chibisky
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For the past 3 years, I drove a 2019 Honda Civic Si Coupe that I put many modifications in. (Hybrid Racing short shifter, RV6 Type R retrofit clutch and flywheel, Acuity pedal relocator and shifter cable bushing, Greddy DDR catback, D2 lowering springs, PRL Cobra cold air intake, Type R rear motor mount, and many other misc. visual mods.) Nothing crazy, but enough to really enjoy on a daily basis.
I absolutely adored this car and it's never left me stranded. It was quick, handled well, and was practical enough for someone who mostly drove around alone. As an enthusiast, the manual transmission was a huge draw for this car as well. It was the car I dreamed of owning since I saw the prototype displayed at the Detroit Autoshow in 2017.
This year, combined with many stars lining up at the right time, I ended up trading in my Si for a 2026 Civic Sport Touring Hybrid Hatchback (a mouthful yes, so I will just refer to it as the FL4). I also got married a few months back, so I also wanted to consider my wife's needs and comforts as well.
While it's not as sleek as a coupe and essentially an automatic (I tried to teach my wife manual but she really struggled and really didn't want to), it still really appealed to me for a few reasons:
1) It's really fun to drive. The Two Motor Hybrid (e:HEV) system in the FL4 is very interesting from an engineering standpoint and in my opinion, an amazing enthusiast drivetrain from a FHEV standpoint. As many of us already probably know, it makes as much power as the Civic Si while making more torque, so it's really quick. While it's missing the LSD and variable ratio steering from the Si, the stiff structure of the 11th gen Civic platform and good suspension and steering tuning out of the box makes it a very responsive and fun to handle car even in the corners. The tires on this car are also wider than most of its hybrid competitors, being the exact same factory size as the Si.
The lack of manual transmission is already being missed, but using the steering mounted paddles to manually adjust the regen levels give a surprising engagement to the driving experience. At max regen throttle off, the car feels just like a manual transmission engine braking rather than the typical runaway feeling of a typical automatic trans setup.
2) It's still a Civic (and basically a Prelude). Even though this car will never get an exhaust that sounded as good as my old Greddy DDR in my Si, there are still many aftermarket upgrades that will fit on this car since other than the powertrain, it is still a regular ol' Civic. There's already a wealth of information on suspension, chassis, and appearance enhancing modifications that exists and parts are very easy to come by. With the current Honda Prelude basically being a coupe version of this car with nicer suspension and brakes, I'd imagine eventually the money could be spent instead on modifications on the FL4 instead of buying a Prelude and basically have a much more practical and well handing 4 door Prelude.
The HPD accessories also look pretty good for the 11th gen hatchbacks, especially the wing, so I made sure that was the first thing I added within my first week with the car.
The facelift look took a little bit to grow on me but especially with the new HPD front underbody spoilers, I think the front end looks really good. (That is the next on the list to add.)
3) I love the interior. While almost everything was great with my old Si, the coupe body style with the moonroof meant that I wouldn't always fit comfortably in the car in my driving position, and I definitely would not fit in the car with a helmet on. This meant despite being the perfect car for weekend track days or autocross, I couldn't participate in any of them because I simply couldn't drive the car safely with a helmet on. The FL4 remedies this. The 11th gen hatchback body style manages to look pretty sleek for what it is while having crossover SUV levels of headroom, even with a moonroof. I can find my perfect driving position and I still have enough headroom to sit with whatever bulky headgear I choose to wear. While I would still prefer a coupe body style, it is nice to have a car with a moonroof that I can sit comfortably in without curling like a shrimp.
I also love the design of the interior and how thin the A pillars and doors are. It gives me the feeling of driving a 90s Honda again without the tin can feeling of driving a 90s Honda. The instrument panel design is also very classy and almost a bit retro which I am a big fan of. While I miss the sporty bucket seats of my Si, for a daily driver I have to admit the "normie" leather wrapped seats are really comfortable while giving me enough support for if I want to send it into a corner briskly.
4) I don't have to freeze on winter mornings. One benefit of having an automatic car is I have remote start now, which is especially useful for arctic Michigan winter mornings. That's something I always found myself wishing for whenever Jack Frost came around to tap on all the windows. It is a bit funny though, the last time I had a car with remote start was my Hyundai Kona N, which had a pretty loud exhaust that I could audibly confirm that it was running. With the FL4 being a hybrid however, it sometimes starts up in EV mode and it's hard to tell if the car actually started up or not. Even if it does fire up the gas engine, the mufflers do their job so well it's hard to tell without being directly next to the car.
I'm really excited to see where this new Civic takes me, and while I have to wait a bit to really do all the things I yearn to do to it, I'm glad I picked a car I enjoy enough to make giving up my Si less painful! Thanks for reading my long ramble about a silly hybrid Civic! :3
I absolutely adored this car and it's never left me stranded. It was quick, handled well, and was practical enough for someone who mostly drove around alone. As an enthusiast, the manual transmission was a huge draw for this car as well. It was the car I dreamed of owning since I saw the prototype displayed at the Detroit Autoshow in 2017.
This year, combined with many stars lining up at the right time, I ended up trading in my Si for a 2026 Civic Sport Touring Hybrid Hatchback (a mouthful yes, so I will just refer to it as the FL4). I also got married a few months back, so I also wanted to consider my wife's needs and comforts as well.
While it's not as sleek as a coupe and essentially an automatic (I tried to teach my wife manual but she really struggled and really didn't want to), it still really appealed to me for a few reasons:
1) It's really fun to drive. The Two Motor Hybrid (e:HEV) system in the FL4 is very interesting from an engineering standpoint and in my opinion, an amazing enthusiast drivetrain from a FHEV standpoint. As many of us already probably know, it makes as much power as the Civic Si while making more torque, so it's really quick. While it's missing the LSD and variable ratio steering from the Si, the stiff structure of the 11th gen Civic platform and good suspension and steering tuning out of the box makes it a very responsive and fun to handle car even in the corners. The tires on this car are also wider than most of its hybrid competitors, being the exact same factory size as the Si.
The lack of manual transmission is already being missed, but using the steering mounted paddles to manually adjust the regen levels give a surprising engagement to the driving experience. At max regen throttle off, the car feels just like a manual transmission engine braking rather than the typical runaway feeling of a typical automatic trans setup.
2) It's still a Civic (and basically a Prelude). Even though this car will never get an exhaust that sounded as good as my old Greddy DDR in my Si, there are still many aftermarket upgrades that will fit on this car since other than the powertrain, it is still a regular ol' Civic. There's already a wealth of information on suspension, chassis, and appearance enhancing modifications that exists and parts are very easy to come by. With the current Honda Prelude basically being a coupe version of this car with nicer suspension and brakes, I'd imagine eventually the money could be spent instead on modifications on the FL4 instead of buying a Prelude and basically have a much more practical and well handing 4 door Prelude.
The HPD accessories also look pretty good for the 11th gen hatchbacks, especially the wing, so I made sure that was the first thing I added within my first week with the car.
The facelift look took a little bit to grow on me but especially with the new HPD front underbody spoilers, I think the front end looks really good. (That is the next on the list to add.)
3) I love the interior. While almost everything was great with my old Si, the coupe body style with the moonroof meant that I wouldn't always fit comfortably in the car in my driving position, and I definitely would not fit in the car with a helmet on. This meant despite being the perfect car for weekend track days or autocross, I couldn't participate in any of them because I simply couldn't drive the car safely with a helmet on. The FL4 remedies this. The 11th gen hatchback body style manages to look pretty sleek for what it is while having crossover SUV levels of headroom, even with a moonroof. I can find my perfect driving position and I still have enough headroom to sit with whatever bulky headgear I choose to wear. While I would still prefer a coupe body style, it is nice to have a car with a moonroof that I can sit comfortably in without curling like a shrimp.
I also love the design of the interior and how thin the A pillars and doors are. It gives me the feeling of driving a 90s Honda again without the tin can feeling of driving a 90s Honda. The instrument panel design is also very classy and almost a bit retro which I am a big fan of. While I miss the sporty bucket seats of my Si, for a daily driver I have to admit the "normie" leather wrapped seats are really comfortable while giving me enough support for if I want to send it into a corner briskly.
4) I don't have to freeze on winter mornings. One benefit of having an automatic car is I have remote start now, which is especially useful for arctic Michigan winter mornings. That's something I always found myself wishing for whenever Jack Frost came around to tap on all the windows. It is a bit funny though, the last time I had a car with remote start was my Hyundai Kona N, which had a pretty loud exhaust that I could audibly confirm that it was running. With the FL4 being a hybrid however, it sometimes starts up in EV mode and it's hard to tell if the car actually started up or not. Even if it does fire up the gas engine, the mufflers do their job so well it's hard to tell without being directly next to the car.
I'm really excited to see where this new Civic takes me, and while I have to wait a bit to really do all the things I yearn to do to it, I'm glad I picked a car I enjoy enough to make giving up my Si less painful! Thanks for reading my long ramble about a silly hybrid Civic! :3
