2004 Honda Civic Si Sedan

amit · 1st May 2004, 01:11

check out some pics of the honda Civic and road test reports.
The report is titled " More Power but is it enough". The car is the India bound civic 1.7
I quote some key points from the review. I have tried to stick to the performance aspect:

1. the new Civic Si sedan is not really a match for it bulked up competitors. The numbers tell the story: the Mazda3 GT offers 160 horsepower; the Nissan Sentra SE-R 165 horsepower; Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart 162 horsepower; Subaru Impreza TS sedan 165 horsepower; VW Jetta 1.8T 180 horsepower; 2005 Toyota Corolla XRS 170 horsepower; and the 2005 Saturn Ion Red Line with 200 horsepower.

2. Driving Impressions:
The Civic Si is a very easy car to drive. Small and manoeuverable with lightweight (variable power assist) steering, a 5.6 metre turning circle, a wonderful manual gearbox and a light clutch, the Civic is a great car to whip around the city.

But even with its more powerful 127 horsepower engine, the Si Sedan is weak when accelerating due to its low torque rating (114 lb-ft @ 4800). You have to keep the revs up to extract the power, and above 4000 rpm, the engine is quite buzzy. I noticed this on the Civic Coupe Si as well, but it seems more pronounced now that I have driven other more powerful competitors with more torque and less noise.

On the freeway, the engine does 3000 @ 100 km/h and 3500 rpm at 120 km/h, and it seems quite happy at those speeds.

3. Fuel Efficiency:
Fuel consumption is better than most of its rivals: 8.0 l/100 km (35 mpg) city and 6.0 l/100 km (47 mpg) highway. Only a base Corolla can better those figures.

4. Verdict:
While offering the traditional Civic virtues of fuel economy and fun-to-drive handling, the Civic Si sedan isn't powerful enough to compete with many of its performance-oriented compact competitors.

So those were some points in the review. OF course, here in inida the civic will be performance king. Sorry the message was kinda long but i had to devote some space to what may be one of the most high profile car to be launched this year in India.
the engine: 1.7 ltr 4 cylinder SOHC 16 valve VTEC
Power: 127ps@6300rpm
Torque: 114lb-ft@4800rpm
Now for some pics

amit · 1st May 2004, 01:13

the back side

the side profile

amit · 1st May 2004, 01:16

The interiors

amit · 1st May 2004, 01:20

The boot

The best part of any honda car - The engine

Shan2nu · 1st May 2004, 03:50

127bhp is bad, considering that they might reduce the power furthur more to match Indian conditions. So expect the power to come down by atleast 8-10bhp.

It's not a good looker if you ask me. The front view looks fine but resembles the old Accord a lot. That will put off, many a customers. the rear sucks, and the side view is completely miss matched, the Vtec looks much better in that view.

The steering, gear knob and dials are very good, but the centre console is again a big disappointment.

Well, it might be a succes in India, but it'll always be a failure in my eyes. It's a dull car with what, i'm afraid will have a dull performance.

the car looks more european than japanese and i don't like it. Hope Honda gets another version of the Civic.

Personally, i wouldn't want a car like this in my garage unless, it proves to be a better driver's car than the Corolla and Skoda.

Cmon Honda, you can't give us an amazing car like the Accord and then expect to sell crap like this.

Regards...
Shan2nu

v12 · 1st May 2004, 11:54

Hey shantanu, 127 bhp is for the 1.7L engine. Int Honda gettin the 1.8 here???

GTO · 1st May 2004, 12:59

Isnt this design just what was expected of a Civic? Its pretty neat and clean, and is the design cue that Civics have followed for ages now.

The one area where Honda are gonna have to work hard is the interiors...right now they are just too greyishly dull. Even the new Honda citys interiors are better than this one pictured here.

Indians love great interiors, Honda knows this pretty well by now.

GTO

vishnugnair · 2nd May 2004, 05:14

hmm more corolla-ish. especially the lights. the older ones were better. rest is virtually the same the rear and the insides too. my bro owns one at home and man its one hell of a sweet machine...!!!!! love those chromed speedo meters..!!!! and that diferrant light stages,,,!

lamborghini · 2nd May 2004, 19:30

thanx amit
that was an interesting post
the car looks ugly and outdated not to mention underpowered.
if launched in india sales wont go well unless honda gives it a minor face lift
its all upto the new civic which will be launched in 2006 to bring back hondas glory
oh well good bye guys

Rtech · 3rd May 2004, 12:37

Guys, while this model of the Civic may make it into India via the SKD route, Honda has said that they are tooling up to manufacture the NEXT generation Civic in India. They may launch this just to give their loyal customers a car at the same level as teh Corolla, but they are concentrating their efforts on the new civic which is to be launched towards the end of 2005. And I'm sure it'll be as amazing as the new accord was to the old one! Can't wait!

1st May 2004, 01:11	#1
amit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,717 Thanked: 449 Times	check out some pics of the honda Civic and road test reports. The report is titled " More Power but is it enough". The car is the India bound civic 1.7 I quote some key points from the review. I have tried to stick to the performance aspect: 1. the new Civic Si sedan is not really a match for it bulked up competitors. The numbers tell the story: the Mazda3 GT offers 160 horsepower; the Nissan Sentra SE-R 165 horsepower; Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart 162 horsepower; Subaru Impreza TS sedan 165 horsepower; VW Jetta 1.8T 180 horsepower; 2005 Toyota Corolla XRS 170 horsepower; and the 2005 Saturn Ion Red Line with 200 horsepower. 2. Driving Impressions: The Civic Si is a very easy car to drive. Small and manoeuverable with lightweight (variable power assist) steering, a 5.6 metre turning circle, a wonderful manual gearbox and a light clutch, the Civic is a great car to whip around the city. But even with its more powerful 127 horsepower engine, the Si Sedan is weak when accelerating due to its low torque rating (114 lb-ft @ 4800). You have to keep the revs up to extract the power, and above 4000 rpm, the engine is quite buzzy. I noticed this on the Civic Coupe Si as well, but it seems more pronounced now that I have driven other more powerful competitors with more torque and less noise. On the freeway, the engine does 3000 @ 100 km/h and 3500 rpm at 120 km/h, and it seems quite happy at those speeds. 3. Fuel Efficiency: Fuel consumption is better than most of its rivals: 8.0 l/100 km (35 mpg) city and 6.0 l/100 km (47 mpg) highway. Only a base Corolla can better those figures. 4. Verdict: While offering the traditional Civic virtues of fuel economy and fun-to-drive handling, the Civic Si sedan isn't powerful enough to compete with many of its performance-oriented compact competitors. So those were some points in the review. OF course, here in inida the civic will be performance king. Sorry the message was kinda long but i had to devote some space to what may be one of the most high profile car to be launched this year in India. the engine: 1.7 ltr 4 cylinder SOHC 16 valve VTEC Power: 127ps@6300rpm Torque: 114lb-ft@4800rpm Now for some pics
	() Thanks

1st May 2004, 01:13	#2
amit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,717 Thanked: 449 Times	the back side the side profile
	() Thanks

1st May 2004, 01:16	#3
amit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,717 Thanked: 449 Times	The interiors
	() Thanks

1st May 2004, 01:20	#4
amit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,717 Thanked: 449 Times	The boot The best part of any honda car - The engine
	() Thanks

1st May 2004, 03:50	#5
Shan2nu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hubli - Karnata Posts: 5,533 Thanked: 125 Times View My Garage	127bhp is bad, considering that they might reduce the power furthur more to match Indian conditions. So expect the power to come down by atleast 8-10bhp. It's not a good looker if you ask me. The front view looks fine but resembles the old Accord a lot. That will put off, many a customers. the rear sucks, and the side view is completely miss matched, the Vtec looks much better in that view. The steering, gear knob and dials are very good, but the centre console is again a big disappointment. Well, it might be a succes in India, but it'll always be a failure in my eyes. It's a dull car with what, i'm afraid will have a dull performance. the car looks more european than japanese and i don't like it. Hope Honda gets another version of the Civic. Personally, i wouldn't want a car like this in my garage unless, it proves to be a better driver's car than the Corolla and Skoda. Cmon Honda, you can't give us an amazing car like the Accord and then expect to sell crap like this. Regards... Shan2nu
	() Thanks

1st May 2004, 11:54	#6
v12 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,739 Thanked: 7,212 Times View My Garage	Hey shantanu, 127 bhp is for the 1.7L engine. Int Honda gettin the 1.8 here???
	() Thanks

1st May 2004, 12:59	#7
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,493 Thanked: 300,293 Times View My Garage	Isnt this design just what was expected of a Civic? Its pretty neat and clean, and is the design cue that Civics have followed for ages now. The one area where Honda are gonna have to work hard is the interiors...right now they are just too greyishly dull. Even the new Honda citys interiors are better than this one pictured here. Indians love great interiors, Honda knows this pretty well by now. GTO
	() Thanks

2nd May 2004, 05:14	#8
vishnugnair BANNED Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Manipal Posts: 286 Thanked: 0 Times	hmm more corolla-ish. especially the lights. the older ones were better. rest is virtually the same the rear and the insides too. my bro owns one at home and man its one hell of a sweet machine...!!!!! love those chromed speedo meters..!!!! and that diferrant light stages,,,!
	() Thanks

2nd May 2004, 19:30	#9
lamborghini Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,112 Thanked: 5,760 Times View My Garage	thanx amit that was an interesting post the car looks ugly and outdated not to mention underpowered. if launched in india sales wont go well unless honda gives it a minor face lift its all upto the new civic which will be launched in 2006 to bring back hondas glory oh well good bye guys
	() Thanks

3rd May 2004, 12:37	#10
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,770 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	Guys, while this model of the Civic may make it into India via the SKD route, Honda has said that they are tooling up to manufacture the NEXT generation Civic in India. They may launch this just to give their loyal customers a car at the same level as teh Corolla, but they are concentrating their efforts on the new civic which is to be launched towards the end of 2005. And I'm sure it'll be as amazing as the new accord was to the old one! Can't wait!
	() Thanks