DRIVEN: 2006 Honda Civic Si

Story by Mark Atkinson
Photos courtesy Honda Canada

The Honda Civic has officially reached middle age – in times now where car names and lines are lucky to stretch four or five years without a change, the Civic name’s 28-year history is certainly getting on.

Perhaps that helps explain the philosophy behind the eighth-generation of Honda’s compact competitor – it’s undergoing a mid-life crisis. All sleek, edgy and streamlined, attempting to reach out to the younger generation.

And the Si Coupe is probably the most radical of them all. While the previous SiR looked a lot like the offspring of a bread van and a guppy, it was almost universally panned as an underwhelming, underperforming, overpriced flop. It was made even more painful as the European Civic Type-R was a real screamer with 200 horsepower, fat sticky tires, a six-speed manual transmission and lots of attitude.

Honda had obviously taken its eye off the ball.



Thankfully, the company’s come back swinging, and the brand new 2006 Civic Si Coupe is a real stunner. Gone is the upright minivan look and in is the low, sleek shark-like styling. It’s a great job by the usually conservative Honda.

Mechanically, it backs up the looks with a very tasty spec sheet: a 197-horsepower 2.0-liter DOHC four-cylinder with full iVTEC treatment, a slick six-speed manual transmission, and – amazingly – a helical-type limited-slip differential. The Si Coupe also sports a firmed-up suspension tune: the rear features Honda’s traditional double-wishbones, while the fronts are still struts, but feature revised geometry for better performance.

Add to that formula a set of big four-wheel disc brakes and 17-inch wheels with sticky performance tires, and the Civic Si Coupe is a rocket around the track. The steering is laser sharp with tons of feel, while the brakes are able to haul you down from illegal speeds with ease. Pitch the Si into a series of sweepers, and the car takes a nice set. Its line is fully adjustable with the electronic throttle thanks to the slippy diff, and once the engine spins north of 4,000 rpm, the most wonderful pissed-off engine sounds add to the soundtrack. Pure intake and exhaust growl, all the way to the 8,000 rpm redline.



The Si Coupe’s interior makes it easy to enjoy spirited driving. The seats are perfect, well bolstered and covered in Alcantara to hold you in place, and the shifter falls right at hand.

The dash itself, though, is what’ll catch your attention first – it’s divided into two binnacles split visually by the steering wheel rim. A rev counter and warning lights sit in the bottom one, while a digital speedometer dominates the top. It’s a little disconcerting at first, but given enough time, you become quite used to it.

The only real issues are some slightly impeded sightlines thanks to the fairly massive and aggressively raked windshield pillars. It sometimes makes it hard to aim for the apex without having to strain your neck, but such is life.



Also, rear passengers will find the seats somewhat cramped as Honda decided to sacrifice space in the quest for good looks. For those who are itching for a more friend friendly version, the company recently took the wraps off a Civic Si Sedan ‘concept’… expect it in showrooms probably by the end of the summer.

The best news about the Si Coupe is its pricing, which starts at $26,080. The only real performance upgrade you could ask for would be 18-inch wheels with summer tires for $1,777.88, but you can certainly find aftermarket packages for cheaper.

So the Civic is a smoking bargain. Not convinced? Well, the Honda is such a hot package that Acura’s decided to kill its aging but still excellent RSX coupe at the end of the ‘06 model year – no direct replacement is planned as the Si Coupe made it irrelevant. That’s not a bad sign for those looking for a reasonably priced, highly entertaining ride – the Civic’s come out swinging.