Of course, the 2007 Honda Civic Si Sedan looks different from the Si Coupe, with a unique body design as well as its own grille and rear spoiler. Otherwise, the Si Sedan is, for the most part, the spitting image of its svelte sister. It wears the same exhaust finisher, the same “iVTEC” decals, and the same snazzy silver-painted alloy wheels. For 2007, a new wheel finish called sparkle silver is available on the Si Sedan and Si Coupe, appropriately trendy in a darker color yet bright enough to avoid the dirty appearance elicited by most gray rims. The sedan’s humble wing spoiler integrates well with the Civic’s fresh design and isn’t too boy-racerish, but a lip spoiler would be preferable.

Inside, the Civic Si Sedan’s materials quality is excellent, and the car is decked out with the same well bolstered and embroidered sport seats as the Si Coupe, which means they’re also covered in fabric that sticks to clothing and shows lots of lint. The floor mats are also embroidered, and the Si Sedan gets sport pedals, a three-spoke leather-wrapped steering, and red gauge illumination with a high-rev warning indicator light.

Functionally, the split-level dash design is terrific but I’m not warming up to the look, which is too busy with panel joints in comparison to the car’s otherwise clean appearance inside and out. Assuming the split arrangement is a given, I think it would be better to have a green, yellow, and red bar graph tachometer up top with a traditional speedometer, fuel gauge, temperature gauge, and oil pressure gauge down below. In this car, where maximum horsepower is made so close to maximum repair bills, revs are critical, not speed, so the tach should be located high and within the driver’s line of sight.