2017 Honda Civic Si Outperforms Supercars at C&D’s Lightning Lap
The sub-$30k Honda Civic Si showed its track-day chops by tackling corners harder, faster, and even — easier?
The Car and Driver Lightning Lap is a yearly outing where editors of the renowned automotive magazine make a pilgrimage to the mighty Virginia International Raceway. There, cameras and high-performance data logging equipment are attached to each vehicle, only to be released out on track for a seriously (fun) rigorous test.
The 2017 edition of the Lightning Lap featured 19 of the hottest cars to have adorned the automotive scene this year, including the new Honda Civic Si. Because it’d be unfair to compare a — let’s say — Porsche 911 Turbo with a little Civic, cars are separated into different categories based on price. The results are typically expected, but sometimes they’re the complete opposite. In case you’re wondering, we didn’t bring up the $192,310 Porsche Turbo S out of the blue and for no reason. Capish?
The new-generation Si is a masterful little booger on the track. We at Honda-Tech have already had the pleasure of lapping the new model on different race tracks, but we’ve never been able to compare it to other machinery — let alone the kind that Car and Driver is able to gather.
The editorial staff found the Civic Si to be rather easy to drive at speed, and extremely composed. In fact, the article goes on to say, “Unlike most cars, the Si accelerates up the hill. Keep the right pedal pinned and aim. The left-right-left-right combo that’s usually a sphincter-cincher is something you could probably do with one hand on the wheel.”
While most of the praise was directed at the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2s tires, the fine chassis and suspension tuning were subjected to adoration. The race course’s layout seemed to play into the hands of the scorching Civic, as it did the most with the least of the bunch, triggering staff to say that “At the top, the Si hit 110.4 mph, which is 12.5 mph faster than an equally powerful BRZ and only 4.0 mph off the 580-hp 911 Turbo S.”
In the end, the 2017 Honda Civic Si finished 16th in the overall lap time challenge and second in its class. It was only three seconds off the 268-horsepower, AWD Subaru WRX Performance Package, and ahead of the Mini Countryman JCW ALL4, Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, and Subaru BRZ Performance Package.
How ’bout them apples?