Amazing Lambo, and in the best color. Congratulations!
I'm looking at finally graduating to something a little more fun now that we've settled down and bought a house. Budget is around 27k before tax and license. We have a family hauler ('14 Forester) so I'm not concerned about interior space, but two-seaters are out. I won't buy Chrysler or GM due to past issues. Only other requirement is a manual transmission.
I've already driven the new WRX and BRZ and liked the BRZ better - it felt much smoother to drive. But I'm in the PNW and RWD in the rain is a worry. The WRX was fast as hell but I felt like I was fighting to drive it smoothly.
Also have tried the Juke. Felt like it was on stilts and the shifter was awful. Also, there are no more manuals for '15 unless you go Nismo :\
I've got a few more cars on the list to try out:
Cooper
GTI
Fiesta ST
Civic Si
Mazda 3s
Opinions? Anyone own any of the above? Anything else I should be looking at?
I have the 2014 Civic Si coupe which as far as I can tell is identical to the 2015.
I'll give you my review having owned it since May (so about 7 months).
Pros
- Price. I got mine for $20,900. You can probably get them lower.
- Interior - I personally really like the interior. Honda did a great job with the touchpoints, which all feel pretty high quality.
- Tech. Comes standard with backup camera, bluetooth, HDMI (yes, HDMI), Pandora, lane change camera, 7" touch screen. Again, compared to other cars in the price range, completely blows them out the water IMO.
- 205 BHP, with a rear helical limited slip differential
- the transmission. oh man is it great. BUTTERY smooth shifts, short throws.
- Pretty good stock sound system
- VTEC (need I say more?). On that note the induction sound is great if you're a 4 banger naturally aspirated fan.
- 22/33 mpg. I usually get around 27-28 MPG per tank.
- Honda reliability
Cons
- Seats. They only come in cloth. They are two tone red and black which I like, but I don't think they're that comfortable.
- FWD, it's a civic
- In the USA I don't think you can get automatic climate control (not sure why, I thought Si's were supposed to have everything from EX models?)
That's all I can think of really. It's a great little package which can't be beat for the price. I got mine for 20,900 plus tax. My brother bought a BRZ which of course is closer to 27k. Obviously the BRZ is a completely different experience, being roadster style and RWD (incredible handling), but the two cars are similar in power (the Si actually has a few more horsepower and more to the wheels) and I can go faster on the straights. The Si has the rear LSD, 18" wheels/tires, stiffer suspensions and rear sway bars which improved the handling from 2013 greatly. And if you ask me the tech in the Si beats the BRZ by a mile. My brother has also had problems with the fuel pump in his BRZ - it chirps loudly. This is apparently a pretty common problem which is due to the high ethanol content in US fuel. He's waiting for a fix.
So for me it comes down to value. Do you want the raw, mechanical, RWD experience of the BRZ? Or do you want to the best bang for your buck? Both are completely valid I think. If you have any questions about the car let me know.
