The Civic isn’t exactly an exciting car unless you spend top dollar for the Civic Type R. Be that as it may, even the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder can be improved to 300 ponies and 240 pound-feet (325 Nm).
Rev It Up Brasil is responsible for the KTuner software remap of the Civic in the following clip, which also features a dual exhaust system and gaudy taillights. The front-wheel-drive sedan tips the scales at 3,104 pounds (1,405 kilograms), and yes, it features a continuously variable transmission.
On the other lane of the runway, the Kia K5 GT represents mid-size sedans with a 2.5-liter turbo four-pot engine and a dual-clutch transmission with eight forward ratios. The replacement for the Optima GT develops a stout 290 horsepower and 311 pound-feet (422 Nm) fully stock, but it has a downside in the guise of weight. Larger and therefore roomier than the Civic sedan, the South Korean model is rated at 3,571 pounds (1,620 kilograms).
In Sport Plus mode on the first run, both cars launch pretty well. The K5 GT has the legs until the 1/8-mile mark, only to be gapped by the Civic over the 1/4-mile finish line. From a 31-mph (50-kph) roll, the straight-line differences between these unlikely rivals are more obvious than before. The Honda pulls and pulls and pulls like crazy, and the Kia simply can’t keep up.
As you’re well aware, the Civic has been redesigned for the 2022 model year. KTuner is already working on reflashes for the aforementioned 1.5-liter turbo and continuously variable transmission, and the most they’ve squeezed out from this combo is 55 horsepower and 58 pound-feet (79 Nm) of torque at the front wheels. For reference, the stock crankshaft figures are 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet (240 Nm). There’s also a plug-and-play solution from Hondata that needs to be highlighted, the FlashPro tune that offers 34 ponies and 50 pound-feet (68 Nm) over the factory numbers.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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