I love this car. I used to have an '08 SI with the 2.0L engine, and it was a hoot. I also drove the current iteration with the 2.4L, and while I was expecting it to fall flat in the fun department, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it retained much of the character of the original K20 mill.
Now-a-days, if I were looking at a car such as this, would I go for a Civic SI, or a BRZ? Hmm, I guess it would depend on circumstances. If I was a family man with another family/road trip suitable vehicle (which I am), I'd probably look at a BRZ. If I was without kids, only had one vehicle, and needed something to use as an all-around car, I would probably look at the Civic for it's occasional passenger and cargo carrying capacity.