Honda Civic Si revealed

Honda have revealed the new Civic Si ahead of its official debut  at the New York International Auto Show, revealing both the coupe and sedan variants.  Honda claim that the new ‘Si’ range bridges the gap between the hardcore Type R range and the standard models, and has been ”designed for the everyday driving enthusiast”. A necessary move as recently it’s obvious that there are two demographics that go for Civic ownership of late. Those that want a Civic, and those that want a Type-R. The Si bridges the gap and creates an aspirational aspect which should improve brand loyalty.

The Civic Si makes use of a 1.5L turbocharged  four cylinder engine with dual variable cam timing. Thanks to a short-throw 6 speed manual gearbox, the Civic Si has more low end power and increased torque throughout the rev range.  Peak power output is 153 kW while the maximum torque figure is 260 Nm. The Type R is good for 235 kW and 400 Nm.

”The 2017 Honda Civic Si is our first turbocharged Si and sets a new sporty compact benchmark in terms of agility and precise handling while building towards the launch of the Type R as the final chapter in our epic 10th-generation Civic story” Said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president automobile division, American Honda.

Along with the power upgrades, the Civic Si also gets variable steering ratios, a sports-tuned suspension kit with adaptive dampers, a helical limited-slip differential, uprated brakes and will sit on wider 235/40 18 inch tyres.

It is unlikely that we will see the new Civic Si making its way to South African shores in the near future, but it possible that it’s more powerful 1.5L  engine may replace the existing (less powerful) 1.5L found in our local models.

If the Honda VTECs success locally was anything to go by, this is most certainly the right move by Honda.