Details Arise on 2012 Honda Civic Si Powerplant

Honda showed the world its Honda Civic “concept” at the Detroit Auto Show recently, and I put the word concept in quotes because this is pretty much what the production car will look like. It will of course get more conventional wheels and lights, but expect the overall shape to be similar.

Most Canadians will opt for a regular Civic sedan, but a selected few among us with petrol in our veins will undoubtedly put the Si version on our shopping lists. The current Si makes 197 horsepower and 139 pound feet of torque. I’ve got to say, I’ve driven the Si and my immediate thought after stepping out of it was “meh”. I think the car overall is pretty underwhelming. One of the big reasons why is the engine and the way it is tuned. 197 horses may seem impressive but it really isn’t without good torque numbers to back it up – and let’s face it, torque is really where the actual power comes from. All anyone cares about it horsepower, but they really should be looking at those torque numbers too.

But according to Honda fanboys over at Temple of VTEC, the 2012 Si will get a new 2.4 litre engine known internally as the “K24”. It’s actually the exact engine that Honda uses in the current Acura TSX, which makes due with 201 horsepower. That means the new Si will likely see a power in the 200 to 210 horsepower range. That doesn’t seem like all that much boost, but torque numbers are expected to be as high as 170 pound feet. Now we’re talking.

Still, I think a lot more than engine power needed to be addressed  on the current Si, so let’s hope Honda spent some time on improving driving dynamics in the new Si as well.

[Temple of VTEC]

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