TRAVIS LANGNESS: The new Civic Si is here.
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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,
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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.
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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.
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