Tested: 1992 Honda Civic Si Hatchback Hits All the Right Marks

From the February 1992 issue of Car and Driver.

When we were in Japan to view the second-generation Acura Legends some eighteen months ago, a product-planning manager for American Honda responded to our speculation that the company seemed to be turning conservative. “Wait till you see the new Civics,” he said.

New vs. Old Honda Civic Si: Which Is Better?

A Visual History of the Honda Civic

The History of Honda Si Cars in America

Now we have seen them, and we’ve put one of them—the Si hatchback—through our road-test regimen. And although today’s more mature Honda Motor Company doesn’t quite swing for the bleachers with its old abandon, the issue of creeping conservatism just doesn’t seem to add up to much, for a simple reason: the Civic Si is so damn good.

Tight, smooth, clever, rewarding to drive, and cheap to run, the sporty Si hatchback hangs on to its leadership role among high-spirited economy cars. The brilliant little automobiles in this hotly contested segment of the market don’t scrimp on engineering excellence or enthusiast appeal, even though practical, basic transport is all their mission profile really calls for. And although the overall quality of the field has narrowed many of the distinctions among players, the Civic Si still sets the pace.

Styling and packaging make up the first important part of the new, “anti-conservative” Civic. As we noted in our preview of the ’92 Civic line, the hatchback body represents a less marked departure from past themes than does the four-door. But still, the Si and its three-door siblings—the CX, the DX, and the mega-mileage VX—have benefited from a clean-sheet rethink that gives the familiar “mini-wagon” profile a much more modern, muscular, and wind-swept look. The key elements: a clean, rounded nose and low cowl (which Honda abandoned in some recent model redesigns); a pronounced taper toward the tail, created by a rising beltline, a dropping roofline, and an increasing inward cant of the side glass (tumblehome); and forceful bulges over the wheels, which are themselves pushed way out to the corners of the car. It’s a good shape, recognizably Honda Civic, yet fresh and contemporary.

Tested: Honda Civic Si Offers What Drivers Want

The packaging succeeds in less obvious ways, too. Interior space is astoundingly generous, aided by the fact the new Civic hatchback is larger than the old model, by some three inches in length and wheelbase, three-quarters of an inch in width, and half an inch in height. Despite the stylishly tapering tail, the rear seat remains habitable by life-sized humans. The new body also provides greater structural rigidity and allows for longer suspension travel, which registers from the driver’s seat as a quieter, more grown-up ride on rough surfaces and a car that’s better composed when being tossed about by the scruff of its neck.

The mainstream press touted the ’92 Civic’s other big news months ago. Stratified-charge, lean burn, variable-valve-event engine technology has led to new levels of power and efficiency in the horizon-stretching VX version, but the Si wasn’t exactly ignored. Its sixteen-valve 1.6-liter inline-four now uses a variable-intake-valve-timing-and-lift mechanism similar to the NSX’s to boost peak output from last year’s 108 horsepower to 125, without sacrificing the flexibility of the power curve. Our test Si built power in an almost perfectly linear fashion, with just a hint of added urge as the tach needle passed 4000 rpm.

Running with characteristic smoothness, though there’s a good deal of thrumming noise at higher revs, the new engine propelled our Si from rest to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds. That shows an improvement of a full second over the last Civic Si we tested despite a curb-weight increase from 2210 pounds then to 2362 now. The new power and new body shape combine for a top speed of 119 mph, up from 110. Fuel economy has increased from an EPA-estimated 28/32 mpg city/highway to 29/36.

New standard power steering in the Civic Si makes parking easier without seriously affecting road feel, and the brakes are now discs all around (the EX sedan’s ABS is not offered on the Si). Well-sorted independent suspension gives the Si a quick, eager manner, although the car’s reactions could be sharpened further—and its cornering limits raised—by trading its Bridgestone RE92 all-season tires for something a little more focused on dry traction. We’d also trade the standard wheel covers for real alloy wheels like those on the VX. Ride comfort and road noise are both tolerable, in the sporty vein.

The seats feel pleasantly NSX-like in their firmness and shape, though the shoulder bolstering is less aggressive, and the new instrument panel is a model of logic and clarity. Thankfully, Honda resisted the temptation to fool around with passive belts (which we have come to despise, actively) and fitted an air bag along with conventional three-point belts. Standard Si fare includes power mirrors and a sunroof, cruise control, and an especially intricate fold-out cupholder. And we love the cute little tailgate, though we’d like to see it with finger indents to ease grasping the flip-up glass above it.

At an estimated $13,473, our test Civic Si can hardly be called cheap. But it delivers so much and works so well that it seems richer than its cost. That’s the kind of quality that rightly silences any talk of creeping conservatism.

Counterpoints

A favored activity of my sordid past was dispatching Si versions of the Honda Civic at stoplights with my ’84 Colt Turbo. Civics were far more sophisticated. But my frenzied red beast was faster. Not much has changed in eight years and two Civic model generations. The Si is still the slickest econo-mite, from its curvy flanks to its silky drivetrain to its lively but forgiving road manners. And the VTEC four-cylinder sips fuel parsimoniously. But extracting all of this car’s 125 horses isn’t easy. So if you fall for this package, just stay away from MX-3s and Sentra SE-Rs. —Don Schroeder

Honda’s new Civic Si is more sensible than any hot little hatchback has a right to be. The clever VTEC engine is powerful enough to nearly match the speed of the bigger-engined Nissan Sentra SE-R but still delivers 29 EPA city mpg. The low-slung hatchback body looks slick but offers plenty of room to haul freight. It even comes with an air bag and 5-mph bumpers. This may be the first performance car that even Joan Claybrook and her tree-hugging, safety-loving fellow travelers will appreciate. —Csaba Csere

Genetically, homogeneity is bad. It produces single eyebrows, webbed feet, and a craving for “Love Boat” reruns. Automotively, it means that we’re subjected to endless sixteen-valve four-cylinder front-wheel-drive econocars. The Civic Si hatch is, by virtue of its design, homogeneous. There’s nothing here that can’t be had on the Sentra, the Escort, or the Protege. Except the Honda’s supple ride. Or its retro-wedge body. Or its superb brakes. Maybe I shouldn’t have slept through freshman bio. —Martin Padgett Jr.

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Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com