2004 Honda Civic SiR Road Test

Also accenting the Honda's tuner persona is a pair of incredibly comfortable, heavily bolstered front sport seats, covered in

The 2004 SiR comes with redesigned headlights and taillights for a more customized appearance. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press)

grippy suede-like Alcantara and featuring sporty red stitching. I found the driver's seat great for everyday use, but I have a real beef with the seatbelt location. It was too far to reach, especially for me as I sit fairly close to the steering wheel. I actually had to physically turn my body around, stretching backward to grab the belt. It was extremely awkward and completely annoying.

What wasn't awkward or annoying was the standard 6-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system. What's a good car without good tunes? The sound quality was decent enough, but then again nowhere near as outstanding as the Panasonic system that came standard in last year's MazdaSpeed Protegé. The Nissan Sentra SE-R Rockford Fosgate system is pretty good too.

Safety wise, Honda has left nothing out. The SiR is laced with front and rear stabilizer bars, electrical power steering with

Unlike other tuner cars, the SiR runs best on regular unleaded, achieving 9.2 L/100 km in the city and 7.0L/100 km on the highway. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press)

variable assist, large-diameter front and rear disc brakes with ABS and Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD); all top-tier features on the 2004 Civic.

It was also reassuring to my pocketbook that the SiR, which is exclusively made at Honda's UK Manufacturing facility in Swindon, England, is economical on fuel. Unlike other tuner cars, the SiR runs best on regular unleaded, achieving 9.2 L/100 km in the city and 7.0L/100 km on the highway. Not bad for all the fun I had on my way up the Sea-to-Sky. Knowing that getting on the throttle and sensibly driving out my frustrations wouldn't cost me a fortune was comforting to say the least.