2008 Honda Civic Mugen Si Sedan

Mugen, which means “without limits,”is Honda’s tuner of choice and has been since 1973. Although Hondas with Mugen goodies have been sold in the homeland for a quarter-century, the 2008 Civic Si sedan is the first such vehicle officially exported to the U.S.


Basically, it’s an Si with a body kit, sport exhaust, and revised suspension. It looks like an import tuner’s dream: a huge, bigbore exhaust tip; sexy GP 18-inch forged aluminum wheels; side skirts; an aggressive air dam; and an A380-sized rear wing. It is beautifully done, which isn’t often the case when import tuners modify cars. Inside, the only difference from a stock Si is a Mugen aluminum shift knob.

The Civic Si’s 197-hp, 2.0-liter inline-four remains a stock virgin, save for the sport exhaust that reduces back pressure aft of the catalytic converter. This seems a lost opportunity, because tuner kids know that Mugen’s real expertise is in giving Honda engines more suds. On the chassis front, Mugen lowered the suspension 0.6 inch, added forged wheels shod with BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW 215/40ZR-18s, and increased spring and shock rates.

Anyone expecting extra performance will be disappointed. At the track, the Mugen Si sedan went from 0 to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds, 0.1 second slower than the last Si coupe. Put that down to the sedan’s weighing 81 more pounds than the coupe, at 2941 pounds. The super-revvy engine gets wearing, but we liked the exhaust note.


On the skidpad, overall grip was a slightly disappointing 0.88 g, lower than the coupe’s 0.91 g. The best feature of the Mugen Si is the suspension, which trades little in ride quality for sharper steering, crisper turn-in, and better body control.

Honda is shipping only 1000 Mugen Si sedans a year here, so the car will be exclusive. The price will ensure that, too: $30,135, a premium of $8190 over a base Si sedan. Most Honda tuners will think they can do a similar job for less money—and the merely rational will buy a Mitsu Evo or Subaru STI.

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door Sedan

PRICE AS TESTED: $30,135 (base price: $30,135)

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection
Displacement: 122 cu in,1998cc
Power (SAE net): 197 bhp @ 7800 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 139 lb-ft @ 6100 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 106.3 in Length: 177.8 in Width: 55.9 in Height: 69.0 in
Curb weight: 2941 lb

TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 6.8 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 17.6 sec
Street start, 5-60 mph: 7.5 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.2 sec @ 93 mph
Top speed (redline limited): 130 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 166 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.88 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city driving: 21 mpg

2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Sedan

Although the Impreza WRX is ever the lovable bad boy who attracts the cheerleaders’ adoration, it is the practical Impreza 2.5i sedan and hatchback that do the heavy lifting in Subaru’s showrooms. For 2008, the Impreza has undergone a makeover—for starters, it’s 4.5 inches longer—although its driveline is little changed.

The familiar 170-hp flat-four propels this latest Subie to 60 mph in 7.6 seconds—0.3 second quicker than its forebear, 0.2 quicker than a Mitsubishi Lancer GTS, 0.1 quicker than a Honda Civic LX. The engine is satisfyingly quieter at idle—4 dBA, in fact—but is slightly louder at WOT and at 70-mph cruise. The boxer’s raspy growl remains endearing, but if the company intends to finagle its way into the wallets of luxury-car buyers in the next decade—as Ikuo Mori, CEO of parent company Fuji Heavy Industries, claims—then it must slash the Impreza’s NVH levels to those of, say, the Nissan Altima 2.5S.

With its generic new skin, the Impreza is no longer instantly identifiable as a Subaru. Onlookers asked if it might be a Suzuki or a Kia. Also new is the control-arm rear suspension that was expected to improve handling. It has not. Grip has fallen from the 2007 model’s 0.80 g to 0.78 g. You don’t notice it on the road, however, where the Impreza, with its 3.7-inch-longer wheelbase, still takes an eager, confident set in turns. Body roll is noticeable but never seems to impinge on path control, and there’s less squat at launch. Overall, the ride-and-handling trade-off is just about perfect.

What the new control arms have delivered, however, is a slightly larger trunk with a lower floor. Combine that with rear seats that now fold in a 60/40 split, and the Impreza is more useful at Whole Foods.

The steering is linear and informative, with zero kickback and strong self-centering. The car tracks like a vehicle twice its size. Nicely weighted at speed, the steering is nonetheless a titch heavy in parking lots. The shifter is light and positive, as gratifying as any competitor’s, and the pedals are heel-and-toeable.

With two more inches of front shoulder room, the cockpit is far more welcoming and airy, and visibility is fantastic, aided by the “portholes” in the C-pillars. Although all the interior surfaces are base plastic or vinyl, they’re nicely grained and pleasing to the touch. The switchgear is silky, the three rotary HVAC controls are the quintessence of thoughtful ergonomics, and the radio is perched at the top of the center stack. The mouse-fur front seats are grippy, and the back seat is spacious for two adults, although the seat cushion is so low that your knees are above your beltline.

2.5i sedan carried a sticker of $17,640 (add $500 for the five-door), which, of course, includes Subaru’s all-wheel drive with a viscous limited-slip center diff—a lot of car for the money. In the hardscrabble world of econoboxes, the Impreza remains mighty imprezzive.

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

PRICE AS TESTED: $17,640 (base price: $17,640)

ENGINE TYPE: SOHC 16-valve flat-4, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 150 cu in, 2457cc
Power (SAE net): 170 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 170 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 103.1 in Length: 180.3 in Width: 68.5 in Height: 58.1 in
Curb weight: 3050 lb

TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 7.6 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 22.1 sec
Street start, 5-60 mph: 8.9 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.9 sec @ 87 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 130 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 179 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.78 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city driving: 20 mpg