The new turbocharged, 2016 Honda Civic EX has proven itself to be faster than the old Civic Si in a straight line and now we have an idea why; it pumps up 177 hp and 190 lb-ft of torque at the axles.
The crew over at Hondata, who just happened to stage the aforementioned EX vs Si race, recently hooked up the new hatchback to their set of dynapacks to see why the new car is so surprisingly punchy.
With 177 hp and 190 lb-ft being recorded at the axles, the tuning company’s Civic 1.5T proved quite a bit more powerful than the 174 hp and 162 lb-ft which Honda itself quotes. However, given that the Civic tested was fitted with a CVT transmission, returning accurate horsepower and torque numbers can prove difficult. Additionally, the car has a torque converter which can contribute to higher torque figures when measured through dynapacks.
While these figures are impressive for an entry-level model, the horsepower figure is still some way behind the 205 hp offered up by the 2015 Civic Si.
Despite that, a later test from Hondata down the eighth-mile discovered that the new Civic EX is actually 0.2 of a second faster, perfectly displaying the benefits of forced induction and the extra torque it provides.