The 2012 Honda Civic is back with its two-door Civic Si sports variant. Unveiled at the 2011 New York International Auto Show, this high-performance Si borrows a muscle-car trick to boost its performance. Si implements a 2.4-liter four cylinder engine, which one could call a "2.4 a big block" as the hot rodders would say. It's similar to what General Motors did over 45 years ago when it placed a full-sized car…

With a 197-horsepower (hp) 2.0-liter engine that delivers 139 lb.-ft. of torque, the 2011 Honda Civic Si is nothing to scoff at. However, the perfectionists at Honda have dropped a larger, more powerful 2.4-liter engine in the new 2012 model.

Available starting this spring, the new Honda Civic Si offers a boost in hp, and significantly more torque. Expected ratings are 200 and 170 respectively. For torque, that's a 22-percent increase…