the interior better than the Civic's, and while I understand Acura is supposed to be the sophisticated Honda, there really is nothing "upper class" about the interior of the car, and I feel it is actually rather bland and typical Honda-ish utilitarian. But if you dig the traditional tach and not the two-tier system of the Civic, this might be the thing for you.

This was the first car of the two that I drove, so I had nothing to compare it to at this point other than my own car. The first thing I noticed about the RSX is the extremely stiff clutch and pedals. All would have to be depressed pretty much to the ground - hard - in order to get the car to move, however, it engaged very smoothly despite the stiffness and the tranny felt like butter. The shifter in the RSX is much lighter compared to that of the Civic, so throws were rather effortless, coupled with the S2000 shiftknob my friend fitted onto the top; that didn't hurt either. Nice weight, good feel overall, very easy and quick.

Of course the car felt tons more powerful than my R18, so I was having lots of fun regardless of what car I was driving, but the RSX felt rather choppy and alot harder than the Si. Handling was good, but not great, and power was close, but not immediate. It could chirp all the way up to 3rd, at which point it stayed pretty planted, not taking too long to reach some pretty high speeds, but of course this was on a few twisty backroads behind Honda Cars of McKinney, riddled with stop signs at some parts, so no speeds above highway were even going to be attempted. It felt nimble and agile, decent control over the car could be attained through force. And this is my biggest bone to pick with the RSX and for that matter, all Acura's in general: the steering. The steering wheel is very stubborn and very hard to turn, and takes quite a bit of getting used to when backing up, turning, etc., especially when coming out of my EX. My dad's 07 TL has the same issue, as well as my girlfriend's mom's TSX, so I assume it's pretty common throughout. Some may prefer the harder feeling of the steering, the feel of a European car, however, I would take the electric power assist of the Si, and the effortless control achieved with it anyday over the hardness of the RSX.

Gas mileage averaged at 24 mpg for beating the hell out of it, so I would assume not would yield very similar results to the Si owners getting 27 mpg.

That being said, I would strongly consider buying a used RSX, especially the Type S, instead of the base model Civics, not only because of the extra oomph (although that really, really helps), but because of the looks, functionality, safety, and reliability. BUT...

Alabaster Silver 2007 Civic Si Coupe
This car blew me away. Going into the test drives earlier that day, I kid myself into thinking that it wasn't THAT much different from my R18... Boy, was I wrong. The tranny feels very similar to the base model Civics, but more notchy and more precise than the RSX. Clutch, of course, was light, and engaged very smoothly, had no problems getting into any of the gears despite the fact that the car had been sitting on the lot so long that light rust had formed on the brakes rotors. The red lighting has a much more "badass" feel to it, and the red numbers on the speedo are alot easier on the eyes than the bright white on blue background of the base models. VSA was turned off for the majority of the driving, but I tested it out just to make sure it would work properly on a few gravel heavy sections and turns. It's a very nice feature to have overall, even at the sacrifice of a little control. Ok, so VSA has been turned off and this is where the fun began. I opened it up and let it loose. Again chirped through third, and the rev limit indicator makes it so much easier to remained concentrated on the road ahead of you instead of having to look down at the tach. Power is more easily attained in the Si, despite the slightly lower HP numbers, and it feels more nimble and agile than the RSX. The steering, as mentioned before, is effortless, and takes very little effort for a whole lot of control on the driver's part. I could almost drive with only one pinky finger if I had to. Electric power steering ftw. The Si felt alot smoother suspension wise, stayed lower, and had more control of the twisties due to both the LSD and suspension. The thing that impressed me the most, however, was VTEC!!!! I guess I was a true VTEC virgin until now, so hitting that magical line was pretty damn cool. I played with it alot, shifting from gear to gear only to find that power was ample from pretty much every point, or much more so than my R18.

Don't know what it gets gas mileage wise, but I've heard best around 25-27 avg mpg, so possibly slightly superior to RSX due to DBW and i-VTEC? But overall, this car would be my top pick anywhere. There's nothing I could say bad about it, it looks great, feels great, drives great. More importantly, it does just have an overall fun factor, all while retaining the functionality and reliability of a Civic and a Honda.

Bottom Line:

Acceleration:

Tied. While the Si has the LSD and feels better off the line, the very slight throttle lag of the DBW vs. the immediate power of the traditional cable makes up for it.

Braking:

Tie.

Handling:

Si takes this one. Why? Suspension feels alot more stable and feels more performance oriented. RSX handles well, but is more subtle.

Shifter/Clutch:

Tie. Matter of preference. Precise, notchy shift of Civic, or light, smooth shift of RSX-S. Vice versa on the clutch.

Tranny:

Tie. No problems from either car.

Gas Mileage:

Tie. Practically the same engine = practically the same as mileage.

Functionality:

RSX. Why? More room for cargo, hatchback.

Electronics:

Si. Sound system in Si is slightly superior than RSX, not only in looks and wattage, but overall sound. Does not matter, however, if you plan to go aftermarket.

Thanks for reading. Slightly long... Sorry. I love both cars.

Asian Hamster · 04-29-2007, 01:52 AM

Great write up. Before deciding on the Si I was contemplating the Type S. I never got to drive one, but I felt the Si was just a better version of the RSX so why bother. It still is a sexy car though, especially with that A-spec body kit.

SiRyan · 04-29-2007, 02:25 AM

Nice write up! I read somewhere where you said something about the lower hp the Si had. It is actually under rated, I dyno'd today at a Dyno jet and I'm currently at 181whp/135tq. with just a k&n drop in filter, I'm basically stock.

bLaCkAnGeL07 · 04-29-2007, 03:01 PM

Yeah both were bone stock minus the K & N drop-in filter on the RSX. It doesn't really make a whole lot of difference. I'm getting a bad case of Si envy.

Mitch · 04-29-2007, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SiRyan

Nice write up! I read somewhere where you said something about the lower hp the Si had. It is actually under rated, I dyno'd today at a Dyno jet and I'm currently at 181whp/135tq. with just a k&n drop in filter, I'm basically stock.

It's not really under-rated. It was just evaluated under the revised SAE system. The Si also has a remarkably low drivetrain loss.

bLaCkAnGeL07 · 04-29-2007, 07:17 PM

Very true. The RSX was given a slight increase in HP and a little facelift in 2005, before the new SAE system was in effect, and was rated at 210 hp. In 2006, of course, with the Si, it was rated under the new system. The only REAL difference, in actuality, between the two engines lies in the camshafts and it's intake manifold I believe. It is only slightly more powerful, but not as quick, as the Si.

The Shishpanik · 04-29-2007, 07:56 PM

Good write up! I wasnt allowed to take the Si to vtec on my test drive, so it really didn't impress me much at that point. I liked the lettering and the styling in the Si, but the guy at the VW dealership let me beat up on the GTI and it would chirp its tires even between 4-5 and 5-6 shifts. That was fun :)

+rep

***gadalla*** · 04-30-2007, 12:29 AM

Good write up. I've driven both and prefer the SI too. Too bad I don't have one lol...insurance rates for >18 ftl

edciv · 04-30-2007, 12:30 AM

great write up.. i too just recently got to test drive an 07 Si and fell in love..i've had my ex for almost a year now and didn't fall in love with the numbers the dealership showed me to upgrade to the Si. i guess i'll have to pay down my loan some more before trading it in for something else, like the Si or who knows what..

The Shishpanik · 04-30-2007, 01:55 AM

Si is a nice car, but I feel like going from an r18 to an Si doesn't justify the financial hit since it's not that big enough of a change.

truflip · 04-30-2007, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gadalla

lol...insurance rates for >18 ftl

you mean < 18 ??

dere-licte · 04-30-2007, 04:37 AM

awww YOU HAVE BOTH CARS!!! lucky... "two questions... what do you do? and how do you do it?"

bLaCkAnGeL07 · 04-30-2007, 09:17 AM

Yeah, I definitely agree with that statement. Some dealers are bitches about their Si's and require some huge markup or some ridiculous number to charge for an R18 trade-in, even the dealers with several Si's on their lot, so I agree that maybe for the price they charge you, it may or may not be worth it to just get an Si, despite how awesome it really is. For some that paid around 27K for their Si, or traded and paid a larger sum after trade-in on an almost equally priced car, you could spend an extra few thousand and bump up to something faster/nicer than the Si. My dad got his 07 TL for 29K before TT&L.

tennisfan16 · 04-30-2007, 09:59 AM

good write up, I can't help but point out that the rsx color would actually be premium white pearl if it is the type s. It is only taffeta white when it is the base rsx

bLaCkAnGeL07 · 04-30-2007, 03:19 PM

Sorry man. I forgot the actual color. I knew it was different than Taffy White but didn't feel like looking it up at the time. It has a more of an off white/cream color. Thanks for the correction.

volvo9 · 04-30-2007, 04:17 PM

Nice reviews. I test drove another SI last night and was delighted with the car, I was a bit worried at all the comments I had been reading on this site which pretty much make the car out to seem like a KIA. The first time I drove it I wasn't overly impressed but it was a cold, misty, crappy day on crappy roads with a shitty sales guy who was an ass. Last night was totally different, I fell in love with the car. The quality is top notch, a lot higher than I expected after all I had been reading. The plastics where nice, the dash had a nice soft covering on it, along with the door panels. I saw some of the scuff marks people are calling unacceptable on a showroom car and said to myself are you kidding? That's what I'd expect to happen if a shoe came in contact with a door panel. The ride was great, sporty and sure footed, but not jarring and clunky when going over bumps.

The engine sounded pretty good, I'm used to my 207 lbs of V6 torque, but I still liked it, reving up to 8100 is VERY fun

The shifting was smooth, and the clutch was like butter. The car also had a great radio, although it'd be coming out shortly.

Underhood everything appeared to be high quality, lots of fasteners holding everything down, underhood plastics where thick and strong. Coming from a Fully loaded Ford Taurus I'm losing a lot of features such as leather seats, heated mirrors, auto dimming rear mirror, dual power seats, automatic headlights, etc but going from the Civic to my car afterwards made my car feel crappy. The quality just isn't there with the ford, and it shows when driving the honda. The civic is a nice car! I'm hopefully buying it this weekend :)

04-29-2007, 12:41 AM	#1 (permalink)
bLaCkAnGeL07 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Austin, TX Age: 18 Posts: 372 Justin iTrader: 0 / 0%	This is just another one of those threads... Yup, I did it. I finally drove an Si today after a year of anticipation and after buying my EX. On top of that I drove my buddy's 03 RSX-S and got to do a side by side comparison of the two and how they both rape my car in the booty. SO I guess here it goes, my first write up/comparison test: Taffeta White 2003 RSX Type S First off, I'd have to say I love the look of the car and the hatchback functionality. While the trunk space in the Civic is decently large, the hatchback of the RSX has a little more room, ok, more like 4.5 cubic feet, but who's counting? It does have the 60/40 rear seat split like most of the Civic models so you pretty much can't lose space wise with the RSX. I do not, however, like the interior better than the Civic's, and while I understand Acura is supposed to be the sophisticated Honda, there really is nothing "upper class" about the interior of the car, and I feel it is actually rather bland and typical Honda-ish utilitarian. But if you dig the traditional tach and not the two-tier system of the Civic, this might be the thing for you. This was the first car of the two that I drove, so I had nothing to compare it to at this point other than my own car. The first thing I noticed about the RSX is the extremely stiff clutch and pedals. All would have to be depressed pretty much to the ground - hard - in order to get the car to move, however, it engaged very smoothly despite the stiffness and the tranny felt like butter. The shifter in the RSX is much lighter compared to that of the Civic, so throws were rather effortless, coupled with the S2000 shiftknob my friend fitted onto the top; that didn't hurt either. Nice weight, good feel overall, very easy and quick. Of course the car felt tons more powerful than my R18, so I was having lots of fun regardless of what car I was driving, but the RSX felt rather choppy and alot harder than the Si. Handling was good, but not great, and power was close, but not immediate. It could chirp all the way up to 3rd, at which point it stayed pretty planted, not taking too long to reach some pretty high speeds, but of course this was on a few twisty backroads behind Honda Cars of McKinney, riddled with stop signs at some parts, so no speeds above highway were even going to be attempted. It felt nimble and agile, decent control over the car could be attained through force. And this is my biggest bone to pick with the RSX and for that matter, all Acura's in general: the steering. The steering wheel is very stubborn and very hard to turn, and takes quite a bit of getting used to when backing up, turning, etc., especially when coming out of my EX. My dad's 07 TL has the same issue, as well as my girlfriend's mom's TSX, so I assume it's pretty common throughout. Some may prefer the harder feeling of the steering, the feel of a European car, however, I would take the electric power assist of the Si, and the effortless control achieved with it anyday over the hardness of the RSX. Gas mileage averaged at 24 mpg for beating the hell out of it, so I would assume not would yield very similar results to the Si owners getting 27 mpg. That being said, I would strongly consider buying a used RSX, especially the Type S, instead of the base model Civics, not only because of the extra oomph (although that really, really helps), but because of the looks, functionality, safety, and reliability. BUT... Alabaster Silver 2007 Civic Si Coupe This car blew me away. Going into the test drives earlier that day, I kid myself into thinking that it wasn't THAT much different from my R18... Boy, was I wrong. The tranny feels very similar to the base model Civics, but more notchy and more precise than the RSX. Clutch, of course, was light, and engaged very smoothly, had no problems getting into any of the gears despite the fact that the car had been sitting on the lot so long that light rust had formed on the brakes rotors. The red lighting has a much more "badass" feel to it, and the red numbers on the speedo are alot easier on the eyes than the bright white on blue background of the base models. VSA was turned off for the majority of the driving, but I tested it out just to make sure it would work properly on a few gravel heavy sections and turns. It's a very nice feature to have overall, even at the sacrifice of a little control. Ok, so VSA has been turned off and this is where the fun began. I opened it up and let it loose. Again chirped through third, and the rev limit indicator makes it so much easier to remained concentrated on the road ahead of you instead of having to look down at the tach. Power is more easily attained in the Si, despite the slightly lower HP numbers, and it feels more nimble and agile than the RSX. The steering, as mentioned before, is effortless, and takes very little effort for a whole lot of control on the driver's part. I could almost drive with only one pinky finger if I had to. Electric power steering ftw. The Si felt alot smoother suspension wise, stayed lower, and had more control of the twisties due to both the LSD and suspension. The thing that impressed me the most, however, was VTEC!!!! I guess I was a true VTEC virgin until now, so hitting that magical line was pretty damn cool. I played with it alot, shifting from gear to gear only to find that power was ample from pretty much every point, or much more so than my R18. Don't know what it gets gas mileage wise, but I've heard best around 25-27 avg mpg, so possibly slightly superior to RSX due to DBW and i-VTEC? But overall, this car would be my top pick anywhere. There's nothing I could say bad about it, it looks great, feels great, drives great. More importantly, it does just have an overall fun factor, all while retaining the functionality and reliability of a Civic and a Honda. Bottom Line: Acceleration: Tied. While the Si has the LSD and feels better off the line, the very slight throttle lag of the DBW vs. the immediate power of the traditional cable makes up for it. Braking: Tie. Handling: Si takes this one. Why? Suspension feels alot more stable and feels more performance oriented. RSX handles well, but is more subtle. Shifter/Clutch: Tie. Matter of preference. Precise, notchy shift of Civic, or light, smooth shift of RSX-S. Vice versa on the clutch. Tranny: Tie. No problems from either car. Gas Mileage: Tie. Practically the same engine = practically the same as mileage. Functionality: RSX. Why? More room for cargo, hatchback. Electronics: Si. Sound system in Si is slightly superior than RSX, not only in looks and wattage, but overall sound. Does not matter, however, if you plan to go aftermarket. Thanks for reading. Slightly long... Sorry. I love both cars.

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04-29-2007, 01:52 AM	#2 (permalink)
Asian Hamster Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Arizona Age: 18 Posts: 128 David iTrader: 0 / 0%	Great write up. Before deciding on the Si I was contemplating the Type S. I never got to drive one, but I felt the Si was just a better version of the RSX so why bother. It still is a sexy car though, especially with that A-spec body kit.

04-29-2007, 02:25 AM	#3 (permalink)
SiRyan Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Vallejo,Ca. Age: 23 Posts: 5,525 iTrader: 16 / 100%	Nice write up! I read somewhere where you said something about the lower hp the Si had. It is actually under rated, I dyno'd today at a Dyno jet and I'm currently at 181whp/135tq. with just a k&n drop in filter, I'm basically stock.

04-29-2007, 03:01 PM	#4 (permalink)
bLaCkAnGeL07 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Austin, TX Age: 18 Posts: 372 Justin iTrader: 0 / 0%	Yeah both were bone stock minus the K & N drop-in filter on the RSX. It doesn't really make a whole lot of difference. I'm getting a bad case of Si envy.

04-29-2007, 07:17 PM	#6 (permalink)
bLaCkAnGeL07 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Austin, TX Age: 18 Posts: 372 Justin iTrader: 0 / 0%	Very true. The RSX was given a slight increase in HP and a little facelift in 2005, before the new SAE system was in effect, and was rated at 210 hp. In 2006, of course, with the Si, it was rated under the new system. The only REAL difference, in actuality, between the two engines lies in the camshafts and it's intake manifold I believe. It is only slightly more powerful, but not as quick, as the Si.

04-29-2007, 07:56 PM	#7 (permalink)
The Shishpanik Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: College park, MD Posts: 2,044 Fear the Turtle! iTrader: 1 / 100%	Good write up! I wasnt allowed to take the Si to vtec on my test drive, so it really didn't impress me much at that point. I liked the lettering and the styling in the Si, but the guy at the VW dealership let me beat up on the GTI and it would chirp its tires even between 4-5 and 5-6 shifts. That was fun :) +rep

04-30-2007, 12:29 AM	#8 (permalink)
*gadalla* FG*Squad #26 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: San Diego Posts: 1,079 Adam iTrader: 2 / 100%	Good write up. I've driven both and prefer the SI too. Too bad I don't have one lol...insurance rates for >18 ftl

04-30-2007, 12:30 AM	#9 (permalink)
edciv Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New Jersey Age: 21 Posts: 612 iTrader: 0 / 0%	great write up.. i too just recently got to test drive an 07 Si and fell in love..i've had my ex for almost a year now and didn't fall in love with the numbers the dealership showed me to upgrade to the Si. i guess i'll have to pay down my loan some more before trading it in for something else, like the Si or who knows what..

04-30-2007, 01:55 AM	#10 (permalink)
The Shishpanik Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: College park, MD Posts: 2,044 Fear the Turtle! iTrader: 1 / 100%	Si is a nice car, but I feel like going from an r18 to an Si doesn't justify the financial hit since it's not that big enough of a change.

04-30-2007, 04:37 AM	#12 (permalink)
dere-licte Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Hawaii Age: 18 Posts: 291 Derek iTrader: 0 / 0%	awww YOU HAVE BOTH CARS!!! lucky... "two questions... what do you do? and how do you do it?"

04-30-2007, 09:17 AM	#13 (permalink)
bLaCkAnGeL07 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Austin, TX Age: 18 Posts: 372 Justin iTrader: 0 / 0%	Yeah, I definitely agree with that statement. Some dealers are bitches about their Si's and require some huge markup or some ridiculous number to charge for an R18 trade-in, even the dealers with several Si's on their lot, so I agree that maybe for the price they charge you, it may or may not be worth it to just get an Si, despite how awesome it really is. For some that paid around 27K for their Si, or traded and paid a larger sum after trade-in on an almost equally priced car, you could spend an extra few thousand and bump up to something faster/nicer than the Si. My dad got his 07 TL for 29K before TT&L.

04-30-2007, 09:59 AM	#14 (permalink)
tennisfan16 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: I have a cat. Age: 24 Posts: 3,723 iTrader: 3 / 100%	good write up, I can't help but point out that the rsx color would actually be premium white pearl if it is the type s. It is only taffeta white when it is the base rsx

04-30-2007, 03:19 PM	#15 (permalink)
bLaCkAnGeL07 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Austin, TX Age: 18 Posts: 372 Justin iTrader: 0 / 0%	Sorry man. I forgot the actual color. I knew it was different than Taffy White but didn't feel like looking it up at the time. It has a more of an off white/cream color. Thanks for the correction.

04-30-2007, 04:17 PM	#16 (permalink)
volvo9 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: North Attleboro, MA Age: 25 Posts: 1,689 Andrew iTrader: 0 / 0%	Nice reviews. I test drove another SI last night and was delighted with the car, I was a bit worried at all the comments I had been reading on this site which pretty much make the car out to seem like a KIA. The first time I drove it I wasn't overly impressed but it was a cold, misty, crappy day on crappy roads with a shitty sales guy who was an ass. Last night was totally different, I fell in love with the car. The quality is top notch, a lot higher than I expected after all I had been reading. The plastics where nice, the dash had a nice soft covering on it, along with the door panels. I saw some of the scuff marks people are calling unacceptable on a showroom car and said to myself are you kidding? That's what I'd expect to happen if a shoe came in contact with a door panel. The ride was great, sporty and sure footed, but not jarring and clunky when going over bumps. The engine sounded pretty good, I'm used to my 207 lbs of V6 torque, but I still liked it, reving up to 8100 is VERY fun The shifting was smooth, and the clutch was like butter. The car also had a great radio, although it'd be coming out shortly. Underhood everything appeared to be high quality, lots of fasteners holding everything down, underhood plastics where thick and strong. Coming from a Fully loaded Ford Taurus I'm losing a lot of features such as leather seats, heated mirrors, auto dimming rear mirror, dual power seats, automatic headlights, etc but going from the Civic to my car afterwards made my car feel crappy. The quality just isn't there with the ford, and it shows when driving the honda. The civic is a nice car! I'm hopefully buying it this weekend :)