What am I talking about? Yes there's a distinct connection between these first two Civics and the Alfa Romeo GTV! You might want to call me nuts, or biased or way off but I will argue with anyone who thinks I'm wrong that there's an unmistakeable link tying these cars together. I have owned all three and can say, wow, they all feel similar when driving at a brisk pace. How has Honda matched the legenday driving feel of the Alfa GTV, or one coud say how was Alfa Romeo able to be 50 years ahead of its time.
So what do these look like? Here are four cars I have owned- two Civic Si's, one Civic Hybrid Hatch and one 1972 Alfa Romeo GTV. From my photo gallery:
The lightweight in the group is the Alfa Romeo GTV coming in at 2400 pounds and produces 130 HP.
I'll be referring to these numbers in a moment.
My 2022 orange Civic Si
and my other dark blue 2022 Civic Si.
Let's look at the numbers: The numbers are the key to why these cars are so similar in their 'feel'. And the feel is what counts when driving a quick car vs a fast high powered car.
In a word all of them are sneaky quick! With relative light weight (even the hybrid), a perfectly tuned suspension, and precise steering the equalizer is the torque and gearing.
So read down for my summary analysis.
My car on the cover of Alfa Owner
Every one of these cars is a pleasure to drive because they all have precise steering feel and realtively compliant suspensions that don't beat you up on rough pavement. Each car does everything well from the ability to see out without major blind spots, to the way they shift (in the case of the Hybrid automatic a word is smoothness). Another word- simplicity. Honda and Alfa use the KISS principle- keep it simple stupid. All the switchgear is right where your hand naturally falls and the gages are nice and round and easy to read. You feel like you like the car and the car likes you. No funny business and no surprises.
A word about the Hybrid. It is a different driving technique/ experience. I was driving in traffic to Harbor Freight today with Google Maps and it said 15 minutes to my destination. Using the regen paddles and timing my approach to traffic lights, I carved through the traffic and came off stops or near stops like an invisible hand was taking me on a magic carpet ride. The gobs of torque propelled me effortlessly to whatever opening in the traffic I was aiming for. No fuss no turbo lag, just poof and you were there! Oh, and that 15 minute trip turned out to be 12 minutes
.
But, there's alway the Civic Si. Rowing the gears is so engaging and the steering and suspension are a notch above the Hybrid, definately fun! And as the revs climb, the aural experience and the feel of the turbo pushing you forward are unmistakeable.
Finally there's the Alfa. Alfa had the secret sauce figured out way back then. They were way ahead of their time and I would say the GTV could keep up with either of the Civics under 70 MPH. The main advantage- weight, hundreds of pounds less to carry around.
I did some quick math and rather than bore you with a lot of numbers, the power to weight ratio is best with the Civic Si, then comes the Hybrid Civic and in last the Alfa. But the torque numbers are fairly close when doing weight to torque ratios. The Hybrid is in first, the Civic Si second and the GTV is third. How that torque is delivered, as in instantaneous in the Hybrid, second in the GTV and third in the Si (turbo lag), all goes into the mix as to how the cars FEEL when driving them.
Each car creates its own feel and in every case that is a good feeling. If I were to pick one car I'd pick the Hybrid because for me it's hitting all the buttons I'm looking for. For someone else it could be the Si, or even the GTV. One thing I can say for sure is that they are all in a class of their own- that dying breed of sporty sedans we grew up on. Honda, you have done a great job with these sporty Civics, so good you can be compared to the Alfa Romeo GTV!
Check out this video on Which Civic Would You Choose? It kind of falls in line with what I wrote.
I'll soon be doing a complete long term road trip review of the Civic Hybrid Hatch when I drive from Florida to new York. Look for that in the near future.
Brought to you by Paul Ziegler, Publisher, Carcamerastory Follow on Instagram @wownowpics
