Civic/SiR

Vehicle: 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe
Price as tested: CDN$25990

Performance: The Civic Si has always been Honda’s crown jewel when it comes to sport compact. That’s mainly due to its reputation for providing reliable yet fun performance at an affordable price. Will the new Si able to keep its title, given the arose of many of its stiff rivals?

Unlike the previous Si, Honda decided to ditch the high revving 2.0 liter DOHC in flavor of this 2.4 liter mill. The reason Honda has dropped the 2.0 liter DOHC 16-valve is mainly due to the lack of torque. What its really ironic is the most fun is when revving up Honda’s VTEC through the upper end of the rev range. Anyone remember the legendary S2000 and Integra Type-R?

As for the 200hp 2.4 liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder itself, its a good enough drivetrain mainly due to the fact that it has 170 lb/ft of torque. Honda really has addressed the torqueless complaint about the previous “fun” 2.0 liter when the maximum torque arrives at only 4000rpm. That makes for more tractable driving characteristics during low rpm, which is better for the shot-and-go traffic light race. On the other hand, this engine continues to be a happy revver whenever you pushed through middle and upper range of the equation. The work ethics is typical Honda’s elegant of engineering fashion. High level of refinement, entertaining VTEC engine note and superb NVH control. Another Honda gold standard is the wonderful 6-speed manual. Not only does the manual throw is clear and precise, the clutch is light and progressive while providing the exactly the same kind of feel and feedback enthuisasts wanted.

The silver lining behind all those power upgrade is the lack of new technologies one expects from each generation of Civic. We have seen Si’s competitions have been benefitted from turbocharged + direct fuel injection motor and double clutch gearbox. Instead, Honda gives its sports coupe the powerhouse which has been used in more sedate silibings. Is it a good or bad thing? You decide. But there will surely lots of controversies between driving enthuisasts and Honda fans alike for years to come.

Handling: Along with the chassis that is as solid as a concrete house, it also serves as a great foundation for Si’s well-calibrated suspension to hang its heads. Unlike the base Civic, Si benefits from sports-tuned suspension and limited slip differential. While the setting has been pretty natural and composed, typical of Honda front-driver fashion. It just doesn’t create the same kind of driving excitement as we experienced from sporty Civic of yesterday. The electric power steering provides a rather vague off and on-center feedback, even though its pretty damn precise while responding accordingly. Push the Si through corners, it feels rather benign rather than all-out driving fun. Its a composed and safe dynamic package which better dubbed it a Civic Sport than a Civic Si. The body motion has been well-controlled thanks to the well-damped sports suspension. On the other hand, both LSD and ESC have controlled understeer decently when pushed aggressively.

What have been missing in the whole package is Civic’s world-renowed fun character. Civic used to be the benchmark which others are judged, when it comes to driving fun in affordable sports/performance segment. With the introduction of the new Si, Honda has traded its fun loving character for a more boredom driving experience. It has lost the great steering feel, sharp reflexes, wonderful chassis communication and driving pleasure one associates with Civic franchise. Whether its able to please a more wider audience or plain lost the enthuisast crowd, only tell will tell. But this transition will definitely be as controversial as Honda ditched its neat front double wishbone suspension for less expensive MacPherson Strut on its 7th generation a decade ago.

Brakes: With Si’s 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, it pedal feels solid and reassurring. The stopping distance is short while pedal feels confidence-inspiring. The ABS doesn’t step in too abruptly is an added bonus.

Interior: Except for the nifty i-MID, which provides all the informations from fuel economy to Bluetooth capability. Honda doesn’t bring anything new to the party. That’s even if you can consider the VTEC meter as a gimmick to the boy-racer crowd who usually go gaga on Civic Si. The VTEC gauge, which has a couple of dots to show you, when its kicking in. Its more of a gimmick than anything else in my book.

The rest of the interior has been wrapped in cheap plastic. Along with the digital speedometer, which keeps flying around between 80 and 90 km/h. The interior design just doesn’t feel coordinate and modern enough for 21st century. In fact, the execution feels more 80s Hyundai than a 2011 Honda. However, its Si sports bucket seats have hugged driver and passenger in all the right places without feeling confining.

The backseat is cramped due to the low roof. There is always a Civic sedan for far superior rear seat space.

Unfortunately, Honda still refused to bring us Si hatchback after SiR hatchback failed miserably a couple of years ago. What its really ironic is how successful Mazda and VW, which will soon join by Ford and Hyundai. All of these companies have successfully market hot hatch. If Si has hatchback configuration, then we won’t have to deal with its rather high liftover and instrusive trunk hinges alike.

Conclusion: The new Si certainly will continue its status as a reliable and safe performer in the sport compact class. But the lack of groundbreaking technologies and class-leading dynamics will hurt its run with rivals in the long haul. That’s especially true when the whole segment has moved forward, Honda decided take a regressive instead of a progessive approach to, once their technological showcase, in their leading affordable segment. Perhaps we can look forward to another 5 years for a 10th generation Civic………oh well…….

Competitions:
Mazdaspeed 3
Hyundai Veloster
Kia Forte Koup
VW Beetle 2.0T

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe
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Performance: 3/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 3/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 3/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 2/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 3/5
Value-for-money: 3/5

Overall rating: 3/5

Vehicle: 2012 Honda Civic EX Sedan with 5-speed M/T
Price as tested: CDN$19490

Performance: Redesigning a popular model can be a risky proportion, especially if that particular car has been Canada’s best-selling car for the last 13 years. Subject to this test drive is the 9th generation of this evergreen product, Honda Civic.

It doesn’t come as a surprise Honda continues to use its proven engines as the major powerhouses for the Civic. Except for the Si, which has been replaced by a 2.4 liter. The rest of the Civic range benefits from Honda’s tried-and-true 1.8 liter SOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine. This engine has the advanced i-VTEC variable valve timing and driven-by-wire technologies. What Honda has added to this generation of Civic is the “Econ” button on the dashboard. What it does is to provide super efficient mode whenever it pushed. It control the throttle positioning to maximize fuel efficiency. As for the 140hp engine, it has more than enough get-up-and-go for Civic’s commuter status. While its 132 lb/ft of torque has moved Civic off-the-line relatively well. As with all Honda engines, its a happy revver whenever it pushed. That’s despite the fact that it tends to be a bit buzzy at high rpm. However, if the manual gearbox benefits from an extra gear. It would make its highway cruising far more relaxing than it already is. On the subject of the 5-speed manual, its what you typically expect from Honda. Superb throws and gates are well-defined, as well as a light and progressive clutch with perfect blip point. The rest of the refinement package is typical Honda fanfare, which has to be considered as very high standards.

Here lies the rough. When it comes to “high standards”, you would have “high expectations” when it comes to Honda advacement and engineering. With the introduction of the 9th generation Civic. We haven’t seen the advant of small turbocharged engine, direct fuel injection, double-clutch gearbox or even manumatic availability. When the rest of the class has moved forward, Honda seems to rest of its laurels when it comes to technologies. That’s something we haven’t seen from Honda of yesteryears.

Handling: When it comes to dynamic abilities, Civic never disappointed. The chassis is solid and flex-free, which serves as a great foundation for suspension components to hang its heads. The suspension has been well-calibrated to absorb all the bumps and roughness with ease. Its firm enough to control body motions without losing any comfort for the occupants. The electric power steering, however, is Civic’s shortfall. It doesn’t generate the same kind of feel and feedback as its predecessor. It feels somewhat featureweight even if its quite responsive. Its also relatively precise on its turn-in. When pushed the Civic through the corners, it remains composed considered Honda has always been the leader when it comes to front-driver chassis. Its standard ESC has acted decently, when it comes to control understeer. It doesn’t tend to get too instrusive even before driver rears its ugly heads.

If there is one problem, its Civic’s perishable character has traded for class-leading ride comfort. The excellent steering feedback, sharp reflexes and chassis communication which defined the Civic franchise have gone for a boring route, in order to please consumers who are looking for a reliable appliance. Whether this is the right move considering Civic built its reputation on leading edge dynamic abilities and class-leading driving fun, it will surely create plenty of controversies and debates for years to come.

Brakes: While the DX and LX are standard with front discs/rear drums, our EX and above trim levels are standard with all 4 wheel discs. Regardless of models, ABS come standard. That’s a great move since Honda has always promoted “safety for everyone”. The stopping distance is short while pedal feels firm and linear. Its very well-modulated with a nice thresold before ABS steps in. Subject to ABS, it doesn’t step in unnecessarily.

Interior: Its a simply a mixbag inside the new Civic. Let’s begin with the good news.

The goods are the driving position is easily find while all the control is typically Honda initutive and user-friendly. The i-MID, or what Honda called intelligent Multi-Information Display, which is able to control through the steering; provide nifty informations about fuel economy, radio channel and Bluetooth function is a welcome feature.

Now, here comes the bad news.

Before you need to get used to the digital speedometer, which is hard to read when its flying between 80 and 85 km/h. You have to learn to accept the low-rent plastic Honda has put through the interior. There are plenty of cheesy plastic on the dashboard, center console and door panels. The whole interior design doesn’t look cohesive. Everything else seem to design around the optional navigational system, it makes the base stereo looks afterthought. In terms of interior design, it looks so 80s. As for the seating upholstery, our EX already felt “rental car-ish” with uplevel velour. Just don’t bother with DX and LX.

There are plenty of head and legroom for rear passengers, even the center position is quite comfortable despite of the bolstering.

In terms of luggage space, its trunk has been decently layout. Even if it has instrusive trunk hinges and a rather high liftover; it remains a very versatile space for your luggage especially when rear seats are folded down.

Perhaps something Honda product planners have seen what the rest of us don’t. That’s the lack of a versatile hatchback which Civic was once famous for. Judging by how successful both VW, Ford, Toyota, Mazda and Kia with their respective entry-level hatchback offerings. Honda thinks there is no market for a Civic hatchback whatsoever. If you have to get a Honda with a proper hatch, they suggest to go for a Fit or a CR-V. Whatever!

Conclusion: The new Civic will continue to be one of Canada’s top-selling cars; simply because of its composed combination of power, handling and feature amenities. That’s when the problem arose when you have such a loyal followers because its a guaranteed seller. The 9th generation Civic is no longer the Honda that used to be. It won’t leapfrog its peers, when it comes to cutting edge technologies and dynamic charms which made Civic so appealing to both enthuisast and non-enthuisast-alike. While its certainly far from being dubbed as a terrible car, this #9 is far from being a game changer neither. Pity.

Will the 9th generation able to measure up to Honda’s legendary reliability and dependability? We will find out as we got our long-termer over the upcoming season.

Competitions:
Mazda3
Ford Focus
Toyota Corolla
Chevrolet Cruze
Hyundai Elantra
Kia Forte

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2012 Honda Civic EX Sedan
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Performance: 3/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 3/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 3/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 3/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 3/5

Vehicle: 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid
Price as tested: CDN$26250

Performance: Unlike the Accord, the Civic is a hybrid that focus more on economy than performance. The base engine is a 1.3L 8-valve SOHC with Honda’s advanced i-VTEC. The motor alone has 93hp and 89 lb/ft of torque. Combined with Honda’s IMA or Integrated Motor Assist, the hp and torque jump from 93 and 89 to 110 and 120 respectively. Its whisper quiet when it runs on IMA alone. The IMA has electric/gasoline transition more smoothly than equivalent Toyota’s Hybrid Syngery Drive. When the gasoline engine kicks in above 80 km/h, it drives just like any other gassers on the road. However, the fuel economy is underwhelming especially consider this is a Honda. We averaged only 6.5L/100km with 70% city and 30% highway during our testing. That’s disappointing when our last long-termer, the Accord SE with 2.4L i-VTEC engine, got an average of 6.7L/100km, in a heavier and more luxurious mid-size sedan. Its CVT doesn’t seem to live up to its promise by providing exceptional fuel economy, however, it works flawlessly with the hybrid powertrain. The shifts are smooth and efficient, very much all CVT should be.

Handling: Unlike the other Civics, hybrid is engineered as a comfort-oriented car from the beginning. With its 15″ high-profile tires which are designed for comfort and fuel economy, as well as soft suspension. Civic Hybrid’s handling capabilities are a pleasant surprise. There are still tons of body rolls and understeer, as expect from a hybrid. It actually drives confidently and reassuringly through the corners. It feels very forgiving despite of all the softness through the suspension and spring. Its electric power steering has good response but not much feedback, precision is up to usual Honda standard.

Brakes: As with most hybrids, this Civic’s braking system is the regenerative type. The pedal feels mushy. One has to nail it to the bottom of the floor in order to make the vehicle stops. It takes a long time to modulate its pedal due to its regenerative feature. The stopping distance is much better than expected.

Interior: Except for the standard auto climate control and slightly different gauges, the rest of the interior is typical Civic affair. Instead of the tachometer, it replaces with a gauge which shows whether you are running on electric or gasoline or whether its recharging the batteries.

Because of those batteries, there is no split fold-down rear seats.

Conclusion: With the gasoline-powered Civics already have excellent fuel economy, one has to wonder why would anyone need to go buy a hybrid version. It doesn’t drive any better than an equivalent Civic gasser. Its fuel economy is a huge disappointment given its weight and status of life. Its not practical due to those batteries, because it won’t allow the designers to occupy split fold-downr rear seats. Plus its not inexpensive at all. For only 2 grand more, the Accord SE with 2.4 engine is a more sensible choice. Or you can simply save 3 grand and get a Civic EX with 1.8.

Hybrid is the not the best of both worlds from a driver’s perspective, even in today’s skyrocketing gas prices. The fuel economy isn’t steller. Speaking of environment protection, both Honda and Toyota never mentioned about the recycle of those batteries after 5-6 years, which is usually the lifespin of battery. Those batteries will just ended up in landfill. On the other hand, replacement of batteries can cost you an arm and a leg after warranty.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2007 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID
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Performance: 3/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 3/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 2/5
Value-for-money: 2/5

Overall rating: 3.25/5

Vehicle: 2006 Honda Civic Si
Price as tested: CDN$25880

Performance: The Si is powered by Honda’s well-renowed K-series engine. In Si’s case, its called K20. This engine is good for 197 hp and 139 lb/ft of torque. Just like many Honda performance engines of the past, you have to rev through the redline to truly enjoy the beauty of VTEC engineering. Both the sound and sensation of this K20 are simply astounsing above 6k. Once you reach the maximum torque at 6300 rpm with its 139 lb/ft of torque, its acceleration and responsiveness are more than just a little 4 banger. It feels like a more powerful V6 with the economy of a Honda 4 -cylinder. On the other hand, the low-end feels more lively than previous Si despite of its willing-to-rev character. Its more drivable and docile in daily driving thanks to its good powerband. As with all Honda powerplants, refinement is world-class. Matched with this excellent powerplant is Honda’s typical wonderful 6-speed stick shift. The shifts are crisp and gates well-defined. Clutch is progressive and easily modulated. All without drama as usual with Honda’s usual high standard of clutch/stick shift combinations. On the other hand, the limited slip diff also has a desired effects on eliminating torque steer when accelerating aggressively from idle. This is a godsent for a 197hp front driver, as well as those who are going to bring Si to autocross track events.

Handling: While the standard garden-variety Civic already provided impressive handling, this Si is anything better. The turn-in is sharp and precise. Steering provides plenty of feedback and enough weight to let you mix-up with any fine European sports sedan. When pushed through corners, the understeer and body rolls are minimal. While the sports suspension provides excellent stiffness when pushing through corners, it doesn’t sacifice much in terms of ride quality. The ride is supple enough when driving through washboard pavements and expansion joints. On the other hand, its firm enough for driver to feel every roughness. All without losing Si’s character of being a fun econosport that is able without losing its cool when going through rough roads.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, Si’s brakes have to be considered as some of the best in this price range. Stops are short and straight, while the ABS doesn’t kick-in unnecessarily unlike Hondas of the past. The pedal feel is top-notch with wonderful braking feel and modulation.

Interior: Except for a set of excellent sports seats which are very supportive, the rest of the interior is typical Civic fanfare. An ergonomically designed center console that put climate control and stereo altogether, one can control both systems using only one hand. The dual instrumentation gauges might look weird at first. Once you get used to it, it works very nicely.

Conclusion: The arrival of Si proves that Civic’s soul is back. Everything that had been lost in previous iteration all back for good in the latest Si. Its handling, performance, styling and interior materials all finally live up to its Si monikor. Combine with its affordable 25k price tag, the result is an econosport that is very hard to beat.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2006 HONDA CIVIC SI
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Performance: 5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 5/5

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Vehicle: 2006 Honda Civic DX-G sedan with 5-speed automatic transmission
Price as tested: CDN$19500

Handling: Even if the new Civic still suspended with MacPherson struct upfront and double wishbone in back, its dynamic abilities are night-and-day compares to previous car. This generation of Civic’s handling is as capable as anything else in its class. The turn-in is sharp and responsive. While you still find some safe understeer that is typical of econocar, its ugly head won’t showed up as early as its predecessor. The stiff chassis also makes a solid foundation for suspensions to hang its heads. Sadly, its electric power steering still doesn’t provide the right feedback even if its quite responsive. While its sharp enough for most drivers, I would prefer to have more driver feedback. In terms of ride quality, the outgoing car’s underdamping characteristics is a thing of history. The right damping characteristics of springs and shocks have made new Civic one of the best riding cars in its class. It rides like a luxury car instead of a bouncy poorly damped econocar of old. The biggest criticism has to do with its 15″ tires. As capable as Civic’s chassis, it needs some far superior tires because these would run out of limitations very soon as you pushed into a curve.

Performance: Along with poor handling/ride compromise, another criticism of outgoing car had to be lack of power. The new Civic finally got the performance it deserves. Its 1.8L 16-valver SOHC i-VTEC motor has to be considered as one of the sweetest engines in its class. With 140 horses and 128 lb/ft of torque, there is no storage of power thanks to its intelligence variable valve timing. Another real benefit of this motor is the sweet 5-speed automatic transmission. Not only does its willing to up and downshifts, its silky smoothness is totally unfound in any Civics before. Thanks to excellent gear ratio, we have clocked 2000rpm @ 120 km/h which is vey impressive for an econocar. In terms of refinement, this i-VTEC motor is equally impressive. Its both quiet at idle and in motion. The throttle response is smooth and quick. Just like another VTEC motor before, this motor never wants to take a break as you reach higher rpms. Its just a very willing motor from the bottom end right to the high rev range.

Brakes: Even with only front discs/rear drums and standard ABS, the Civic stops confidently under the rainy weather today. The stopping distances are short while the pedal feel is excellent. Unlike Civics of the past, the ABS won’t kicked in until absolutely necessary.

Interior: When you get inside new Civic’s interior, its hardly you would called it blend as its predecessor. The dual instrumentation gauges are hard to monitor as first glance, however, you would find it easy and logical as time goes by. That’s despite I prefer a real speedometer than those flashing numbers all around when accelerating. Due to its design limitations, the front windshield’s visibility is somewhat hard to detect during first time behind the wheel. The center console hosts a nice climate control and stereo that are controlled by four large knobs. You also got a nice little screen for stereo informations. The cloth seats are comfortable and supportive. On the other hand, the driving position is easily found with tilt steering column and adjustable seatback.

There are plenty of head and legrooms for rear seat passengers. Just like any econocars, you can seat 2 comfortably and 3 in a squeeze.

In terms of cargo space, you got 40/60 split fold-down rear seats and a wide opening despite of high liftover and instrusive trunk hinges. Since its an econocar, Honda has to cut corners somewhere.

Conclusion: While the outgoing Civic is an also-ran in econocar class, the new one is anything but. It got a sweet engine, a docile chassis, sharp handling and, finally, an interior that can no longer be dubbed as cheap. Best of all, the entire Civic line-up comes standard with ABS which is very impressive for a base one that only costs 16.5 grand.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2006 HONDA CIVIC DX-G SEDAN
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Performance: 4.5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.25/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 4.5/5

Overall rating: 4.25/5

Vehicle: 2003 Honda Civic SiR with side airbags

Performance: SiR’s i-VTEC is based on the same unit as the one you found in the RSX. It got 160hp @ 6500 rpm and 130 lb/ft of torque @ 5000 rpm. Honda has emphasized more on low-end torque with the new i-VTEC although it still feels torqueless down bottom. However, this engine has addressed the mid-range torque that lacks in its predecessor. If you want to experience the maximum torque, you have to rev the engine up to high rpm. SiR is standard with a 5-speed stick that shifts smoothly. The clutch is typical Honda light and progressive, the shifter has nice throw and gears are precisely defined. Due to the torqueless nature of the i-VTEC, you have to work harder on the shifter by squeezing the maximum out of this engine.

Handling: As with the garden-variety Civic sedan and coupe, SiR has lost the driving involvement during the transformation from Double Wishbone to MacPherson set-up. The communcative and tossable nature have lost through the process. However, it still has the predictable handling. The tires tend to scream out loud as you press through the corners. It feels terribly undertired. The body rolls and understeer are better than expected. Despite that, steering still provides decent feedback although its a bit light for my liking.

Interior: Inside, its a standard-fare Civic. Everything are logically placed and well-finished although a bit blend. The seats are comfortable with excellent support. The instrumentation gauges are clear and analog, as with other Civics.

Here comes the drawbacks. Firstly, the aluminum trim in the center console looks tacky on the blend dash. Secondly, the shifter placed on the center console and the blocky dashboard design have created an upright feel that’s similar to those in a minivan instead of what a hatchback should feel.

Conclusion: Those who want a Honda sports coupe that handles better, looks better and higher-quality would go to Acura dealer to get their RSX. That’s because RSX is a far superior car which worths the premium over the SiR. Those who are looking for an affordable hot hatch would take a serious look at Focus SVT and Cooper because they offer a better overall dynamic package. Honda has lost the affordable hatchback benchmark status because of the SiR. They need to address it by giving us the Type-R at the same price. the whole game will be different.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2003 HONDA CIVIC SIR
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Performance: 2.5/5
Handling/fun-to-drive: 2.5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 3/5
Fit-and-finish/built-quality: 4/5
Value-for-money: 1/5

Overall rating: 2.5/5

Vehicle: 2004 Honda Civic Si sedan with 5-speed stick
Price as tested: CDN$22510

Performance: The sedan Si basically share the same engine as coupe. The same 1.7L SOHC VTEC 16-valver 4 banger underneath the hood that generates 127 horses @ 6300 rpm and 114 lb/ft of torque @ 4800 rpm. This engine is relatively refined and smooth, its also pretty flexible in terms of operation. It got enough torque down low while the mid and high rev range are pretty satisfying. The stick shift is typical Honda fashion, which means a light and progessive clutch with a shifter that smooth like a butter. The gates are sharp and clean, at the same time, the gates are well-defined.

Handling: The steering feels featherweight and lack of feedback. Although the handling capability is more than adequate for 99% of Civic buyers, the latest generation remains less involving than previous 2 generations which are far superior in terms of driver communication. The handling and ride compromise don’t seem to find a right balance. While the handling limit is relatively high, it doesn’t generate enough feel through corners. On the other hand, the overdamping springs don’t seem to provide enough firmness when pushed and enough suppleness for ride comfort. Both understeer and body rolls are pretty significant when pushed. Not to mention the turn-in is not sharp enough, also the general feedback is pretty numb. Given current Civic’s use of rear flat floor. Honda has to increase Civic’s COG in order to produce an interior package that can accommodate the rear flat floor, they also ditch the Double Wishbone suspension design for MacPherson Struct for using less hood space to create larger interior space. Combine all these factors, I am not too surprise the latest Si still handles like all other ES Civics.

Brakes: The front discs/rear drums provide better than average pedal feel. While the pedal feels firm at the beginning, I felt some fade after a couple of hard stops. The ABS doesn’t kick in unnecessarily which is a good thing.

Interior: As with all other Civics, its interior is nicely layout but blend. All the usual climate control and stereo are placed up high for easy access. The instrumentation gauges are clear and analog. The back seat is what Civic exceeds most. Thanks to rear flat floor, there are plenty of legroom. The headroom is also very accommodating. It remains one of the most comfortable backseat in the econocar class. As for build quality, unfortunately, I detected some dash rattles somewhere around the center console and howling glovebox in my tester.

Conclusion: When Acura introduced the EL back in 97, Honda Canada decided not to import the Civic sedan with the same engine in order to differentiate a lesser Civic from a more feature-laden EL. 6 years later, Honda Canada changed their mind and brought us back the Si (or EX-V during the 92-96 generation). Other than the Acura emblem, leather and wood trim (only if you opt for Premium), heated mirrors and better dealer service. Both the EL and Si are basically the same car. The introduction of Si really makes me think whether Honda Canada will still producing EL in upcoming generation of Civic chassis.

As for the Civic itself, it no longer the benchmark as it used to be. It doesn’t have the luxury and refinement of a Corolla, dynamics and sharpness of a Protege (and likely soon “3″), value and performance of an Elantra. I only hope Honda get the wake-up call and give us the Civic like we used to love in EK and EG.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2004 CIVIC SI SEDAN
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Performance: 3/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 2/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 2.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 3.75/5
Value-for-money: 2.5/5

Overall rating: 2.75/5