2001 Honda Civic Lx Coupe 2-door 1.7l on 2040-cars

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Car and Driver lists 10Best for 2013, same as it ever was

Forgive us for having the distinct feeling of déjà vu, but it certainly feels like we've been here before. By that we are referring Car and Driver and the announcement of its annual 10Best vehicles for 2013. To be sure, it's an impressive selection of cars that combine heart-pounding performance and frugal sensibilities, but it also represents something of a broken record on the part of C/D. We're not so sure that's a flaw, though, as the resulting list is tough to argue with.
Vehicles like the Ford Mustang, Porsche Boxster, and BMW 3 Series have maintained their high-horsepower spots on this list for several years now. Even on the more practical and nimble end, the Honda Accord, Honda Fit and Mazda Miata have not budged. These continued spots are even in light of redesigns for some vehicles such as the Accord, Boxster and 3 Series.
In fact, the only newcomer to the 10Best list this year are the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ twins, which knocked out the Cadillac CTS-V. We think it would have been a huge misstep to have excluded the FR-S/BRZ, even in light of the supercharged Caddy's lamentable departure from 10Best.

Remembering the glory days of the Honda Civic Si

In addition to watching host John Davis slowly age over his decades on the show, MotorWeek's Retro Review series on YouTube allows us to look back on some of the favorite models of yesteryear to see their evolution toward present day. Take the 1989 Honda Civic Si for example, which is newly featured. The name is still on the market, and the current model boasts 205 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque from its 2.4-liter four-cylinder. However, the current Si is being left behind in power by other performance compacts like the latest Volkswagen GTI, Subaru WRX and Ford Focus ST. Back in 1989, the Civic Si was still something of an upstart in the hot hatch ranks and definitely had something to prove. Remember, this was a about decade before the tuner boom of the late '90s gave these Hondas massive popularity. Though, the writing was on the wall for eventual success, based on the MotorWeek review. The show called it "stylish" and was attracted to vehicle's sharp handing, even with no power steering. Like today, power was lacking compared to major competitors like he VW GTI, but Honda's 1.6-liter four-cylinder with 108 hp and 100 lb-ft still received some praise. As always, it's fascinating to see how these now beloved models stack up when looking back. The high-performance Civic might be due for another surge in popularity too, if the forthcoming Type R from Europe ever makes to the US. News Source: MotorWeek via YouTube Honda Hatchback Performance Classics Videos honda civic si

2015 Civic Type R will make 'at least' 276 hp from 2.0L turbo [w/video]

Honda may not actually be showing off the production form of its upcoming Euro-only 2015 Civic Type R at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year, but it did take advantage of the focused media attention to make a pretty cool announcement. In addition to dropping a really hot video of the new Type R testing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Honda Europe president, Manabu Nishimae, gifted us with some juicy details about the coming hot hatch.
Nishimae confirmed rumors that this Type R would make use of a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, while telling us that the mill would be good for an output of "at least 280 PS." A raw conversion from PS (metric horsepower) to standard horsepower gives us a figure of about 276 hp, or very near the rumored figure of 300 galloping, front-wheeled ponies.
The company will need each ounce of output from its new 2.0-liter engine if it is to meet its stated performance target: making the Civic Type R the fastest front-wheel-drive production car around the 'Ring. Apparently this last session of testing, with World Touring Car Championship driver Gabriele Tarquini at the wheel, has already gotten Honda close to the lap record. Scroll down to read Honda's brief press release about the upcoming Type R, and, more importantly, to listen to the car as it's throttled around the track.