2008 Honda Civic LX Sedan AT

We've avoided glossy-eyed retrospectives of 2007, but if you were in the market for a practical, affordable and entertaining ride in the last year, there were a handful of vehicles to be had for under $25 large. The Mazdaspeed3, R56 MINI Cooper S and VW GTI have set the fun-to-drive quotient relatively high, but one vehicle that's been left out of the Autoblog Garage is the Honda Civic Si. While the coupe has garnered its fair share of praise, we understand that your average Joe and Jane have people and stuff to schlep; thankfully, so does Honda. So with little fanfare last year, it released the Civic Si Sedan to the masses and in the process created yet another entertaining steer for those of us unable or unwilling to break the $30,000 ceiling. %Gallery-19177% All photos Copyright ©2008 Damon Lavrinc / Weblogs, Inc. As you're probably already aware, the sedan version gets the same 2.0-liter, iVTEC-equipped inline-four found in the Si coupe, mated to Honda's snickety-snicktastic six-speed manual. All 197 horses are sent to the front wheels through a limited slip differential, but are only available in the 7,800 rpm stratosphere. Torque is characteristically Honda, meaning it's minimal and sometimes laughable, with only 139 lb.-ft. of the stuff coming in at an unreasonably high 6,100 rpm. While winding the Si out to its 8,200 rpm fuel cutoff is tons of fun, we can understand that it isn't for everyone. The exterior is understated boy-racer chic, like some of its competitors. A couple of Si badges adorn the grille and trunk lid, along with a pair of iVTEC stickers affixed to the rear doors. The 17x7-inch wheels wrapped in optional fair weather-friendly Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 rubber are carried over from the coupe, while a low-key spoiler is perched out back. It's all very restrained for a vehicle that takes the cheese-wedge aesthetic to an unheard of level. And say what you will about the comically raked windshield, it apes the Countach in all the right ways, except for the acres of dash left in its wake. And what a dash it is. Your opinion about the Civic's interior is strictly a matter of taste; you either like Battlestar Galactica or you don't. The idea behind the two-tiered instrument cluster is sound from a driving standpoint, but its function may as well be to break up the table tennis size expanse of soft touch plastic. On the high side of things, the second bezel houses a digital speedo flanked by two gauges to keep tabs on the fuel level and engine temp. If you aren't able to hear the engine's crescendo on its approach to redline (hint: keep the window down), a small red light will begin to blink on the second tier letting you know when the high-revving party is about to end.

Visit Moto Now online at motonow.net to see more pictures of this vehicle or call us at 865-366-3340 today to schedule your test drive.