Set out on a mission for a new best friend, a reliable mode of transportation, one that will get me from home to work, a rather far commute. But not just one that will get me there. One that you can roll back the sunroof, take the windows down, and let the wind blow in your hair. One that performs outstandingly, but doesn't have the price tag of a car that does. One that would set my "Race Car" like wants towards an affordable alternative.

In my search, I found not many cars out there that would save gas, be quick on its feet, and handle well. But I did find some. But I found most of all I disliked the controls. The steering would suddenly seem to decrease the radius of a turn your in the middle of. Some would handle well, but they felt like you were inside a large pickup truck. I hadn't heard of Honda's Civic Si, but I was looking into the Prelude line. I found the Prelude line very expensive for what you receive. Then my Civic and I were introduced.

Upon sitting in the car, I noticed that the stock seats were comfortable, and at least semi-supportive. The car looks and feels rather conservative. Not wild one bit, except for the pretty bright blue color. Starting the car, felt right at home just like my old Honda. I drove it. Not super impressive at first, but a decent ride, nice handling for what I was allowed to test with the dealership. Acceleration wasn't bad, though I could find it's full potential until after the break-in period. Price at a nice $17,500, I bought it.

The first time I came to an intersection with a yellow turn arrow, I sped up quick, turned the corner, no a struggle from the tires. I was shocked. This amazing handling from this little front-wheel driven car makes driving it a real thrill. Steering is very neutral, unlike most front-wheel drive cars, which tend to "forget to steer" on sharp turns at speed.

Acceleration is superb, I find myself being able to pass almost all sedans and coupes, and several sports cars without problems. It lacks the sport car torque, to fill that "head-stuck-to-headrest" feeling, but gets going almost as quick. The After-market is a hot point for this car.

The entire car looks just like a Civic. The same old Civic. The interior is the same. Very conservative yet pleasing to the eye. The engine, transmission, 15" alloy wheels, sporty tires, larger exhaust system, all change this one into a wild one on the performance side. An excellent surprise for those "Lane thieves" who thinks you bought "Another Civic".