2007 Honda Civic Si Sedan: The Best One Yet

2007 Honda Civic Si Sedan: The Best One Yet

Roadfly tests a lot of cars, and we are inclined to look for the good in all of them. However, in some cases we don’t have to look very hard. One of these cases presented itself this past week in the form of the 2007 Civic Si sedan.

Let me take a moment to dispense with my personal and professional biases. I am a Honda fanboy to the core. My first car was a black 1998 Civic HX coupe, which featured the world’s first viable continuously variable transmission and got 40mpg. I replaced it with what is almost universally regarded as the best-handling front-wheel-drive car of all time - the 2001 Acura Integra Type-R. With 195hp, a limited-slip differential, and an awesome roar at 5700rpm when Honda’s variable valve timing system (VTEC) kicked in, it was a formidable weapon.

My buying habits may at the outset appear to compromise my objectivity. However, I hold Hondas to an even higher standard than the other cars I review, precisely because I buy them. I’ve never owned anything else. So with that in mind, the Si is a worthy heir to the screaming front-drivers that have come before it: in particular the 1992-2001 Integra and the 99-00 Si coupe. The last-generation Si, produced from 2002 to 2005, was a solid car but lacked the winding powerband and 8000rpm-plus redline of the true cult classics.

The 2007 Civic Si has 197hp, a limited-slip differential, and the same VTEC kick at approximately 6000rpm found in the old Type-R. It even has a similar interior, with black alcantara (faux suede) seats with fabric inserts and red stitching. Like previous Si models, it has a sunroof. But for this year, the big news is the extra set of doors.

The impact of those two doors goes far beyond the obvious increase in interior room, or the totally flat floor that makes the Si sedan a true five-seater. It transforms the entire ownership experience. Being active in the Honda community, I know many young enthusiasts that sold their Integras, CRXs or Civics (coupes or hatchbacks) because they started a family and needed something more practical. It killed them to do it, and they invariably moved on to something they enjoyed far less than their screaming VTEC Hondas.