Great bang for your buck... and then some.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Excellent Handling, Killer Exhaust Note, Loaded!

Cons: You feel every bump on the road, but that's a sport suspension for you.

The Bottom Line: 
For the price, there is no better sport coupe out there. I am thoroughly satisfied with this car.

I placed my order for the car at the start of December 05; it came in 6 weeks later. Unfortunately, sticker price was what the car went out the door for. The Si models are currently all pre-sold until May.

I decided on the Civic Si after considering a few other cars, namely the Mazda RX-8 and the Acura RSX type S. There are a few advantages and disadvantages to each model, but the Civic Si has the best overall package. The RX-8 has more power, rear wheel drive and a few more luxuries (leather, HID headlights) but is listed for $14000 CAD more than the Civic. The Acura RSX type S has leather seats and a lift back design. It has a more traditional look and feel, inside and out, as well as 4 more HP, but that hardly justifies the additional $7000 CAD sticker price.

I ordered the Alabaster Silver colour, and it looks beautiful. The rear wing spoiler and 17" rims really go a long way in helping to distinguish the Si from the rest of the Civic Coupes. Add a few subtle changes like an i-VTEC logo by the rear wheel, Si badges and amber headlight rings, and you've got a classy looking little rocket. It looks very fast even at a standstill, mostly due to the very aggressive angle of the windshield as well as a very aerodynamic body. I was a bit afraid that it might seem too futuristic or gaudy (especially the spoiler) but I've come to find it's one of the most pleasing designs out there today.

Interior

The interior is nothing short of outstanding. The gauges were initially a little odd looking in the showroom, but after 30 seconds of driving it felt normal. I like having the speedometer just barely out of focus - it's very easy to tell exactly how fast you are going without looking away from the road. The shift light also gives you a great visual indication of how much go you have left in that particular gear. The ergonomics are very good - everything is just there in front of you, in the position you'd expect it to be. I can't get over the feel of the buttons - they feel like they are from an upscale or luxury car. The spring loaded cup holders are brilliantly designed and there are lots of cubby holes around for storing things. There is an additional power outlet in the centre console. The 350 watt stereo is very good for stock, with decent bass from the 8" subwoofer and clear sound from the rest of the speakers. I appreciate the MP3 CD capability and the Aux In jack for my iPod. I can't understand how people whine about not having a 6 CD changer when you can fit 8 hours of music on a single MP3 CD. A better option is to buy an iPod for a third of the price of the CD changer and have access to all of your music. The Si specific drilled aluminium pedals with rubber inserts are a very nice touch, as are the faux suede seats. The amber illumination from the overhead light and from the dash reminds you that this is a potent sport compact and seems easier to read than blue illumination.

Passengers trying out the rear seats have universally commented on how roomy and comfortable the back seats are. The 60/40 split folding seats facilitate easy transportation of large or long items. The trunk opening is absolutely massive. I can easily slide my large hockey bag in the trunk with room to spare. There is even a little amount of room in the spare tire compartment to stow extra items like booster cables or otherwise. I would have preferred the lift back design of the RSX to fit even larger items, but I've found the storage in the Civic to be much better than my previous 1997 Civic EX Sedan, so I'm happy.

Driving Impressions

This thing is a little screamer. With an 8500 rpm rev limiter and 197 HP, this car really gets moving once the revs get up there. The exhaust note is incredible past 6000rpm which is when the engine switches cams. The limited slip differential helps you corner and accelerate at the same time by transferring more power to the outside wheel. This is a huge advantage being a front wheel drive vehicle. I've noticed that when you really gun it off the line into a corner, you will likely experience the car wandering around a bit, but once you've got even a little bit of speed, it settles from a straight line into a tight cornering line quite nicely. The six speed gearshift has very short throws, and is an absolute pleasure to drive with. With a short gearing ratio, you have to shift gears more often, but this keeps you engaged during commuting and keeps you in the power band with hard acceleration. The catch point on the clutch is nearly immediate, it took some getting used to initially, but I appreciate how quick and effortless it is to shift gears.

This car corners beautifully, basically point and shoot in dry conditions. The sport seats really keep you held in place while the car corners effortlessly. The suspension is quite stiff, and it occasionally can be a bit too much on bumpy roads, but that is the price you pay for outstanding cornering ability. On normal A-Roads, it is a very civilized and comfy ride, and the car can be pushed with ease. The electric power steering is not as communicative as one would hope for the performance model - it's quite easy to twirl the wheel around and not feel the pavement in the wheel at all. This isn't as much of a concern, the suspension provides enough details of the road surface to help you gauge where your traction limits are.

Braking is quite responsive. The 4 wheel disc brakes stop the car with ease. Due to having the largest front rotors of all the Civic models, the Si offers impressive stopping ability. The feel is progressive enough to let you modulate easily - but if you pound on the brakes, you are coming to a stop very quickly. It's comforting to know that this car can out brake most of the cars out there, so if someone pulls a surprise stop on the highway in front of you, there is a strong chance you'll be 20 feet behind their rear bumper, instead of putting your engine in their trunk.

Fuel economy is not the main focus of this car, so you will get less mileage than the rest of the Civic line right off the bat. If you like to explore the limits of this car once in a while (I tend to a few times every trip) you will definitely take a big hit in your mileage. I've found it averages slightly better than 1L per 10km with a combination of driving in traffic, spirited driving and relaxed highway driving. I would imagine this would improve a bit if I stopped standing on the gas pedal as often as I've been coaxed into doing so.

Summary

The 2006 Civic Si offers excellent performance, top quality components, a very functional and comfortable interior and Honda's outstanding history of reliability and high resale value. All this considered, this car is clearly the leader in this segment, offering unbelievable value for your dollar.

I couldn’t be happier with this car.

Additional Notes

I found it difficult to get a set of steel rims and winter tires for this car. Canadian roads are not kind to rims and within a very short period of time, the rims would begin to rust. I found the stock tires to actually perform fairly well in the snow/ice (at least compared to what I was used to on my old 1997 Civic EX Sedan). I consulted my dealer about sizing for steel rims, and it was relayed to me that a memo had been sent out specifically regarding the unavailability of any suitable steel rims for this car. The reasoning is that the front calipers are so large, that a 15" or 16" rim would not clear them. I called around to many shops around town, and no shop was willing to special order a set of steel rims to see if they fit or not. After a while, I was able to find a shop at Frisby Tire in Kanata, Ontario that luckily had 4 x 16"x7.5" macpec rims in stock. I went for a fitting, and there is just enough clearance to allow for the wheel to spin normally. The 15"s are out of the question, they rubbed against the calipers. I ended up going with a set of 205/55 R16 Michelin X-Ice winter tires and I've found that this is a good combination. With the higher sidewall, I can feel a lot more give during harder cornering, but that's to be expected - that's why they sell the car with 17" rims stock.

I've had the car in the shop once for a rattle in one of the rear interior panels. Turns out a couple of clips had broken, and they were replaced without charge. The car has been very solid apart from that one minor glitch. I've since had an engine block heater installed, and that has made a great difference with warming the car up in the morning. I appreciated that this morning when it was -19c (-2 Fahrenheit) outside!