 Zoom In |
| It's got all the right details to make it an eye catching compact. (Photo: Dan Heyman, Canadian Auto Press) |
So I finally was getting a chance to drive one. When the 8th gen Civic Si rolled out in 2006, I was immediately smitten with it’s aggressive looks—the sloping beltline, culminating in the rear with a spoiler that would do most aftermarket tuners proud, the sharp split-spoke alloys that belie the sporting nature of the car and that giant oval-shaped exhaust pipe peeking out from under the bumper, all details that I’m not ashamed to admit had my mouth watering.
 Zoom In |
| There’s a lot to live up to when you’ve got a name like “Si”. (Photo: Dan Heyman, Canadian Auto Press) |
Gone was the disappointing Si 5-door from the previous generation, as well as the earlier coupe that looked little different from its non-Si brethren. The 2008 Civic Si, on the other hand, seems almost like a model unto itself, even though it shares its coupe framework with its DX, DX-G, LX and EX-L siblings. Sure, many other manufacturers have performance derivatives of standard models, but all too often the only visible cues are a couple of well-placed badges and maybe some slightly bigger wheels. With the Si, however, even the all-I-need-a-car-for-is-to-get-me-from-A-to-B-quickly crowd would have to admit that the car wants the world to know that it has Germany and North America’s best firmly in its sights when it comes to cars you can have the most fun with, and at the lowest price. Yes, for some it may seem a bit boy-racerish, but this, after all, is what the manufacturer is gunning for with this car. Anyone who has the slightest interest in the “import scene” as it's so often called can tell you that at any meet, the ratio of Civics to any other car is at least 5 to 1. That being said, rarely have I seen a suped-up version of Honda’s latest incarnation of their iconic best-seller, and I can only assume it’s because owners of the new Si don’t see the need. Why change the intake and exhaust manifolds when the car comes stock with almost 200 horsepower? Why lower the suspension settings when the car already runs on MacPherson struts so stiff you’d be hard pressed to justify giving your mother a ride in your shiny new Honda? Why add decals when the only one that’s needed sits so proudly on the rocker panel just fore of the rear wheels (the “i-VTEC” logo, I mean)? Why change the rims when… never mind. The car (especially when painted in intense Rallye Red like my tester) has nothing to hide. It’s a sport compact car, and that’s it. With the Si, I must say Honda has done a very thorough job.
