2017 Honda Civic Si Sedan: Four Doors, Medium Spice Level

What It Is: The medium-spicy Si version of Honda’s 10th-generation Civic, slotting in between the standard 174-hp sedan and the wild 300-plus-hp Type R hot hatch. It will be offered both as a sedan and as a coupe, with the former pictured here. The latter was previewed by a Civic Si prototype shown last fall.

Why It Matters: We’ve been impressed by the newest Honda Civic in all of its forms, and the Si may end up being the sweet spot. It won’t be as outright bonkers as the Type R, but its engine and chassis upgrades should make it plenty of fun to drive. We also appreciate what looks like a relatively tasteful visual upgrade for the Si sedan, which keeps it from looking overly racy like the Type R or even the standard Civic Sport hatchback, both of which have gone a bit overboard with vents and scoops adorning the body. The Si appears to be tamer, with the most noticeable changes including larger wheels, a mild body kit, and a rear spoiler. A more aggressive Honda Factory Performance (HFP) aerodynamics kit will be available for those who want extra flash.

Platform: The Si sedan will share the same chassis that underpins all variants of the 10th-gen Civic, albeit with Si-specific tuning that should sharpen things up. Honda also will offer optional adaptive dampers and high-performance tires on 19-inch wheels.

Powertrain: An uprated version of the standard Civic’s turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder should make close to 200 horsepower. It’ll send torque to the front wheels exclusively through a six-speed manual transmission, and a limited-slip differential will be optional.

Competition: Ford Focus ST, Hyundai Elantra Sport, Nissan Sentra NISMO, Subaru WRX, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Volkswagen Jetta GLI.

Estimated Arrival and Price: We expect the new Si variants to arrive sometime during the summer after debuting in production form in late spring. A likely starting price around $24,000 would put the Si just above the $22,375 Civic 1.5T, just under the $25,650 Ford Focus ST, and considerably below the likely $35,000 Civic Type R.