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2012 Honda Civic

Japanese automaker Honda in the next year will introduced the Honda Civic Si, a sport compact sedan / hot hatch version of the Civic. The meaning of “Si” trim, is “Sequential Injection” or “Sport Injected,” was introduced for the third generation of Honda Civics in both Japan and North America. In Canada the trim became known as the SiR for the sixth and seventh generations, and the Si trim was equivalent to the USDM EX model.

For the past six years, we’ve felt a little like Estragon and Vladimir in Waiting for Godot. So many hours have been lost debating whether the previous-gen Honda Civic Si produced enough power to hold its head above water in the pocket-rocket pond. Eventually, this existential controversy morphed into a kind of recreation, with Si devotees screeching fiery epithets from the bleachers. Well, finally, Generation Nine is upon us. “We’re saved!” shouted Beckett’s protagonists whenever they suspected Godot might momentarily appear.

Here’s a sad fact: Godot never showed. And whether the Si is “saved” likewise remains unclear. Let us review recent history.

Our first encounter with the previous Si came late in calendar year 2005, when we pitted it against a Volkswagen GTI. The Honda lost. In 2009, we inserted an Si into a seven-car comparo, where it finished fifth, gasping and sweating. We weren’t surprised. The Si’s engine—2.0 liters, 197 horsepower, 139 pound-feet of torque—relegated it to least-powerful status in the whole segment. It certainly didn’t possess the grits to fend off, say, a 263-hp Mazdaspeed 3 Grand Touring or a 265-hp Subaru Impreza WRX. What’s more, accessing the Si’s horses has always required the spinning of the crank and cams to a fine fare-thee-well. The VTEC didn’t swap cam profiles until 6000 rpm, and it was thereafter vital to rely on every single rev right up to the colossal eight-grand cutoff.(www.caranddriver.com)

2012 Honda Civic Si Specs

2012 Honda Civic Si Release Date
on Januari, 2011 (Detroit Auto Show)

2012 Honda Civic Si Price
$22,955 – $23,155