[m6z]

12k miles a year. I've got a second car I can drive for the one, maybe two weeks of bad winter weather we typically have.

Car will most likely never make it to a roadcouse.

[JonDaddy82]

Mazda 3 Turbo Hatchback.

[10mm]

Honda is no longer the manufacturer it used to be.

[Rayvan]

Does the Honda come with a bag to put over your head?

[6spdhyperblue]

SS with magride. Softer ride and more tire sidewall. Just a good ride for the street and can get stiffer than you need in track mode

[UnknownJinX]

If you hit the track, SS 1LE. If you don't, SS(preferably with the magnetic suspension and NPP exhaust).

I have tried a 10th Gen Civic Type R. It's not a bad hot hatch but trust me, K20C1 doesn't bring nearly the same amount of fun as LT1 does. It takes a little bit to build up boost and you can definitely feel that. No replacement for displacement, and this is coming from an ex-rotary owner.

If you have a second car that can daily then I don't see the point of a hot hatch.

Also, you are a naive idiot(I normally don't call people idiots, but this one is warranted) if you think 11th Gen CTR will be sold at MSRP when it comes out, especially with this chip shortage. I wouldn't be surprised if the "market adjustment" goes like US$30k. 10th Gen CTR saw something like US$20k in "market adjustment" when it first came out. I am willing to bet that it will end up being more expensive than an SS 1LE.

Originally Posted by JonDaddy82

Mazda 3 Turbo Hatchback.

If it's your do-it-all car, then maybe. As a fun car? Nope.

I have lived with a friend's Mazda6 with that same engine for a while. The best way I can describe it is that it's a diesel engine that runs on gasoline. It has very good low end torque, but if you think pushrod LT1 can't rev, wait until you see the Mazda 2.5T. Redlines at 6300 RPM and it pretty much dies after 5k RPM when it comes to horsepower curve. There is a reason why the auto trans - which, mind you, that's the only transmission that's paired to the 2.5T, and it's an archaic unit at this point so no "A10 shifts so fast I can live without manual" excuse - shifts at 5k RPM in D with WOT. The LT1 at least holds out to 6k RPM before you start to lose power.

Consequently, a lot of reviews try to judge it as a hot hatch which is dumb because it is not. This is an unrelated rant, but it is difficult being a Mazda guy nowadays. Their main focus is on SUVs, which I can understand totally to a degree, but they weigh too much on SUVs nowadays, and they also killed off Mazdaspeed because they are trying to become upbrand and somehow think it's "childish." Good one, guys. I will totally go ahead and call BMW M/MB AMG/Audi RS cars childish. Legitimately, I can only recommend Mazda to people because it looks nice and is reliable, but there is no soul left in the brand with MX-5 weakly holding the candle of sportiness in the storm of boredom.

Speaking of which, try a Miata. That's the only new Mazda car I can recommend in OP's situation.

[Aragorn]

If the the Honda has good vis, go with that. If not either of the Camaros w a10 if auto is ok.

[sandm]

these are 2 opposite ends of the spectrum and not really a comparison. they are marketed toward different audiences and go about driving quickly in very different ways..

if i was commuting daily in a car 12k miles/yr I'd probably skip the v8 and compare the honda to the t4 camaro. in that case, pricing is going to blow the honda away as mentioned.
better gas mileage than the v8, cheaper insurance and still the same badass-ery in the looks department. few mods and that t4 is a rocket.

[UnknownJinX]

Originally Posted by sandm

these are 2 opposite ends of the spectrum and not really a comparison. they are marketed toward different audiences and go about driving quickly in very different ways..

if i was commuting daily in a car 12k miles/yr I'd probably skip the v8 and compare the honda to the t4 camaro. in that case, pricing is going to blow the honda away as mentioned.
better gas mileage than the v8, cheaper insurance and still the same badass-ery in the looks department. few mods and that t4 is a rocket.

Not the exact opposite, but yes, they are very different cars.

I considered recommending the non-V8 1LE, but I decided against it. First of all, again this is OP's fun car so if they can afford it, why not grab the V8? Even with affordability in mind, the SS 1LE can blow the pricing of CTR away because fanboys will pay for that $20k~30k markup and dealers won't even let you test drive it. Like come on, I know it's a very special Civic, but at the end of the day, it's a Civic. Just doesn't have the same ring to it as Camaro or Corvette, and GM dealers generally are fine with you test driving a Camaro.

Also, there will be plenty of turbo inline 4 cylinders to choose from in the future. NA V8s are an endangered species, though. Better get one while you still can.

Personally, if I can't have the V8 for some reason then I'd go V6 specifically because I hate turbo lag. Besides, if you are fine with turbo engines, then I have to say stock for stock, K20C1 has much better characteristics over LTG as LTG in Camaro is still tuned like a family car turbo engine, all low-end but dies at high RPM range. Looking past the turbo lag, K20C1 actually kind of feels like older NA Honda's. Low-end isn't quite as strong, but it's fun at the higher revs. Tuning fixes the characteristics of the LTG, but then you lose the warranty so you have to be careful.

[m6z]

I've driven the current Civic Type R and a 2016 or 17 1LE. I've yet to drive a plain SS.

Mazda isn't a consideration. If I wanted something boring I'd just buy one of the new Accord sport 2.0's.

As for the four or six cylinder Camaro options, zero appeal.

The mag ride is a must?

[Nilly Welson]

Do you want to look cool and have fun, or do you want to drive around looking like a Dork?

[Nilly Welson]

Originally Posted by sandm

these are 2 opposite ends of the spectrum and not really a comparison. they are marketed toward different audiences and go about driving quickly in very different ways..

if i was commuting daily in a car 12k miles/yr I'd probably skip the v8 and compare the honda to the t4 camaro. in that case, pricing is going to blow the honda away as mentioned.
better gas mileage than the v8, cheaper insurance and still the same badass-ery in the looks department. few mods and that t4 is a rocket.

The only thing comparable is they both have 4 wheels.

[UnknownJinX]

Originally Posted by m6z

I've driven the current Civic Type R and a 2016 or 17 1LE. I've yet to drive a plain SS.

Mazda isn't a consideration. If I wanted something boring I'd just buy one of the new Accord sport 2.0's.

As for the four or six cylinder Camaro options, zero appeal.

The mag ride is a must?

Have you tried a Miata, though? Even as an SS 1LE owner, I wouldn't call it boring. For one the gears are very short and it doesn't feel slow. Even if you don't end up buying one, I highly encourage you to try one. I had a lot of fun driving my friend's. Ultimately, though, after getting bullied in smaller cars by pickup trucks countless times, it's not for me. If I am in Europe or Japan then that's a different story.

But yeah, 2.5T Mazda3, no dice. I totally agree.

As for the magnetic ride, it is very nice to have. If you have crappy roads then you could turn to Touring mode on the fly to help soften the blow. The ability to adjust the ride firmness is great among other things.

Originally Posted by Nilly Welson

Do you want to look cool and have fun, or do you want to drive around looking like a Dork?

Yeah, CTR's wing is pretty hard to get over for me. Supposedly, it is a factory option to remove the wing outside of North America.

I personally prefer Golf R's approach more. It's much more subtle. The newest one sounds promising, too. Just haven't heard a lot about it.

[6spdhyperblue]

The 2022 that just came in does not have magride, the 16 does. Certainly NOT a must. The chassis still feels great. Obviously just lose the adjustability to stiffen it up. I never set to track suspension setting on the street on the 16 fwiw