The Si trim, which stands for "Sequential Injection" or "Sport Injected," was introduced for the third generation of Honda Civics in both Japan and North America. In Canada the trim became known as the SiR for the sixth and seventh generations. For the Japanese and European markets, the Civic Type R was adopted as the high-performance variant of the Civic, starting with the EK9 hatch for Japan in
1997 and with the EP3 hatch for Europe in 2001. In North America the Type R name has never been used for Civics, and the Si/SiR badge continues to signify the highest performance trim. The Civic Si contrasts with the more track-oriented and spartan. Type R has been positioned as more of a full-featured sport trim, featuring luxury options such as a sunroof and a seven speaker audio system. The Civic is popular as a platform for modification and customization by an enthusiast community. Starting with the fourth generation and continuing through the 2000 model year, Civics had front double wishbone suspension, something common in midsize and larger cars but rarely found in compacts. This advanced four-wheel independent suspension was inspired by Honda's racing research and allowed class-leading handling. Also, because of parts interchangeability, many Civics which were originally equipped with lower-power engines can later be equipped with a newer Honda engine , or many other upgrades.The most common swaps are B16A(Civic SI), B18C(Acura Integra GSR), or the new powerful K20(06-present Civic SI/RSX Type-S). Most recent seventh and eighth generations are still competitive as tuner projects. However, they have succumbed to added weight, and higher centers of gravity which has significantly reduced their appeal amongst passionate drivers. Particularly unwelcome among the tuner community was the replacement of the front double-wishbone suspension with MacPherson struts, which provide inferior handling and do not allow dynamic camber angle control.