Ah to be young again. AutoGuide’s nationally recognized, board-certified Oracles remember their youth vividly… it was terrible. People often say age is just a number and you’re only as old as you feel, unfortunately they were born wearing elastic-waist jeans and Science Olympiad fanny packs. Gingivitis arrived when they were in middle school.
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As 2012 comes to an end, AutoGuide has decided to take a look back at the most watched videos from our collection.
SEE ALSO: 2013 Ford Escape Review – Video
Kicking off the top 10 list is the 2013 Ford Escape video review, where Editor-in-Chief Colum Wood puts the new crossover to the test, admiring its sleek new looks and its handling.
The 2012 Honda Civic Si underwhelmed many enthusiasts, and thanks to that backlash, Honda now makes the Civic Si HFP (Honda Factory Performance), which is the focus of a short video just released by the company.
Ever wonder what it takes to build a race car? Honda believes it’s easier than you may think and the Japanese automaker decided to release a video showcasing the steps taken to convert a run-of-the-mill 2012 Civic Si to a competitive race car for World Challenge.
Honda is increasing its commitment to racing in 2012 by officially sponsoring teams entering the Pirelli World Challenge thanks to growing interest in both the U.S. and Canada.
Honda Performance Development (HPD) provides components and support to teams ranging from amateur to professional levels. In the past the company supported teams in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Challenge Series, but will move into the Sports Car Club of America’s World Challenge and B-Spec categories as well.
“With the development of the 2012 Honda Civic Si for Touring Car racing and the introduction of B-Spec for both professional and club racing, it’s been a very busy off-season for HPD,” said Lee Niffenegger, HPD senior engineer responsible for production-based racing.
“There has been a definite upsurge in interest from both the U.S. and Canada for this year, and we’re looking forward to exciting seasons in Grand-Am, World Challenge and Canadian Touring Cars,” he said.
According to Honda, the Civic Si is the car of choice this year with at least five teams taking part in the 14-race schedule in the World Challenge Touring Car class. Cars that run these races range from being almost factory stock to heavily modified based on the series. World Challenge Touring Car entrants run on the less modified end of that spectrum.
In the B-Spec segment, Honda will race their Fit cars, which represents and inexpensive, entry-level option for racers to get into the sport.
Compass360, a Toronto-based racing team has long used Hondas to compete in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and Gand Am series and claimed first place in the 2010 Canadian Touring Car Championship for Honda.
This year Compass360 will also enter the World Challenge for Honda with a multi-car effort in the SCCA Pirelli World Challenge and Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.
Just as Honda announced it’ll be refreshing the Civic for next year, hoping everyone will quickly forget about the 2012 model, Consumer Reports goes and gives the 2012 Honda Civic Si a “Recommended” rating in its latest report.
Now let’s keep in mind that Consumer Reports were one of the first outlets to give the 2012 Civic such low ratings. In fact, they reiterated their thoughts on the base model Civic by saying “while other models like the Hyundai Elantra have gotten better after being redesigned, the Honda Civic has dropped so much that now it ranks near the bottom of its category.”
But the base model Civic isn’t the one that sports the 2.4L, 201-hp powerplant. In fact, our review of the Si was favorable – read the review here – and Consumer Reports agrees that the Si offers “terrific acceleration” more low-end torque and a slick-shifting six-speed manual gearbox. As a result, the Si model scored much better than the base model awarding it the Recommended title from Consumer Reports.
Funny enough, the publication still believes that while “the Civic Si has a great powertrain, it needs a better car wrapped around it.”
Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2012 Civic Si vs. MazdaSpeed3 Shootout
With the 2011 SEMA Show just around the corner, we’ve been getting fed tons of teasers and sneak peeks of finished projects that will be making their way to the big aftermarket expo in Las Vegas. But forget teasers, here’s the full reveal of Fox Marketing’s 2012 Honda Civic Si, boasting a wickedly clean widebody and packing over 450-hp thanks to Full-Race’s turbo kit.
The custom widebody and body kit is courtesy of carbodykits.com, while Fox Marketing opted to have the entire body resprayed by BASF’s R-M Ultrasonic Blue Pearl. Handling suspension duties are springs from Road Magnet while SSBC contributed a brake upgrade to the Si Coupe. For wheels, Fox Marketing opted for a custom 20-inch setup from Vossen. CV3 wheels adorn each corner of the project wrapped with Toyo Proxes 4 tires.
On the inside, Yonaka Ronin racing seats found their way inside after being reupholstered with factory Civic Si fabric inserts in the front and the rear. AutoGuide.com will be sure to check out the finished project up close in person starting on November 1st.
See AutoGuide’s complete 2011 SEMA Show preview here
Discuss this story at 9thGenCivic.com
The guys over at Tjin Edition followed up the teaser of their two SEMA Ford projects with this rendering of their Honda Civic Sedan project from Gurnade Design Firm. This will be the fourth Honda Tjin Edition has built for SEMA and this time around, Tjin Edition teamed up with Wraptivo, Daley Visual, Gurnade, Rotiform, Function and Form and Baer.
The project will debut at this year’s SEMA Show and is the only Honda Civic Si Sedan Honda handed out to builders this year. Tjin Edition kept it clean and simple, focusing on form, function and family when building the project. The suspension comes courtesy of Function and Form coilovers, giving the Civic the adjustability it needs to look right on a set of 19-inch Rotiform Concave BLQ wheels. The color scheme is unique as well, as Tjin Edition informed us that it’s the last roll in existence of this particular color from Wraptivo. The matte exterior is clearly contrasted by orange-anodized wheels with Baer brakes peeking behind them. It’s further accented by the fact that the Baer calipers appear to be in a bright, purple finish.
AutoGuide will be sure to check out all the project cars in the Honda booth this year’s SEMA Show.
Discuss this story at 9thGenCivic.com
Fox Marketing has built some crazy rides in the past for SEMA, including several widebody Lexus vehicles blending the best of luxury and sport into one attractive package. For this year’s show, it looks as though Fox Marketing has teamed up with Honda to show off what its new 2012 Civic Si can do in the customization department. Several 2012 Civics were handed out by Honda to some of the country’s most well-known builders, and Fox Marketing is the first to disclose some details on what they’ll be doing on theirs.
Fox will be working with Full-Race to make the stock K24 engine pack up to 550-hp thanks to a custom turbo kit. It appears that Fox and Full-Race want to obtain those figures without touching the motor’s internals, which would be a testament to how great the K24 is.
When it arrives at SEMA on November 1st, the exterior will be painted a Sinister Silver paint courtesy of BASF’s R-M line. 13-inch brakes from SSBC will be on all four corners while the car will sport an aggressive stance thanks to a set of SPEC II coilovers from Yonaka.
Until then, check out all the work-in-progress pics below and check out AutoGuide’s complete 2011 SEMA Show Preview here.
Get more Honda Civic news and info at 9thGenCivic.com
With the new 2012 Honda Civic lineup having just been announced at the New York Auto Show, it’s natural for Honda lovers to scratch their heads and wonder where the hatchback variant is. Or better yet, where the Si hatchback version is.
Apparently right now it’s only available in the brilliant minds of Photoshoppers worldwide. Neal McDaniel over at the Temple of VTEC whipped up his own Civic Si Hatchback Concept rendering that has many of us wondering if Honda will make it a reality. Though we feel it shares one too many lines with the CR-Z hybrid, the idea of a Civic Si hatchback from the 2012 Civic lineup is appealing.
For the rendering, Neal wanted to point out several of the modifications he did: true “One Motion” design, shortened front and rear overhangs, tinted headlights with clear corners, revised a-pillar garnish with kink, lowered ride height, 18-inch wheels, cleaner rocker panels, a slightly lowered roof line, extended rear passenger windows, slightly wider stance, more orange in color and factory tint.
[Source: Temple of VTEC]
Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2012 Honda Civic Si Review
Discuss the 2012 Honda Civic at 9thGenCivic.com
The 2012 Honda Civic bows at New York with new styling across the line, and new powertrains for Si and Hybrid models.
The regular Civic sedan and coupe make do with the same powertrain and 5-speed transmission from the last model. But if it ain’t broke, as they say, don’t fix it: the 1.8-liter i-VTEC engine gets slightly modified for a 39mpg rating, even without the direct-injection and 6 cogs like its Ford Focus and Hyundai Elantra competitors.
On the other hand the Si gets torquier for 2012, with 31 more lb-ft than the outgoing model, which comes in at a less lofty 4300RPM. The 2.4-liter engine produces 200 horsepower and 170 total lb-ft of torque.
Lastly, the Civic Hybrid gets a revamp to become the 2nd most fuel-efficient sedan in production (behind the Prius) at 44mpg. The Hybrid makes this mileage jump with a new lithium-ion battery pack and a larger 1.5-liter gasoline engine to supply the magic.
Those looking to get better mileage without making the leap to a hybrid, however, can opt for the HF model—with special aerodynamic trim and Honda’s ECO Assist technology that scolds you, schoolmarm-style, into achieving 41mpg highway. There will be a natural gas version available soon as well.
Visit 9th Gen Civic for more information on the 2012 Honda Civic Lineup, at http://www.9thgencivic.com
Honda‘s previous Civic launches have seen the base models get the star-treatment right out of the gate, with performance and eco variants following later on. But this time will be different, as Honda plans to launch the regular Civic, Civic Si, Civic Hybrid and a natural gas powered Civic within weeks of each other.
The rapid launch is part of Honda’s marketing campaign based on Soichiro Honda’s phrase that there is “a Civic for everyone”. The new Civic’s introduction will be critical for Honda, as the Civic’s bread and butter car has had an exceptionally long product cycle, due to a sudden alteration of the Civic’s design after the start of the financial crisis in 2008.
[Source: Autoweek]
For more news, discussions, pricing and pictures on the 2012 Honda Civic, please visit http://www.9thgencivic.com/
Honda has a history of releasing “concepts” of their newest products that are barely disguised versions of what they’ll be selling to the public, and the Honda Civic Concept is no different.
Both sedan and coupe concepts resemble the current car quite strongly, but the styling is more aggressive, with swoopy lines and big 19″ wheels. The front profile resembles the current coupe, with its broad front end and rakish windsheild, while the Si trim designation gives Honda a good excuse to make the cars as eye-catching as possible.
Powertrains weren’t announced, but Honda reps mentioned that 40 mpg highway was the target for most gasoline engine models (but presumably not the Si itself), and that the Civic Hybrid would feature a lithium-ion battery pack. Honda will also roll out its Civic GX natural gas model beyond its current market of four states.
With 30 percent of Civic buyers under the age of 35, Honda needs a big homerun after the lacklustre response given to the CR-Z hybrid sports car, and the long product cycle of the current Civic. While the Civic Concept looks good, the production car, and the confirmed mechanical details will determine whether the Civic remains as beloved as previous generations have with the youth market.
Visit our 9th Gen Civic forum at www.9thgencivic.com for the latest news on the 9th Generation Honda Civic.
Gallery: Honda Civic Concept
The 1999 and 2000 Honda Civic Si (known as the SiR in Canada) have been named as Canada’s most stolen cars, with the 2000 model taking the top spot, and the 1999 following it.
Previous years have seen the Subaru Impreza WRX, Acura Integra GSR and Integra Type R claim the title, but the Civic Si, with its twincam VTEC motor, was built in substantial numbers and has proved to be an attractive target for thieves. The Cadillac Escalade, Acura RSX Type-S, Acura Integra, the “Audi Quattro sedan” (we assume they mean the Audi A4) and the Hummer H2 round out the top 10.
Canadian auto theft is split roughly between chop shops looking to sell desirable parts and organized crime rings, who take vehicles and ship them to overseas locations where they are re-sold.
[Source: CBC]
The 9th generation Honda Civic Si performance model may get a big update, moving from the current torque-less 2.0-liter to the 2.4-liter motor currently offered in the Acura TSX. News of this development comes via a source from the well-informed folks at Temple of Vtec, although even they aren’t confident in its credibility.
The K24 engine currently makes 201-hp and 172 ft-lbs of torque and in the smaller and lighter Civic (presumably offered with either a six-speed transmission) will make for an exciting package. Tuners already know this, with the K24 already established as the “go to” engine for those performing an engine swap.
Tuners have also discovered that the K24 has a lot more potential in it, meaning we could see a good bump in power over the current output as well.
[Source: Vtec.net]
