Honda aims for the purists with the 2017 Civic Si

Loyal Honda sports fans, rejoice: the new Civic Si will hit the street in 2017. Honda revealed the new Si ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show, hot on the heels of the also-new Civic Type R announcement staged at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Marketing Association) show in Las Vegas. With both the Type R and Si announcements, Honda seems to be back in the compact high performance wars.

Where Civic Si machinery of the past had been normally aspirated since the 1990s, this new wave of Si power comes through turbocharging, with a greater accent on high levels of torque rather than the blisteringly high revs of the VTECs of yore. The Si will get a 1.5-liter, turbocharged DOHC four-cylinder engine with variable cam timing for both intake and exhaust sides. Performance options will include active dampers and steering, a limited-slip differential and higher-performance tires.

Specific power level has not yet been quoted by Honda, but with the Type R reliably estimated at a minimum of 300hp (224kW) and the lower-lying EX-L Civics chiming in at 174hp (130kW), we figure the Si will belt out between 225 to 250 hp (168 to 186 kW).

There's purist manna, too. Telling the world in surprisingly bold terms that the new Civic Si is a serious performance tool for the manually dexterous, a six-speed manual will be the only transmission offered.

The prototype shown wears a full aero kit with splitters at the front and rear, plus a big rear spoiler. A centrally located large exhaust pokes out the back, and large 235/35R19 tires sit on ten-spoke, 19-inch forged aluminum wheels.

With these additions to the new 10th-generation Civic platform (known by wonks as the "Global Compact Architecture"), the Si coupe and sedan twins will be the 15th and 16th permutations of North American Civic, making it the have-it-your-way compact.

Inside, Honda's keeping it weapons-grade, too. The Si prototype's interior will mostly make production with red stitching in the aggressive front sport seats, the doors, steering wheel, and shifter boot.

The new Si faces off in the stiff sport-compact segment against a stack of other compelling hotties like the Ford Focus ST, Subaru's all-wheel-drive WRX, and of course, the segment inventor, VW's GTI.

With the new Si, the Type R, and Acura's new NSX, could Honda finally be free from its performance funk of the past decade or so? These new models all promise to be real dancers, so time will tell.

Listing image by Honda