I understand that, but they've fallen behind the curve. Back in 1992 when the 5th gen came out, 125 hp was a lot, especially compared to the competiton. However, in 2004 lets look at the competition (equivalent models to EX):

Corrola: 130 hp
Sentra: 165 hp
Cavalier: 140 hp
Neon: 150 hp
Focus: 130 hp
Elantra: 138 hp
Mazda 3: 160 hp
Lancer: 120 hp
Ion: 140 hp

Now granted, I know most of these cars (ok, all of them except the Corrola) do not have Honda quality or reliability. However, the Civic would be second from the bottom on the list...thats kind of sad. They've fallen behind the curve. If they could bump their power output up to around 140 hp (which they could easily do with that 1.7L engine), they'd be back in the game.