To see if Honda has a winner on its hands, we drove the coupe at the Honda Proving Center in the Mojave Desert and on mountain roads near Los Angeles.
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JOEL STOCKSDALE: We're out in the Angeles National Forest with the 2017 Honda Civic SI Coupe. We're doing road testing today out in the Angeles National Forest, and yesterday we were out at Honda's new proving center in the Mojave Desert.
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This is a first impressions, first look at the new coupe. It's the first brand new SI from the ground up since the 2015 model year. It's available in either coupe or sedan, and it comes with a massaged version of the 1.5-liter turbocharged engine from the regular Civic lineup. It makes more power at 205 horsepower and a little over 190 pound-feet of torque thanks primarily due to a larger turbocharger bolted to it.
This one you've got plenty of torque down low, so you're not constantly having to downshift every time you want to get up to speed. Since the horsepower number is the same as the old SI, that means that it is it a significant power deficit compared with, say, Focus ST and Volkswagen GTI. This car does have lighter weight in its advantage, but it's still not as throw-you-in-the-back-of-your-seat powerful as those other hot-hatch competitors.
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What isn't a weak point is the way this thing handles. This car is so grippy. It just hangs in there going through every corner. It's so stable and so planted. It never feels upset at all. The steering is wonderful too, especially in Sport mode where we have it right now.
Unlike so many other Sport modes that make the steering wheel artificially heavy to the point where it's kind of unpleasant. This feels really natural. The weighting is just so nice, and it builds up so naturally. As you dial in input, you can feel the resistance building in the tires. The shifter is quite good too. It's not quite up to the caliber of some of Honda's finest, but the shifts are really short, and it takes very little effort to go through the gears.
It has a number of exterior and interior upgrades too. One of the first things that you'll notice on the coupe is the big rear wing in the back. You'll also notice the front bumper borrowed from the Honda Civic Hatchback and the blackout grille. Also the very attractive center exhaust. It also comes with a nice upgraded sound system and a moon roof. It's even got heated seats and duals on climate control, and those are all standard.
But one of the best parts of this interior are the seats. They're mostly black cloth. Some of it is kind of a carbon fiber look cloth in there also, but they nail that balance between holding you in place going around corners, but also being comfortable enough on a daily drive.
So the 2017 Honda Civic SI, it starts at $24,775, and there's hardly anything you can add to it. The only options really are the summer performance tires, which are $200. That base price comes with everything you could want.
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So what do we think about the Honda Civic SI? Well, it's a whole lot of fun for the money, and it comes with so many features. It steers well, it handles well, it shifts great. The only real weak point, as we've mentioned, is the lack of power, and if you're looking for a hot-hatch or other sport compact that'll throw you in the back of your seat, this isn't the one for you.
But it's a great all-arounder, and power isn't the only thing that determines a fun car. And this proves it. This is a really fun car, and so if you're willing to do without that extra power, this is a lot of fun for the money. And you should definitely check it out.
For Autoblog, I'm Joel Stocksdale.
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