2003 Honda Civic SiR - A Cult Favorite in the Making
Every Japanese performance car enthusiast raised a ruckus when Honda dropped the Civic hatchback in 2000. And then to make matters worse the 160-hp Si-R coupe was axed for 2001. What was Honda thinking? Were they so successful with bread and butter sedans that they forgot about the performance compact market that put them on the Canadian map in the first place?
Well, I suppose we all make mistakes. The important thing is to make amends and put the past behind us. Hot-hatch fans can rest assured the new 2003 SiR is the perfect penance. 
Unlike its predecessor the sporty hatchback is unique to the rest of the Civic line, being the only model incorporating a 3-door configuration. It's hardly intimidating, with a cute little face and large headlamps that mimic a child's wide-eyed enthusiasm, fitting considering its fun-at-all-costs mission. The hood and front fenders drop sharply towards the road in front making outward vision fantastic, while a large steeply raked windshield cants back at an almost identical angle. It's relatively slab sided with no protective body-side molding, giving the little tyke a heavy looking mid-section. From the back it is pleasing but I have to admit, hardly distinctive.