Fiesta ST vs Civic SI

[rooSTer]

Ford Fiesta ST vs Honda Civic SI


Ford Fiesta ST
197hp and 202b-ft
Starting Price: $21,400

Honda Civic Si
205hp and 174lb-ft
Starting Price: $22,990

 

[Harvick]

I went car shopping with my sister this weekend and we test drove the SI sedan, while it's not as peppy and handled as well as the ST, I was fairly surprised that it was decently fast. Interior quality is on par with the FiST but the navigation and audio was much better. It also comes standard with a backup camera which I wish came on the Fiesta ST. We didn't end up buying but it really changed my viewpoint of the Civic SI.

 

[iso100]

The thing that really sealed it for me was the out of the box handling and balance. It's amazing.

 

[CanadianST]

I was strongly thinking of an SI but there was an amazing deal on at ford while I was in the market. Also a larger difference in starting cost here plus add that recaros are standard so the FiST won me over.

 

[a10thunder]

I have the Fiesta ST and I used drive the previous generation Si (K20 engine). I absolutely love the Fiesta ST but there are things I miss from the Si.

My thoughts for each category:

Exterior: Fiesta ST
Purely subjective of course. I don't like the bulbous look of the new Si.

Interior: Push
Both have cheap plastics but the interior layouts are ergonomic.

Driver Comfort: Civic Si
Recaros are nice but the Civic Si's seats are nice too. The pedal and shifter positions are more natural in the Si. The Fiesta ST's shifter is quite low. The pedals are more centered in the Civic Si.

Passenger Comfort: Civic Si
There is a lot more room in the Civic.

Audio System: Civic Si
The Fiesta ST has a decent system. The Civic Si has an amazing little 8" open-air subwoofer, which doesn't sound like much, but makes a big difference.

Engine: Fiesta ST
The current K24 is not as fun or exciting as the Ecoboost 1.6L. The K20 had a lot more character. Reving up to VTEC is quite addictive. The torque plus the turbo sound makes the Fiesta ST quite special.

Transmission: Civic Si
The Honda 6-speed is legendary. Shift action is direct and buttery smooth. While the shift action in the Fiesta ST is quite smooth and easy, it feels heavily damped and not as engaging as the Honda.

Handling: Fiesta ST
Absolutely amazing suspension setup and tuning in the Fiesta. Even the Civic Si with factory performance suspension can't match the Fiesta ST's composure. The Fiesta ST manages to control body roll while being more compliant over rough roads than the Si.

Fuel Economy: Fiesta ST
Ecoboost is quite efficient.

 

[me32]

St looks a hell of a lot better.

 

[Blackbird]

For me, the SI never entered the equation. Honda would have had to bring over a genuine Civic Type-R to get me to even consider their product over the Fiesta ST. I've heard a lot of comparison made between the ST and the Integra Type-R (which a lot of people consider the best FWD performance car ever made). I don't think the current SI is anywhere near that caliber, and I strongly dislike the current crop of Civics (and I like the Civic as a nameplate).

I'm also willing to wager on a real road, the ST will leave the Civic watching the ST's brake lights recede into the distance.

 

[Perry]

I like both, but the styling of the Civic Si just seems a little generic in my eyes. The Honda is a good car, though, and I'd love to have the Honda 6-speed, properly geared, in the FiST. The FiST transmission and shifting isn't bad, but it's not a Honda.

Had there been a Civic Type R available, now--well, let's just say the discussion gets a bit more interesting in that case. But I'd still want the design to look a little less like the external design team drew it up on spec so as to keep it inoffensive. They got too close to bland. And the front end just doesn't look good. Kinda like a '70s hairstyle--just a wrong choice.

 

[CanadianST]

I like both, but the styling of the Civic Si just seems a little generic in my eyes. The Honda is a good car, though, and I'd love to have the Honda 6-speed, properly geared, in the FiST. The FiST transmission and shifting isn't bad, but it's not a Honda.

Had there been a Civic Type R available, now--well, let's just say the discussion gets a bit more interesting in that case. But I'd still want the design to look a little less like the external design team drew it up on spec so as to keep it inoffensive. They got too close to bland. And the front end just doesn't look good. Kinda like a '70s hairstyle--just a wrong choice.

I really have to agree with what you said about the front end. The rest of the car looks really good but that nose... It really kills the car.

 

[geoffyb]

The main thing that sticks out about the SI is that wheel gap. I could probably almost fit my head in there. Well not really but you know what Im saying.

 

[Nosjunke]

Turbo>anything NA

No contest....COBB AP=+60lb-ft for $500. On a honda you'd need to buy a supercharger to get that, or NOS, or header, tune, intake, full exhaust and you'd probably only get +25....I'm okay with NOS, but not for DD use.

 

[cgrahams]

Another plus at least here in Canada is that I got 0% financing on the Fist

 

[CanadianST]

Turbo>anything NA

No contest....COBB AP=+60lb-ft for $500. On a honda you'd need to buy a supercharger to get that, or NOS, or header, tune, intake, full exhaust and you'd probably only get +25....I'm okay with NOS, but not for DD use.

I wouldn't say "anything" turbo is better as a blanket statement but when talking small cars with i4s it is most of the time. I'd give my N/A 510 a fighting chance vs the FiST in the 1/4 mile.

 

[mongoose221]

Well I just traded a 2012 si sedan for a FiST and couldn't be happier 3 weeks in.
Comfort I'll give the fiesta a nod, I actually prefer the shifter position and pedal position on the FiST, and though the si clutch/trans was incredible, the FiST feels damn close.
I do wish the FiST had a touch more bass in the stereo, the small open air si sub, as stated before, did a good job.
Performance stock is a driver's race accel wise, but on the corners it's not even a fair contest, the FiST just dusts the si here.
Stage 1cobb flash on the FiST beats a bolton si though, especially in daily driving for torque.
I prefer the recaro seats substantially to the si seats.
Granted there have been some minor improvements to the si interior since 2012, but I still prefer the FiST.

 

[Colin1337]

I thought about an Si, but I just can't stand how they look now. The car is also much softer than it used to be