On September 9, 1987, Honda released the fourth-generation Civic (EF).

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If readers have been following our public account, you’ll know that the Civic truly began to shine starting with the fourth generation. This is because among C-segment cars, equipping both front and rear with double wishbone suspension designs was something only Honda was willing to invest heavily in 💸, and this laid a solid foundation of popular support for the Civic's future development.

🚗 If we’re talking about the work that made the Civic famous, it’s definitely not something like the “Type R,” and even less so the “Red Top.” It all began with the EF generation, where Honda put "handling performance"—an element that should be fundamental and essential in all automotive engineering—as the number one priority in its design philosophy. Purely wild power output means nothing; without a solid chassis and agile suspension, it’s all just empty talk. So when the EF debuted, it was enough to shock the global auto scene and car enthusiasts alike 🌍🚗. Even among today’s cars in the same class, having front and rear double wishbone suspension as standard made the Civic a winner! 🏆 It’s still a hot topic among fans today! To those pseudo-enthusiasts still babbling about “Red Top engines throwing bricks with power,” wake up! 🙄

One week after the launch of the fourth-generation Civic, on September 16, the second-generation CR-X based on the EF chassis followed. At launch, only the 1.5L EF6 and the 1.6L Si (EF7) were available. The SiR (EF8) with the B16A engine was only added after 1989.

Just like the first generation, the second-generation CR-X “Bullet Kid” was also derived from the new generation Civic chassis. And the second generation CR-X was built based on the fourth-generation Civic (EF) chassis.

First of all, the second-generation CR-X dropped the "Ballade Sport" prefix. It no longer belonged to the Ballade series and rejoined the Civic system. After switching to the new-generation Civic’s chassis, the handling performance of the second-generation CR-X was a complete transformation ✨. Especially the increased suspension stability brought by the double wishbone design vastly improved its control over camber changes compared to the older MacPherson + torsion beam layout, allowing the tires' grip to be fully utilized. Honda’s chassis engineers integrated their racing experience into the suspension setup, making its cornering ability clean and effortless like slicing through butter 🍽️. Many automotive reviewers have criticized the “soft chassis” of Civics in the 80s and 90s, but if you drive contemporaries like the Corolla, Golf, Escort, etc., which of those can actually be called “rigid”? The 1.5L base model weighed 820 kg, the Si with the ZC engine weighed 880 kg, and the automatic version added another 20 kg.

The second-generation CR-X’s chassis codes differ by model and are EF6, EF7, EF8, instead of the AF, AE used in the Ballade-based first generation.

The second-generation CR-X basically kept the design philosophy of the first generation, continuing to use the “Kammback” shape as the main design language. However, many areas were modified, such as a more streamlined front design to reduce drag. The rooftop vent was eliminated, replaced with a then-trendy large sunroof ☀️. But materials technology wasn’t what it is today. Although it used titanium-coated film and included a sunshade, because the shade was black, it still made the cabin uncomfortably hot in the summer. But the author has driven this generation CR-X SiR many times. Even in hot regions like Hong Kong 🇬🇭, while the cabin gets hot in the summer, strong air conditioning compensates. Driving along seaside roads in Sai Kung is quite pleasant 🌴. As for the rear design, the most iconic feature was the addition of a vertical rear glass panel to reduce rearward blind spots. From the inside rearview mirror, it’s quite novel—top half views the sky, bottom half views the road. Of course, if you’re the kind of “unqualified driver” who doesn’t use the rearview mirror or even puts a cushion over the rear window, you won’t appreciate this clever design.

The additional glass on the hatchback section was treated with a smoked finish, enhancing rear visibility while maintaining interior privacy.

Besides the electric sunroof, Honda also offered a glass roof option for the second-generation CR-X. The glass roof used a titanium film to reduce sunlight and UV intensity. However, it's said that during summer sun exposure, especially with black interiors, cabin temperatures remained very high ☀️⤵️💨.

The interior of the second-generation CR-X also underwent changes, with a new steering wheel, dashboard, and a more driver-oriented center console layout.

In terms of body length, it increased from the first generation's 3675mm to 3755mm. The wheelbase also increased to 2300mm, 100mm longer than the previous generation. Vehicle weight increased slightly as well, ranging from the 820kg of the base 1.5X model to 1000kg for the SiR. Although it gained some weight, this generation CR-X had a secret weapon to reduce the impact of that weight gain. That secret weapon was its suspension system. Since the second-generation CR-X was derived from the fourth-generation Civic, it followed suit when the Civic upgraded its suspension. With front and rear double wishbone suspension being the weapon of the fourth-gen Civic, the CR-X naturally got the same 🏃‍♂️.

That said, the second-generation CR-X had a shorter wheelbase and lighter body than the fourth-generation Civic, and with the benefit of double wishbones, its handling performance only improved further 🌟.

Why is the double wishbone suspension considered a weapon for both the CR-X and the Civic? We’ve explained this many times in past articles, but to reinforce the memory, let’s go over it again 🔄. The double wishbone suspension is strong due to its structure. As the name implies, it consists of two arms—upper and lower—extending horizontally from the chassis perpendicular to it. Many auto editors or so-called chief editors write pretentiously using terms like “double A-arms” or “double wishbones.” If one set of control arms is made of two separate links, they’ll count them 1-2-3-4 and call it a “four-link.” Who knows what kind of training these people received when they joined auto media, or what kind of crap they learned in university auto programs?

Let’s do a proper science explanation again. The double wishbone suspension is a structure, or a “mechanical form.” As long as the upper and lower control arms connecting to the steering knuckle are near-perpendicular to the chassis design, regardless of how many rods each arm consists of or how many mounting points it uses, it's still a double wishbone. As for the so-called “multi-link” setups that everyone dreams about, regardless of whether it uses 4, 5, or 6 rods, it all comes down to one thing: Are the toe and camber adjustments dependent on two or more link combinations? If yes, then it’s a multi-link system. Of course, automotive professors won't teach you this classification directly from textbooks—this must be learned through experience. If one can't even distinguish this basic concept, how can they be an automotive reviewer? What qualifies them to be in the media, let alone call themselves a "media teacher"? 🤦

Maybe this is also why from the 7th generation onwards, Civics returned to front MacPherson and rear pseudo double-wishbone layouts.

In terms of power, just like the fourth-generation Civic, the second-generation CR-X offered two engines in base versions—the 1.5L D15B engine (EF6 chassis code) and the ZC engine in the Si variant. The D15B used a SOHC valve setup, producing 105 hp and 129 Nm of torque at 4500 rpm, using a single carburetor. The ZC engine was a 1590cc DOHC with 16 valves, using Honda’s PGM-Fi fuel injection system, producing 130 hp at 6800 rpm and 144 Nm of torque at 5700 rpm. A minor update in August 1988 added ABS, but the engine remained unchanged.

Because the ZC and B16A engines are taller than previous SOHC engines, Honda added a bulge on the left side of the hood on CR-X Si models to accommodate the ZC engine. On B16A-powered CR-X models, this bulge was removed.

The Si trim also had an Exclusive version with large areas of leather wrapping in the interior and more luxurious features 🙌.

When doubts lingered, on September 22, 1989, Honda finally delivered a surprise—the CR-X SiR with chassis code EF8, featuring the B16A engine. It came with DOHC VTEC valve timing and lift control, 81mm bore, 77.4mm stroke, 10.2 compression ratio, and produced 160 hp at 7600 rpm. Peak torque was only slightly improved to 152 Nm and only arrived at 7000 rpm. Due to the new engine, curb weight increased to 970 kg. It was definitely faster than the Si, but was it dramatically so? Unfortunately, the author hasn’t driven the EF7, so can’t comment on real-world differences between the EF7 and EF8.

The SiR model had a newly designed hood and added a rear spoiler. To accommodate the B16A engine, the hood was specially designed. Mechanically, it received upgrades: front brake rotors grew from 242mm to 262mm, larger front calipers, and the suspension was fitted with high-load (high spring rate) springs.

The SiR’s interior gauge cluster changed as well, integrating water temp and fuel gauges into a three-dial setup. The SiR only came with a 5-speed manual gearbox.

Though early B16A engines only made 160PS, back then, a civilian car engine achieving 100PS per liter was something only Honda could do 🚀.

In September 1990, Honda gave the CR-X an update—front and rear lights and wheel designs were changed. To meet new crash regulations, the bumpers were slightly lengthened, increasing overall length from 3775mm to 3800mm. Electrically foldable side mirrors became standard. The new hood used the same bump shape as the SiR. The Si’s single-sided bulge was also replaced. The updated SiR also got a new LSD (limited-slip differential) to improve corner traction.

After covering the base models of the second-gen CR-X, let’s talk about its limited edition. Since Honda’s tuning brand MUGEN made a performance version for the first-generation CR-X, they naturally did the same for the second generation.

The second-generation model was called the CR-X Pro.2, built by MUGEN based on the 1987 CR-X Si. From the hood bulge, it’s clear it also used the ZC engine.

Like the previous Pro model, MUGEN gave the Pro.2 a new front and rear bumper, side skirts, and a rear wing—all aerodynamically designed by racing expert Takuya Yura. It was also used as a safety car at the Suzuka Circuit ⚡️.

That concludes the story of the second-generation CR-X. If you’re interested in the third-generation CR-X, please stay tuned to our official account for updates. Also, a little message to some peer media outlets: stop copying our topics and refining them for your own content. Our editorial team is from Modi—those who know, know. We’ve got the creative power. Please stop copying. You look really bad doing it! 🧵