2008 Honda Civic

Introduction
After a lengthy relationship with our previous Mazda we had finally come to the conclusion that it had been time to throw the towel in. Years of modification, hard driving, a few minor accidents, a plethora of repairs and many, many smiles had taken its toll and it was time to invest in something new. We both wanted something practical, efficient, without losing the crisp, precise driving dynamics that we had built the Mazda up to. We were also looking for a premium (not to be confused with luxury) car, with high build quality standards and a decent amount of amenities to make daily driving more tolerable. The Civic Si mostly lived up to all of these expectations, and more. There are, as with any car, a few omissions and design decisions that I feel could've been approached differently, but overall Honda got it right.

Exterior
Now, on first impression I honestly wasn't sure what to think. If I must be honest, I sort of liked how the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V (say that 10 times fast) looked better. Now, a few years (2006) after Honda put the latest generation Civic on the market, I think the Civic Si surpasses many, many cars on the road today. The most impressive thing, to me at least, about the car's design is it does not follow the traditional "3 box" design we still see so often on four door cars today. Instead, it starts with an angular slope that sweeps toward the rear of the car in a single, contiguous motion. It's like a painter never lifted their brush off the canvas. As if, the whole car, was made out of a single cut piece. It's not just incredible design, but it's also stunningly beautiful to look at. On top of that, Honda used the best pieces of contemporary European car design that gives it a bold, aggressive stance. The Civic Si... has finally lost much of its boy racer image, without losing its playful demeanor.

Interior
When I first sat inside, I noticed the sharp edges and detailing on the doors, very nice touch. The two tiered instrument cluster has grown on me as well, and is both practical and nice to look at. The majority of controls have a rubbery, chunky feel to them that's neither the most favourable, or objectionable, but it does seem appropriate for the overall design. The main two complaints that I have, is the huge landscape of plastic on the dash. These days I'm beginning to develop a distaste for plastic more and more and wish they had used aluminium and carbon fiber for the paneling. The second major complaint I have about the interior design is the poor placement of the handbrake. I wish they would move it to the other side, where the gearbox currently resides, and move the gearbox closer to the steering column. All told, believe me, compared to most cars my complaints are few and far between with the Civic Si. I'm a tough customer to please in this regard.

Amenities/Features
Starting off, the majority of economy cars in this sector generally have a distinct lack of features, but this is one area where Honda got it right. They realize their customer base wants a high degree of technology with their sharp driving dynamics. As an option, for example, the car does come with a navigation system which we had decided to get. One complaint however is it seems the system is somewhat out of date, and does not include many of the features that modern navigation systems have. Real-time traffic reporting is a major example of this. Now, it's not a huge problem because I use my iPhone the majority of the time which does have this feature, but I still somewhat expect it as standard on a system this recently sold. The audio system does have the option to connect your iPod (or iPhone, as the case may be) using either a headphone connector, or an optional (~$150 I want to say?) dock connector which will allow you to select songs from the head unit. The system is neither elegant nor horrible, just more or less standard for most cars these days. It also includes an XM tuner with a 30 day free trial when you purchase the car. I don't use this feature very much, but it's there if you're so inclined. There is a reasonably good HVAC system in the car, however there is no zoned climate control of any kind. It's pretty much your standard cold/hot air, and fan speed style controls. Not very elegant, but I only rarely use it anyway. In the lower trims (I know, it's weird to me too) there is the option to have heated seats, however this is not available in the Si. My last, and biggest complaint about the feature set is that it does not include any type of bluetooth integration at all. This is a major oversight by Honda, the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V does include this feature.

Space
I generally don't like to keep a lot of loose cargo with me, but I have had no problems so far fitting a suitcase in the back. The room is very adequate, there's plenty of space in the back seats for non-tall adults to sit, and more than plenty to store my MacBook, and some groceries. My most common rear seat cargo. As my requirements are relatively low, I'm not sure how much more I can elaborate on this section.

K20Z3
A random string of letters and numbers to some, and to others... the model designation of one of the smoothest, most efficient, reliable and powerful 4 cylinder engines in the world. This is the heart, if you will, of the Civic Si and much of the reason I bought one. Want to talk figures? Well, they're just staggering for an engine in this category. 1998cc's of displacement, producing 197 HP / 201 PS at 7800 rpm, with a redline at around 8300rpm. The 'Volumetric Efficiency' of this engine is somewhere in the region of 97.5%. The i-VTEC system that controls the transition of the second cam profile kicks in at 5800rpm. Unlike smaller displacement Si's of the past, this transition is smooth and linear. The torque throughout the rev range is nearly flat. The result is driving dynamics that are sure to make anyone smile, and torque throughout such a large rev range that the car is perfectly responsive in every day driving. On top of that, I've observed fuel efficiency of up to 37 MPG in mixed driving. What more could you ask for, in an economy car?

Drive-by-Wire
This is more a commentary than a section, but I did want to add that the Drive-by-Wire system is a bit weird and does take some getting used to. Instead of the throttle being connected to a throttle body, the throttle is actually a control connected to a computer, that determines input and adjusts the throttle body accordingly. The main thing I wanted to point out is that you will notice, when you let off the throttle there's a slight delay before the RPM will fall. This is a somewhat strange design, but can be worked around by letting off the throttle sooner than you normally would.

Transmission
Part of what makes its engine so enjoyable to drive is the fantastic transmission Honda has mated to it. It has a final gear ratio of 4.765 which helps immensely in putting large amounts of peak torque to the ground. The throws are short, and the synchros are relatively responsive. The clutch feel is further enhanced by the very linear torque response of the engine, and the gearing helps the driver keep the engine in the desired rev range. For such an affordable car, I'm highly impressed the transmission is as good as it is.

Size and Weight
As seems to be the case these days, the car has grown marginally, and it has become slightly heavier. If you decide to buy the 4 door, as we have, you will be taking a further weight penalty of approximately 59 pounds. The result of the added weight and length has numbed the performance figures somewhat, however I don't think you'll notice it that much in day to day driving. Most of all, even despite the added weight, the driving dynamics have remained over the previous generation. Many people have complained that Honda added too much weight in this generation, which is why this section was added. I generally agree, but I don't think it makes the car that much worse off than the previous Si.


Handling
Many people complained about the new generation using a multi-link independent rear suspension rather than the double wishbone suspension the previous generation used. While the new design is clearly a decision of cost savings, in a FWD car it doesn't make as much of a difference as it does a RWD car, first off. Second, this is just my experience driving the two generations of Si, but the new rear suspension actually feels more stationary, and keeps the rear end planted very well. They also slightly increased the length, which I think has improved high speed turning stability. They do slightly change the suspension for the 4 door version, as opposed to the 2 door. Believe it or not, I think this has resulted in a better turn in and a more planted rear. I feel more confident pushing the 4 door in hard, than the 2 door! Rarely does a decision of practicality result in better driving dynamics, but with the Civic this seems to have been the case for me! The end result is a very reasonably balanced mild understeer, which I prefer in moderation. Overall, it's very balanced and intuitive driving fast. At slower speeds the suspension clearly shows it is designed for higher speed driving, leaning on the relatively hard end of the things. For some people, it may be too stiff, but it's actually almost perfectly how I like it.

Safety
The car does offer 5 star frontal ratings, with 3 star side impact ratings. It is concerning, but unless your doors are made out of pure lead it is somewhat difficult to make them brace a direct impact, so 3 stars isn't out of line for this class.

Reliability
I use Mobil1 synthetic and high grade petrol at 93 or higher octane (sometimes 95 is available). So far I've done all of the general maintenance called for in the manual and I haven't had a single problem with anything in the whole car. I will update if I have any issues. Other than that, I've never heard anything truly horrible reliability wise with this car. I do know someone who had a small electrical problem with the windows in their RSX Type-S, but other than that Hondas are generally rated very high reliability wise.

Warranty
It comes with a 3 year / 36,000 mile bumper to bumper, and 5 year / 50,000 mile drivetrain warranty. This seems pretty average these days, if not a little bit below average. I would not buy this car for the warranty, but if anything does go wrong out of warranty Honda parts are widely available and not that expensive, so I'm not that concerned about it.

Summary
So, I bought a Honda! I know, it's crazy. I truly believe the new Civic Si has reached a level of engineering and refinement that is deserving of my praise. In the sector they compete in with the Civic Si, there aren't very many options if you want a premium economy car. The only other good choice I found was the Acura TSX, and I ultimately decided on the Si because I prefer the driving dynamics and performance that it offers. If it wasn't for that, the TSX does fix my issues with Bluetooth and the navigation system, includes heated seating and other features that I would have liked. If only they would combine the Civic Si's performance with the TSX's refinement, it would be the perfect economy car!