2006 Honda Civic Review

Specifications

Worth the Money?

It was 3 am and I was filling the red Honda Civic Si up with gas for what seemed like the fourth time in as many days. The pump churned away as I watched the digital dollar counter rack up the price with the particular sense of hopelessness that accompanies acknowledging the fact that somewhere, an oil company exec was thinking of buying his fifth Ferrari. I, on the other hand was hoping I had enough change in my pocket for an chocolate bar. As the pump was clearing twenty-five bucks and I was starting to wonder when the annoying thing was going to stop, a Mark IV Toyota Supra Turbo pulled up to the pump across from me. The veritable god of all import performance cars, stories of 800 horsepower Supras prowling the streets are the stuff of legend. As the young driver popped the hood to reveal a pricey (and powerful) single turbo swap, he glanced over at my suddenly inconsequential Civic; “Thats the Si right? Not too bad looking… how much it cost?” Having just looked up the price earlier, I responded, “They start at around 20 grand.” His response was confident and quick; “You got ripped off.”

Of course, thats easy to say when youre checking the oil on your ten-year old Toyota that still costs as much as a brand spankin new Corvette. But the sad reality is, he pretty much hit the nail on the head. Sporting fancy bodywork, a performance-oriented interior, harder suspension and a 2.0L i-VTEC equipped K20 motor, this new Civic Si is a valiant effort, but it simply doesnt satisfy (unlike the aforementioned chocolate bar).

When I first saw the car from across the street, I thought it looked great; lustrous red paint glistening in the sun, rear spoiler adding some shape to the somewhat bland silhouette, interesting 10-spoke wheels giving the car a nice stance, and racy (albeit somewhat boy racerish) i-VTEC decals on the lower valances allowing onlookers a hint of the performance to come. But after stepping up to the car I noticed something amiss. The panels didnt fit. Both the drivers and passengers doors were mounted a smidgen too high, interrupting the very tasteful (and noticeable) shoulder line. Granted, the difference in fit was an eighth of an inch at most, but in this day and age panel fitment is simply not something that should be an issue, especially on a Honda. Thankfully, continuing my move around the car lifted my spirits, with the spoiler in particular being something of a guilty pleasure of mine. As an enthusiast, I generally loathe cosmetic spoilers, but for some reason the new Civics trunk simply looks bare without it, and the unique design of the Sis wing is a nice departure from the milquetoast spoilers found on other cars. As mentioned, the wheels took some warming up to; but thats a simple matter of taste.

The pleasantries continued as I opened the drivers door and slid behind the wheel. Greeted by aggressive red gauges, the drivers seat was sufficiently sporting, although I immediately took issue with the seating position. I fiddled, slid, and ratcheted the seat up, down, front, and rear, but the sad fact is that the car never quite fit my lanky-like-a-monkey 6-foot, 1-inch tall frame.

The adjustable steering column certainly helped though, but I found only a small range of its tilt adjustment useful since moving it too high or too low would obscure the separated speedometer or tachometer sections of the dash. That said, theres little doubt in my mind that someone, even just a couple of inches shorter, would have no trouble getting comfy in this car. Also on the plus side, the seats themselves are actually pretty cool; covered in a combination of faux-suede and black fabric that harkens back to Si models come and gone. Whod have thought a forward-look company like Honda had a retro streak in them? Also, the shifter, which is coincidentally lifted from an RSX Type-S, is in my opinion the best shifter on the market. Hooked up to a super-positive shifting six speed, it doesnt hurt that its perfect size, in the perfect spot, falls easily to hand, and looks great to boot, just like all the other controls.

On that note, its also worth mentioning that the stereo is excellent, incorporating a subwoofer that sounds like its enclosed in a sealed enclosure because the bass response is so damn tight. Of course, it didnt do a whole lot for my Johnny Cash, but my girlfriend remarked on it while insisting on cranking the volume for the latest song from some rapper Id been blissfully unaware of until that moment. Even better, the stereo had an auxiliary input jack in the form of a headphone-sized input placed just below the radio itself, right next to a handy storage bin. That let me plug my MP3 player directly into the stereo and, using the steering wheel mounted radio controls, switch from the aforementioned rap song back to good ol Johnny. Shortly after discussing the fact that Johnny Cash was a better artist than any rapper ever could or would be (she kept saying that was my opinion; I kept saying it was a fact), she decided that for my personal safety, she would complete the duration of our journey to the bowling alley in the back seat with her friend. I was then assured that there was a “surprising” amount of room back there, a fact I later confirmed (while cleaning the car out by myself, in my driveway, so dont get any ideas!). Honestly, it was shocking. While I couldnt straighten my ankle out while driving, I easily fit in the back of this diminutive coupe. Remember, Im six-plus feet tall.

But the drivers seat was still the place to be. Definitely a drivers car, the Si is an involving vehicle. It isnt involving in the same way a Viper is (ie; in the scary itll-kill-you-if-you-let-it way), but it does require a modicum of concentration to hustle around. Thats because, while the K20 motor does boast 197 horsepower it is still a small-displacement, VTEC equipped mill. That means its far from a torque monster, and as such requires some commitment on the part of the driver to wind the motor out to the upper reaches of the tachometer in order to extract the real performance it holds. The i-VTEC kicks in on the high side of 6,000 rpm, and is accompanied by both a slight surge and a deeper exhaust note. Keeping the motor in this proverbial “zone” is a rewarding experience, since it not only supplies more power, but it also takes on a personality more becoming of a high-strung naturally aspirated motor; it becomes a little rougher around the edges and just seems to respond faster to throttle inputs. In that regard, operating the i-VTEC K20 isnt like coaxing a tiny turbo motor into aggression (as some people have suggested) but rather like riding an old two-stroke motorcycle. Down low its great for putting about, but it truly lives up high. The only downside to this approach to going fast is that the Si, which is already something of a heat score, just attracts that much more attention as you blast around sounding like some form of extremely pissed off insect.

But as fast as  this new one is, all-out speed has never been the Sis strong suit. Well known around autocross and road courses across the country, its small size and light weight has made it a favorite among corner carvers the world over. But this new model is different. Maybe its the added power, or the larger size, or the heavier steering, but this new Civic Si simply isnt as nimble feeling as the previous models. Sure, its posted the best handling figures of any Civic Si, but the thought of flailing this car through the confines of an autocross course is a tiring one. While previous models encouraged comparisons with go-karts, this new model makes no such claims, instead content to dive and roll into corners. Oddly enough, while it isnt as confidence-inspiring as previous models, it still manages to stick to the ground like bubblegum to hair. Highway exits and entrance ramps become launching pads, and thanks to the power delivery hitting them in third or fourth gear results in a feeling akin to being pulled through the turn by a giant elastic band. It does understeer at the limit, but what did you expect from a front engined, front-wheel drive car?

Thankfully, the torque steer that afflicts so many front-drivers is blissfully non-existant in the Si thanks to a standard-equipment helical limited slip differential, but the flip side of that is that losing traction on a corner exit loses you all your steering ability. Of course, losing traction on a corner exit isnt a common problem in a car with only 139 foot-pounds of torque.

So, is the Si really a rip off? Well, sort of. Its a great car in its own right, with a fun powerband and quirky (but decent) handling, but the price tag is simply a few thousand dollars too high. At the end of the day, its a breathed on Civic, and no amount of high performance parts can hide the fact that a basic Civic coupe still lies underneath the Sis sporty veneer. Perhaps a smattering of aftermarket go-fast goodies like adjustable dampers and lowering springs would flatten out the Sis cornering attitude, and no doubt many Si owners will modify their cars to do just that. Bolt on some larger sway bars, polyurethane bushings, lighter wheels and lower tires and its a car that could easily terrorize more powerful machines on most track days. Like Mark IV Supras, for example.