Sport-compact enthusiasts, I have some bad news: Make a sign, bang some drums, occupy the local auto mall.
The 2012 Honda Civic Si has gone soft.
The Civic's performance version has been around since 1985, and the nameplate's ninth-generation redesign gets the largest Civic engine ever. While it scoots with newfound power and gets better gas mileage, the high-rev pizzazz and handling poise that gave the Si such unique appeal — even as its competitors got faster — are gone. The ninth-generation Civic chose comfort over dynamics, and too much of that rubbed off on the Si.
This review details the Civic Si, which comes as a coupe or sedan with a six-speed manual. Click here to see our full review of the redesigned Civic, and here to compare the 2012 and 2011 Civic Si. We tested the Civic Si coupe.
The Moves
Courtesy of a 2.4-liter four-cylinder cribbed off the Acura TSX, the Civic Si scurries off the line. With 31 pounds-feet more torque than the old 2.0-liter Si, there's enough oomph to get moving in 6th gear above 45 mph or so, no downshifts needed. Pushing the car toward its 7,000-rpm redline reveals little of the high-end rush that the old 2.0-liter unleashed, but most editors found the experience refined enough to enjoy.
Gas mileage improves, too, at an EPA-rated 22/31 mpg city/highway. That's well below the 28/39 mpg that most 1.8-liter Civics get, but it beats last year's 21/29-mpg Si. Like most performance hatches, the car still needs premium gas — a longstanding Si requirement.
The 201-horsepower engine works through a six-speed manual whose light clutch and short throws make banging out shifts a cakewalk. Alas, the engine hangs revs too long, delaying a half-second or so before the tach needle falls back to earth — and blunting the precision of a well-timed rev match. Mash the pedal hard, and the front-drive Si succumbs to some torque steer, but it's not as pronounced as quicker front-drive cars like the MazdaSpeed3.
The MazdaSpeed isn't the only competitor to outrun Honda. Similar cash gets you a smidge-quicker Volkswagen GTI or Mini Cooper S, while the V-6 Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro will show an Si driver their taillights by 2nd gear. The Si never packed the most potent motor, but redemption always came in its reflexes.
Until now.
Handling Flubs
Honda doled out the power-steering assist, making the new Si easier to steer at low speeds than just about anything in its class, but you pay for it elsewhere. Attack a corner, and the car feels out of its element, with pitchy body roll and soupier turn-in precision than any performance compact ought to have. Cut the wheel harder, and the nose pushes readily. It's all but impossible to drift the tail, something Honda's CR-Z does so well.
The Si's all-disc brakes — with larger front discs than the regular Civic's — are among the few effective elements, with a linear pedal and strong stopping power. Another bright spot was our test car's Michelin Pilot HX MXM4s P215/45R17 tires, which made a valiant effort to keep the understeer in check. A standard limited-slip differential quells uneven wheelspin, too, but the Si's heavy nose wins the dynamics fight time and again.
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