TRAVIS LANGNESS: The new Civic Si is here.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
There's an old one, too, from 35 years ago. That's how long this car's been around. The Civic Si typically sits between base versions of the Civic and more high performance stuff, hardcore stuff like the Civic Type R. And it doesn't just get exterior changes. These changes to the Civic Si are much more than skin deep. So we're going to take a close look and see just what exactly is different. Super excited.
The standard Honda Civic was completely redesigned for 2022. It got all sorts of new goodies, under the hood, inside and some sleek new looks. I love the way this thing looks. But we're not quite sure yet whether the Civic Si will make that same grade. Will it also be one of our top rated sedans and Edmunds? Well, for more information on the standard Civic and the Civic Si click the link in the description below, press like and subscribe for our YouTube channel, and if you want a cash offer on your car today, go to edmunds.com/sellmycar. Cash is king, right?
So if you've been living under a compact car sized rock for the last 40 years, what is the Honda Civic? Well, it's a compact car and it's one of the best in the class. It's won Edmunds top Rated Award in its class for several generations and this one's no different. But the Si has lots of little things that might not stand out at first glance. It gets more power. There's 200 horses under there. It gets bigger brakes. It gets a spoiler. It gets a different exhaust. It gets stiffer suspension. It gets rev matching. It gets sports seats with more bolstering. It gets stiffer steering. It gets a six speed manual.
[SHIFTING]
So all these changes in small places should mean big changes for the overall package. Sure, it's not going to be as hardcore and fast to drive as the Type R, but it'll be more fun than your standard Civic. And that all starts here, under the hood with power. It's got a 1.5 liter turbocharged engine, which is the same as the previous generation Si, but it's got less power. 200 horsepower compared to 205 on the previous generation Si, which doesn't really make sense. But same amount of torque.
And what Honda has said they've done is change the way it drives. So peak torque comes on 300 RPMS earlier when you're driving and hopefully that means a little bit more drivability and fun before you get all the way to the red line.
Then, aside from the additional power you get stuff like rev matching and a limited slip differential. The rev matching was brought over from the previous gen Type R, and what happens is if you're approaching the corner at a high speed and you go to downshift and brake at the same time the engine will rev for you so the transmission meets the engine speeds and they rotate at the same speed. Rev matching is really cool. The limited slip, it's good for high performance driving and exiting corners, especially on front wheel drive cars like the Si.
A bit of a sad trombone womp-womp moment here. They're piping in exhaust noise from the engine to the cabin via the speakers. Some people might like it, but it's not my cup of tea.
So when you're talking about the Civic Si's suspension, it's going to be a story of all the things that are stiffer on this model than on the standard Civic. Stiffer upper strut mounts, stiffer suspension bushings, stiffer sway bars, larger sway bars, which are the bits that connect the left and the right side of the vehicle suspension.
There's different dampers and there's different wheels and tires available. What all this does, as a combined series of additions to the car, is hopefully make it better in the handling department, flatter through a corner. What we hope it doesn't do is make it worse to drive. All those stiffer suspension bits may make it nice around curvy fast roads or on a racetrack, but it might be harder to live with on a daily basis.
The previous generation Si didn't really have that big of a problem with daily driveability. I'm hoping that'll carry over to this model, which also has a couple of options for tires by the way. These all season high performance tires come standard or you can opt for summer high performance tires. Then there's the brakes. Now these are the same brakes that were used on the previous generation of Civic Si, but they're still bigger than the standard Civic today by about 1.2 inches on the road or in the front at about 0.8 inches on the road or in the rear.
What do bigger brakes mean? Well, they mean more stopping power and more stopping power over time. The larger your rotor, the better you can dissipate heat and the more you can do high-performance driving like on a racetrack or an autocross course. Then, if you get down on your hands and knees you can take a look at the exhaust, which loops around underneath here. It's got increased flow and increased performance and some better sound.
Enough about the power and the suspension. Let's talk about the interior of the Civic Si and how it stacks up to the standard Civic and what's different. For starters, you get the same roomy greenhouse in here. Feels really spacious in the Civic and it is one of the largest vehicles in the class, so that tracks. You also get these sports seats which have bigger bolsters than the standard seats.
The seat bottom is a little higher up and you get an integrated headrest with a cool Si logo in it. I like it. It's also a pretty comfortable seat and I think it'll hold up pretty well on the road, but I still want to try it out. A rarity in the compact class, the Civic Si gets this digital screen for the driver. It's a 7 inch screen and it replaces gauges.
Now, some purists out there are going to say they don't like the replacement of gauges. I don't see it being a huge deal. Then, you get the 9 inch screen. I really like it. I think it's a big improvement over previous generations. Then you get some extra bits of red along here, but there's still a nice honeycomb grill look across the vents. And you get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through wireless connectivity as standard, which means you can hook up your smartphone without having to plug in your USB.
Oh, and two more things. The Civic Si gets the upgraded 12-speaker stereo, the same one that's in the Touring model, and some additional red stitching, which is like along here and along here. It's got to add like 20 horsepower, right? Probably not, but I like the red stitching. It matches the vibe.
So there's a lot to digest, there. Lots of little bits that make this Civic Si stand out when compared to the standard sedan. But how much is it going to cost? Well, Honda hasn't told us yet exactly what it's going to cost but we can guess based on previous generations of the Civic Si. The current Touring model is around $30,000. And old generations of the Civic Si were about $2,000 to $3,000 less than that. So hopefully, this one makes it somewhere in the $28,000 to $30,000 range-- starting prices around there. Fingers crossed.
What does it compete against? Well, there are a couple of high performance sedans and hatchbacks out there that this has on its rival list. Stuff like the Mazda 3 Turbo, the new Subaru WRX, or you can even throw in some weird competitors in there like the new Toyota 86. But it is down on power compared to some of those rivals. So is it worth the trade off? Performance for comfort? Who knows. We'll have to get it out on the road and see just what it's like to drive.
And I can hear you typing in your comments already. Comparison test, Travis? Matter of fact, I can hear myself firing off an email to my boss. Hey, they said comparison test. I'm going to go get my helmet and head for Willow Springs. I'll meet you there. For more information on the Civic Si and all its competitors be sure to click the link in the description below keep on checking back at edmunds.com and press like and subscribe below if you enjoyed this video, and thanks for watching.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
