Honda recently released its 2018 Civic Si and with the official reveal they also shared another info that was a bit underwhelming. That info states that both sedan and coupe output will be “just” 205 HP. As it seems the only thing that increased on the 2018 MY is the torque rating that now amounts up to 192 pound-feet. The Si was always a bit underpowered especially when you compare it to the Type R, but these numbers are well lower than they should be, and naturally, everyone’s asking why?
One of Honda representatives, Davis Adams, tried to explain why the company decided to go this path. The first problem is affordability of the car. If you went with a high-output 1.5 L engine naturally the price of the car goes up, on the other hand, there is also a possibility of detuning a Type R 2.0 L engine, but the costs would still be high even with the same unit but with a lot less HP.
With the lower output engine, Japanese brand apparently wanted to keep the cost down as well. The other thing is who designs the vehicle. The Si, a North American car, was developed by the American Honda team with the standard sedan and coupe form which are meant for the US while the Japanese team handled the hatchback and Type R, and they decided to go all out with the 2.0 L turbo engine. As Adams explained, the team in Ohio working on the sedan and coupe used most of their time working on that 1.5 L engine, and they tried to squeeze every bit of power out of it by using different turbo maps and adding more boost pressure. Everything else inside the engine is same as in other turbo Civics.
Adams also told us about the third reason that hides behind the lower output Si, and that is the fact that this is not a vehicle designed to be just like all other competitors including the GTI and the Focus ST. He used these words to describe the new Si “a different flavor of performance,” which basically mean you have a car that feels a lot more nimble and precise, which is something that is, according to him, associated with the Civic Si line. Adams also said that the new Si is lighter than the previous gen model, but he just couldn’t say by how much exactly. But simple math reveals that, if it is lighter than the predecessor, it should be a little under 3.002 pounds which is better than Focus ST’s 3.223 pounds, but right in the ballpark of Golf GTI’s two-door 2.972 pounds.
After everything is said and done, the final judgment will come to the way the 2018 Honda Civic Si rides. To some this lighter and nimble car will be a thing that will delight them but to others, it will be just OK and never better than, let’s say, for instance, the 800 HP Hemi or similar. What actually comes out of all this we shall see, and make sure to report back to you, so stay tuned!
