2006 Civic Si Photos & Driving Impressions

Why Buy an RSX?

A couple of us recently had the chance to attend a "Civic Live" event that was being hosted in Los Angeles, CA. The event was essentially a promotion for the new 2006 Civic, and offered attendees the chance to test drive all the new models (except for the Hybrid). They also had live music by some pretty big bands (L.A. had 311 and San Francisco had Black Eyed Peas). There are other 2006 "Civic Live" events happening throughout the country too, which I think is a great idea from Honda's standpoint. This is the first time Honda has really organized such a massive nation-wide hands-on marketing blitz for one of its new vehicles. I personally think it's a great idea and I enjoyed my time there.

OK, so to the point. The new 2006 Civic Si is awesome! We were only allowed 2 drives but that was enough for us to determine that the 2006 Civic Si was definately a huge step forward in handling and acceleration over the 2005 Civic Si. The small cone course consisted of many tight turnes so it was hard to get up speed, but the chassis was rock solid even under tremendous stress. I was extremely impressed to say the least. I did not notice any torque steer or wheel hop either!

There are a couple of very interesting things to note about the new 2006 Civic Si (besides the obvious styling and performance differences). First of all, the rear suspension utilizes a separated shock / spring setup, which is quite unusual, but was probably necessary to improve suspension geometry. Second (and unfortunately I don't have a picture of this) the 2006 Civic Si uses a true rear diffuser to help smooth our airflow and create more downforce. It seems like Honda has really spared no expensive in creating this amazing car!

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