Honda Civic Si: 2018 Motor Trend Car of the Year Contender

We Like: Engine’s smooth character, precise shifter, balance, and poise

We Don’t Like: Hanging revs on upshifts, vague clutch, lack of special sauce

“This is probably the best Civic Si in years, but that’s admittedly not saying much,” Christian Seabaugh said.

He’s right, and much of that goodness is in the bones as a result of the completely redesigned 2017 Civic and its 1.5-liter turbo-four. Regarding performance, however, we looked up 1999–2014 Si coupes and sedans that we tested, and this eighth-generation (and first turbocharged) Civic Si landed literally midpack. Progress? It barely matches its own benchmarks.

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Admittedly, the 2017 Civic Si’s fuel efficiency trounces its predecessors (check that box), but is that the mission of an Si? When fitted with the optional summer tires, all the judges complimented the car’s grip and largely neutral attitude on the winding track, with some even remarking on the electric-assist steering’s ability to relate the front tires’ information to the driver.

Where things started to go awry was when we began driving it on the other test venues, toggling between Normal and Sport modes and finding few difference in the car’s behavior. The variance in the adjustable dampers’ rates isn’t much. Also, there were many references to the vague engagement of the clutch plate, somewhere midstroke in a completely linear-effort pedal. The tendency of the engine to hang on to revs (rather than drop) when we lifted off the throttle for an upshift affected the Si’s civility, as well. Performance of Intended Function? Sort of. Engineering Excellence and Advancement in Design? Not really. The Civic Type R. Now that’s where the accolades belong, and that’s why it advanced and the Si did not.

2017 Honda Civic Si
BASE PRICE	$24,775
PRICE AS TESTED	$24,975
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan
ENGINE	1.5L turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4
TRANSMISSION	6-speed manual
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	2,897 lb (61/39%)
WHEELBASE	106.3 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	182.8 x 70.8 x 55.5 in
0-60 MPH	6.7 sec
QUARTER MILE	15.2 sec @ 88.3 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	109 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.94 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	25.5 sec @ 0.72 g (avg)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	28/38/32 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY	120/89 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	0.61 lb/mile

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