Acuras Civic Si Sedan: Only in Canada… Pity

CSX Photos

The business end of Canadas new CSX Type-S; note the 17-inch wheels and spoiler. (Photo: Acura)

The Acura CSX Type-S isnt as aggressive as its Japanese equal, the Civic Type-R Sedan. (Photo: Honda)

2.0-litre displacement of Type-S is equal to the standard CSX. (Photo: Dan Fritter, American Auto Press)

Adding Heat to a Canadian Specialty

One of the big surprises that came when Honda announced its 2007 product lineup for North America was the differentiation between its American and Canadian products, in particular the Civic. While the United States will be getting an Si version of the Civic Sedan, as was announced at this years New York International Auto Show, Hondas Canadian customers wont. Of course, this isnt to say that those to the north who adore high-performance sports compacts with four doors would be out of luck. Instead, what Honda has chosen to do is reserve the highest-spec iteration for its Acura brand name.

Just in case you hadnt heard, for the past three generations of Civic Honda has made a luxury-oriented Acura spin-off, exclusive to Canada. The Acura CSX (previously known as the 1.6 and 1.7 EL, respectively) is the latest version. Launched earlier this year in Montreal, its been greeted well by Canadians who desire luxury without the price tag or hefty fuel consumption (car prices and fuel costs are much higher in Canada). Where previous EL models were more or less Civics masquerading with different grille inserts and taillight treatments, the current CSX has a more distinctive character that includes greater pull. All CSXs get a 2.0-litre (0.2 litres greater than the Civic) inline-four that makes 155 horsepower and 139 lb-ft of torque, which has been pulled from the soon-to-die non-Type-S RSX.

Though the CSX does provide more power than the Civic, its still shy of what the new Honda Civic Si is capable of putting out. Not to let the likes of the 200-horsepower 2.0T-powered Jetta GLI or Mazdaspeed3 walk off with all the sales in the hotly contested segment (the Civic is regularly Canadas top selling car), Acura dropped the similarly sized, but far more potent K20Z3 motor under the hood of the CSX. The powertrain is identical to that of the Civic Si Coupe and the U.S.-spec Civic Si sedan, with 197 horsepower and 139 lb-ft of torque. That also means the CSX Type-S can only be had with a six-speed manual gearbox and a limited slip differential. It makes sense then that the car is just as quick, and just as thrifty to run as the standard Coupe Si. Suspension modifications are similar to that of the Si Coupe too, but the front anti-roll bar is 1.06 inches thick, as oppose to 1.10 inches.

Because the CSX Type-S is marketed as a top of the line trim level, it comes with all the goodies and toys as standard. The Type-S logo has been embroidered on to the leather seats and floor mats, and the pedals are made of metal instead of rubber. Where the Canadian-market Civic Si is not available with a navigation system, a seven-inch touchscreen system with voice activated commands is standard on the Type-S. And for those Canadians who love music, the Type-S also gets a premium sound system that includes seven speakers throughout the cabin and an eight inch subwoofer in the trunk. The all-important auxiliary jack comes standard too.

Like the rest of the Acura CSX range, the Type-S will be a Canadian exclusive. However, itll also be more expensive than the Si Coupe, with an asking price of $33,400 CAD (the equivalent of $29,675 USD). Itll be available, exclusively to Canadians, starting November 6th. If the CSX Type-S sounds good to you, talk to your local Acura dealer and maybe with enough interest Hondas luxury brand will bring it stateside. Obviously it would be priced better in the U.S., being that as it stands it costs almost $2,000 more than a much more advanced TSX.