Went to go test drive a 2013 today:
Initial impressions:
The car has a really nice curb appeal, just enough to make it stand out from the rest of the line-up. The rims were my least favorite part, and the sedan I looked at has a different front bumper than the coupe. I preferred the one of the coupe.
Upon entering the vehicle I am surrounded by typical Japanese middle-of-the-roadness. The interior isn't bad at all. The materials are not top rate but, They're not out of a 90's Cavalier either. My only big complaint was that I looked at an EX and it seemed to have much better soft-touch plastics everywhere. The center stack and gauges look really busy at first but, I found that all the buttons were intuitive and easy to understand. The only issue I had was trying to decipher the array of buttons on the steering wheel which I recommend not trying to do while driving. The back-up camera was a nice surprise.
All the points that you come into contact with are very nice. The shifter and steering wheel, even the pedals scream "racecar" The clutch is a little light for my liking but has good feel, it was very easy to just get in the car and go. The shifts are really short and crisp. The brakes are amazing, they feel like they should, firm pedal and the car pulls down from speed very nicely. The best part though is the new engine. It has torque where you need it and it loves to rev up to the redline. (I scared the poor sales lady a few times, she said she felt like the sales man in that Jeff Gordon camaro video) As stated before it feels like a stock GTI but with much more naturally aspirated throttle response. I didn't really get to take it down a twisty road, I did take it through a few curves but not wanting to scare the sales lady anymore I restrained. It felt good though the corners I put it through.
Overall driving is a real pleasure. It's fairly quiet at speed although there is a lot of tire noise, no wind noise though. With the torquey engine you don't have to rev it very high to just get around. The steering is a little light but has decent feel. The seats aren't bad either. They're softer than the GTI seats and a little less supportive.
I tested the sedan because that's the one I'd most likely buy. The back seat had barely any legroom, and my head was touching the roof. I'm 6'2" btw. The trunk had a lot of space and the rear seats folded down easily from a pull tab in the trunk so you don't have to enter the cabin to lower the seats.
I'd love to have this car as a daily. Lower it enough to close up that wheel gap and put on different rims and tires and I'd be all set.