Honda Civic Si goes for under $20K
The guys over at Temple of VTEC have discovered Honda's pricing structure for the Civic Si, and much to the happiness of Si fans in the States the car will start at $19,990 for the base 6-speed manual model. The pricing has already been posted on Honda's website, where you can build your own Si. Adding summer tires to your pocket rocket will push the price up to $20,190. If you want a nice little nav system you'll be shelling out $21,740. If you want both the summer rubber and the navi then you'll top out at $21,940. Not bad for the car that was chosen best of the year by Motor Trend.
Of course, everyones wondering how far the Honda Civic Si will cannibalize sales of the Acura RSX. The RSX is similar in many respects and with 205 hp doesnt have a significant power advantage over its lil sib. The RSX starts at $20,325, while the more agressive looking and handling Type-S model goes for $23,845. In all honesty, if it were a toss up between the Si and the RSX, wed probably splurge and choose the Acura as a dance partner. Though certainly longer in the tooth than the new Si, the RSX is so established as a world class handling machine and its level of luxury is certainly higher than the Sis.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
joe 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
wow. under 20k to start....that's a great price...
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Dr. Woo 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
I may be cross-shopping this with the GTI I had intended to buy in March...a very tempting package at a great price.
Honda claims the Si weighs 2877 lbs...that's not bad at all, considering that the GTI weighs in at a rather portly 3000-3100 lbs.
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avixe 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
As a former RSX Type-S owner, I think I'd pick the Si if I were to do things over again. The RSX desperately, desperately needs a limited-slip, and I'm still puzzling over why the Honda has it and the Acura doesn't.
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Sid Ghosh 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
This would be the perfect car. If not for two reasons -
1) The silliest dashboard in history
2) No power under 5000rpm
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Joseph Willemssen 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
"Our Civic Si went to the test track the same day as a Corvette Z06, a Viper and a Ford GT, yet, it stayed with these high rollers in the slalom, running through the 600-foot cone course at almost 68 mph. That's faster than the Viper and only a hair behind the Corvette's performance."
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=108019
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FatCat 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
Gawd, I hope so! Great car and all, but it is still just a Civic.
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djSyndrome 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
If I didn't need four doors, this would be my next car. But the TOV is reporting that a sedan is in the works for MY 2007...
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chris 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
i am by no means a honda lover in fact i hate hondas, but this one looks way better than the last generation but that dash is still too wierd for my taste.
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DJ 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
Based on previous history, there is no Honda dealer in the US that will actually sell an Si for less than $23 to 24K once they get done with their bullsh%t markups!
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330R 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
#8, that's interesting, since I paid MSRP for my '99 Si (very much an in-demand vehicle for Honda), with no hassle at all. Mine was one of the first to hit the lots.
I feel for people shopping in SoCal though.
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JustJase 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
I wonder what pricing will be for the Si Sedan that VTEC.net confirmed last week. Hopefully within a few hundred dollars of the Coupe. I'll hang on to my deposit until then. Honda, I'm waiting!
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Mac 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
Not sure what dealerships you frequent DJ, but where I live, My wife and I have purchased 5 Honda made cars over the years (including two Acura's, and the last Honda Civic Si coupe) and have never paid more than the MSRP (usually less)!
The dash isn't that bad. Yeah, the digital speedo is a little strange, but the important gauge for a real driver, the tach, is right where you would want it to be. It's huge, and centered infront of the driver!
Sid, no power under 5000rpm? Ha! You obviously never driven a iVetec engine. Yeah, Honda engine perform better with higher revs (what engines don't...DUH), but as any new S2000 driver will tell you, the newer engines have far more low end power that the old models do. Which is why the current S2000 engine doesn't have the older engines excessive 9000rpm redline. They don't need to push the engines as hard to get the same level of performance.
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Dana 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
"and its level of luxury is certainly higher than the Sis"
Other than the Acura badge, how do you figure that? You can't even get navi in the RSX.
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Sid Ghosh 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
Mac, don't get me wrong. Once the VTEC kicks in at higher revs, it puts a smile on my face. But I personally prefer low-end torque :-) A 197HP engine with 139lb-ft torque is not for me.
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Joseph Willemssen 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
"Sid, no power under 5000rpm? Ha! You obviously never driven a iVetec engine."
Mac, you obviously haven't seen much of Sid's writing. He once crowed "My first car I bought used for $3K. I got a 92 Buick with a SWEET V6 160HP. I LOVE it. Being a car lover, it was a better deal than some old Toyota/Honda with a 110HP V4 which with 0-60 times of 3Days." Then he found out (courtesy of me) that the Scion xB to which he was referring actually beat his "SWEET" '92 Buick by 1 second going zero to sixty. In fact, my weak little 67 HP Civic pretty much goes as fast as that "SWEET" '92 Buick with its "monster" engine. lol
He's also been known to lecture about the superior driving experience of an Enzo, when he clearly hasn't driven one, and is obsessive about the wonders of his Mazda 3.
You can also see his wonderful self in all its glory on this thread:
http://www.autoblog.com/entry/1234000107070385/
In sum, he's really not worth taking seriously.
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Joseph Willemssen 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
An interesting fact is that the Si hits peak torque of 140 at 3,000 RPM, while the Mazda3 hits its peak torque of 150 at 4,500 RPM.
So, obviously someone who prefers "low-end torque" would acknoweldge that fact and prefer the Si over the Mazda3.
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Sean 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
I'm concerned about the power too. 197 is a good number, 139 tq isn't.
I drive a tC and 160/163 with tall gearing, the car can MOVE (and yes it's heavy).
Now the SI pricing is good for what all you get (limited slip, 6 spd, nav, sub, etc.), but I've driven my fair share of hondas (among other cars) and more torque is always better than more HP. Gearing is important too.
If I didn't have a kid on the way and I could stand to look at the new Civic (it is better than the new 3 series, but sheesh) I'd consider the SI. Plus the SI requires premium!
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Joseph Willemssen 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
Oh, here's the torque and horsepower curve from Edmunds, in case you want to see it.
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/roadtests/firstdrive/2006/honda.civic.si/06.honda.civic.si.torque.500.jpg
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Shifty 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
im with ya sid, the lack of low end is whats holding me back from geting excited about it, on the track im sure driving around 6-8k is no problem, but scooting through the city low end torque helps a lot. im sure the vtec helps, but with only 139lb of torque, im afraid thats not nearly enough twisting force for a performance vehicle. although if you just look at it as the economy car that it is 139lb isnt that bad.
something to think about, the mazda3 s engine makes 150lb of torque.
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Shifty 11:07PM (12/18/2005)
edit: i couldnt find any rpm numbers for the engines, thanks joe.
yeah that kind of evens it out a bit between the civic and the 3.
do you know whare one might find a torque and hp curve for other engines? it might be intesting putting a bunch of cars side by side. a mazda3 tq curve would be nice for compareason purposes.
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