2002 Honda Civic Si

"It's amazing," observes my co-driver, "how fast traffic comes up on you at 130 mph." I take this for a veiled note of caution regarding our Civic Si's current speed, the slightly damp autobahn and a convoy of trucks looming quickly on our right.

Lifting slightly to bring the car to a saner speed--85 to 110 mph is a reasonable range on unlimited sections of Germany's superhighways--I marveled aloud about the Si's stability and quiet at such high speeds, perhaps as much to assure my passenger and to reaffirm my own feelings about the latest hot Civic to be hatched from Honda's fertile corps of engineers.

We traveled to Germany for the launch of the 2002 Civic Si, which not only marks the return of the vaunted badge but also the debut of the most European-flavored car Honda has ever brought to America. Our test drive of the new hatchback, over two days on German autobahn and winding country roads, exposes the Si to the world's most demanding high-speed motoring environment, yet the new Si never fails to reward the driver--both when the engine is mercilessly redlined or when the car cruises at speeds well beyond 100 mph for miles on end.

All the expected Civic attributes--embodied by the Honda philosophy of "Man Maximum/ Machine Minimum"--are present, but in the Si there's a youthful edginess of style and performance, an appeal that will make its modest annual sales goals of 15,000 a sure bet.

The Si may be aimed at the young buyer, but its list of equipment shows it's no stripper and is well outfitted to battle the primary competition--the upcoming Ford Focus SVT, Dodge Neon R/T and BMW's Mini Cooper S as well as the current Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V and VW Golf GTI 1.8T.

As of this writing, no price has been established for the Civic Si, but expect it to come in under $19,000. It will go on sale in the United States in March 2002.

Drivetrain
By any measure, Honda's engines are astounding--for their smooth power delivery and willingness to rev, combined with fuel efficiency and low emissions. The new all-aluminum, 2.0-liter DOHC 16-valve four under the Si's sharply raked hood takes that equation and improves upon its precedessor, delivering more power and torque, better fuel mileage, lower exhaust emissions and lighter weight (by a full 10 percent) in a more compact size.

The latest version of Honda's valve control technology, called i-VTEC, is at the heart of the engine's improved performance. The "i" stands for "intelligent" and involves the new Variable Timing Control (VTC), which offers continual adjustment of the intake cam phasing, augmenting the Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC), which alters valve lift, timing and duration.

It works by continuously altering the intake cam's profile across the entire powerband, advancing or retarding the cam timing over a 50-degree range. The result is more power, now up to 160 hp at 6500 rpm, and, more importantly, 132 lb-ft at a more accessible 5000 rpm, 20-percent more twist than output by the previous Si.

This thrilling, willing engine hooks to the front wheels through a new five-speed close-ratio transmission, with gear selection through a "rally" shifter jutting from the dashboard. At first it looks out of place, but it's very close to the steering wheel and makes complete sense as soon as you need to grab a gear. In addition to the closer gear ratios, triple cone synchronizers for first and second gears and larger diameter synchronizers for third through fifth help create a seamless, silky shifting feel. Like the S2000, this gearshift is a joy to row.

Honda admits up front that this new 2.0 isn't any quicker than its precedessor in 0- to 60-mph blasts, but the power of this i-VTEC is much more accessible and makes getting up to speed a less busy affair. And speed it does achieve: Wide-open autobahn allowed us to take the Si up to an indicated 130 mph (just under the limited top speed of 132) with the kind of linear power delivery most often associated with larger displacement engines. And it would continue to run all day at those speeds without complaint or drama.

Chassis
Credit not only the engine but also the redesigned body and chassis for that sort of world-class performance. Computer-aided design and manufacturing techniques and more extensive use of lightweight, high-tensile-strength steel not only saves 44 lbs but increases torsional rigidity by a whopping 95 percent and bending rigidity by 22 percent.

To say the Si is rock-solid is correct, but it's no stone, either. It might feel like a solid hunk of iron, but instead it's a maze of cross members, gussets and beams, producing a chassis and body configuration that feels as tight over the cobbled streets of old German towns as it does on the unblemished autobahn.

A new parallel front subframe--called a "shark's jaw" by Honda engineers for its shape--supports and surrounds the engine and is key to reducing unwanted NVH and augmenting front-end crash protection. Other techniques to make the Si feel so solid and quiet include more direct connections between various sills and frames, larger cross-section members and floor frame, and the aforementioned high-tensile steel, which accounts for about 57 percent of all frame components.

This brick-like structure links to the road through a suspension noteworthy for its crisp handling, ride comfort and stability--all, not surprisingly, project goals for the new Si. Suspension settings are almost identical to those of the Civic Type R in Europe, meaning quite stiff in the European fashion. The unaggressive 60-series tires were definitely fitted for their comfort and not their grip, and tires with shorter sidewalls would definitely make the car feel even stiffer.

Up front is the MacPherson strut suspension from the 2001 Civic, at the rear is what Honda calls its "Reactive Link" double wishbone configuration. Use of the MacPherson arrangement allows Honda engineers space for the high-mounted steering box, which is fitted with extra-long control arms for enhanced toe control and tracking. In essence, this means more of the tire's contact patch stays on the ground, and there's little or no hint of torque steer when power is applied to the front wheels. Low-friction, progressive-rate, gas-pressurized shocks help create a smooth ride that, during our test drive, became slightly unbalanced only over long-frequency undulations in the pavement, causing the car to mildly porpoise.

The double wishbone rear suspension,say Honda engineers, provides several advantages, including space efficiency, rear-wheel control over bumps and a more balanced roll axis for stability. The few quick runs we made over open back roads clearly validated Honda's use of "balanced" to describe the Si's overall handling.

Completing (well, not completing) the underpinnings is an underwhelming combination of 15-inch lightweight alloys and 195/60R-15 all-season radials. We expect most Si owners will put these aside for foul-weather use and upgrade to a larger combination better suited to the car's performance pretensions.

As expected, the areas involving driver input received special consideration from Honda engineering. A first for U.S. Honda models is the use of Electrical Power Steering, eliminating the need for a power-robbing and weighty pneumatic pump. Honda cites a 2-percent fuel savings with EPS, and we can cite exquisite steering feel, no matter the vehicle's speed.

Four-wheel disc brakes feature standard ABS and electronic brake distribution, and on every occasion they were needed, they delivered. Lane discipline in Germany is a thing of the past, and on several ocassions we were required to stomp the brake pedal hard as slower traffic obliviously pulled into the left lane, and with no evident brake fade.

Interior
As equally comforting as good brakes during these periods of stress are the form-fitting, highly supportive sport seats. It's one of those brilliant, one-size-fits-all seats, and the flash of boy racer reflected in the headrest opening is entirely in proper tone.

The instrument panel features orange needles over cream dials, which at night are very readable but during the day don't contrast enough for quick takes. Otherwise it's all familiar switchgear, meaning there's no confusion about which button works what operation.

The practical nature of the Si becomes most evident when the rear seat is folded flat and exposes a cargo area that's nothing less than best in class.

Outside
A more disputable element of the Si is its styling. It looked entirely appropriate in Germany with its highly curved rear end, much in the European idiom of the day, but it should also make quite a visual impact in an American market less populated with such creatures. Specific Si touches include a mesh front grille, rear roof spoiler, dual-tipped chrome exhaust and a power moonroof.

Bottom Line
The Si's roots go back to 1984 and the Civic S model, the first Si debuting in 1986. Except for two model years (1999 and 2000), all Si's have been hatchbacks. Returning to this configuration for 2002 is acknowledgement of a burgeoning market for hot hatches in America, an attempt by Honda to attract younger male buyers, and it's also a jaunty snoot clearly cocked at the European car makers who consider hot hatches territory of their own.

Move over; the left lane also belongs to Honda.