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