A new Honda Civic means we have a new Honda Civic Si. This is the all-new 2017 Honda Civic Si, and it’s a relatively affordable performer available in both coupe and sedan body styles.
Honda invited us out to its recently renovated proving grounds in the Mojave desert to see how the latest Si stacks up. This is built on the bones of the 10th-generation Civic, and it marks the eighth generation for the Si itself. Under the hood you’ll find a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that’s good for 205 horsepower. The only gearbox backing up the engine is the slick shifting 6-speed manual unit.
You don’t get a lot of choices when it comes to the 2017 Civic Si, but this is actually a good thing. You can pick the body style (between coupe and sedan), the color, and then your only option after that is deciding whether or not to fit the $200 summer tires. You’ll spend around $25,000 no matter what you do, and you’re going to get a nicely equipped car with a standard sunroof, Si-specific sport seats, and a Sport mode that kicks the adaptive damping suspension system into high gear.
The 2017 Honda Civic Si makes one heck of a value proposition for the enthusiast that wants a fresh new daily driver that can be comfortable around town and enjoys being flogged on the twisty stuff.
[Disclaimer: Honda gave us a hotel room in Marina Del Rey and some food and drinks as well. There was also a chartered plane out to the desert to get to the proving grounds… sadly no, it wasn’t a HondaJet.]