The Alchemists

They were the enthusiast cars of the 1980s. Does the old magic still work?

- David Zenlea

A THIMBLEFUL OF EXTRA POWER, a dusting of chassis upgrades. Otherwise, the Honda Civic Si and Volkswagen Golf GTI are nearly in distinguishable from humble, volume-selling transportation devices, the sort most people think of the way you do your living-room couch. That they’re objects of affection, even lust, is a tribute to the powerful alchemy that makes some cars more than just cars.

Powerful, but also fickle. Slight changes to the potion can break the spell. (See: Dodge Caliber SRT4.) Which is why the new Si is, on paper, worrisome. It’s no longer top dog, as it now sits between the Civic EX-T and the Civic Type R, while borrowing from both. And it’s turbocharged for the first time.

To test the new formula, we compared it to proven stuff, a 2017 Volkswagen GTI.

First, the obvious: The Si needs a new wardrobe. The coupe and sedan on which Si variants are based (no Si hatch, sorry) already sport the busiest, most aggressive styling ever applied to a Civic. A flimsy wing, expanses of mostly nonfunctional black mesh on the bumpers, and an exhaust tip that looks like a mail slot muck it up. Imagine an alternate universe, where the original 1985 CRX Si had been allowed to mature gracefully, and you have the GTI, which is still faithful to Giorgetto Giugiaro’s original lines. But here’s the key: Flourishes that make a GTI distinguishable from a standard Golf—larger wheels, dual exhaust, roof spoiler, plaid-pattern seats—look as well thought-out as the rest of the design.