As the rumors suggested, the new Civic Si models have renounced their high-displacement nature and adopted the 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinder. It makes 205 horsepower at 5,700rpm, and we're hopeful that it's a little happier to rev than in the regular Civic.
So there's no news on the power front, as the output is the same as the old Si. However, torque has gone up by 18 pound-feet to 192. You might also want to know that it's available from as little as 2,100rpm and covers 70% of the range.
Of course, people are going to complain about Honda's move. The 1.5-liter makes the Civic Si seem very under-powered compared to the Focus ST and Golf GTI, but also leaves it at the mercy of things like the Hyundai Elantra Sport.
But Honda didn't have much choice in the matter because investing in further development of the 2.4-liter was pointless. Likewise, if you want the Civic that wins all the races, you just have to wait for the new Type R to arrive.
Which is not to say that the 2017 Civic Si will feel slow. Not only has it got the extra torque, but the chassis is both lighter and stiffer. Its arsenal of tools includes a standard short-throw manual gearbox, a limited slip differential, adaptive electric power steering system, sport suspension with adaptive dampers, 12.3-inch front brakes and 235/40 R18 tires. Yes, there's a red button that you can press to change some of those things.
Visually, the Si sedan and coupe borrow the all-black idea from the Civic hatchback, down to the grille and all the trim. The bumpers are more aggressively sculpted with a flat exhaust tip dominating the rear of the cars.
The wing department wasn't ignored either. The coupe has its aero mounted on struts, while the sedan is a little more subtle deck lid setup. Inside, all Civic Si models have bucket seats with integrated headrests, fake carbon trim, red accent stitching and red backlighting for the instruments and infotainment.
We've been told to expect the new Honda Civic Si Sedan and Coupe next month at a mid-$20,000 price.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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