Many of us are often torn between sports cars and family sedans. Not everyone can afford to own both a family hauler and a sporty machine. Many can not afford sports luxury sedans that satisfy both needs, either. If that's you, worry not—Honda Civic Si comes to the rescue! Don’t want a regular CIvic? Can’t afford a Type R? Well lucky you, because there’s a Civic Si to bridge the gap between the two. That’s what Honda marketed the Civic Si as anyway. But how is the new sports sedan? Does it really satisfy both needs, or does it come out as yet another "Jack of all trades, master of none?" In our case, we loved it, for the most part.
There are a lot of features that make us want to ditch higher-priced and even faster sports cars in favor of this one. And on the flip side, there are also some pretty basic features missing. One reason to justify it is that it’s the cheapest in the segment, starting at $28,000. But the missing features may be small but a lot of us have gotten pretty used to some of them. So, what are our favorite features? Here are 9 of them, plus 1 that we hate.
10 The Rear Seating Is Very Spacious For A Compact Sports Sedan
In most cases, compact sports sedans focus the most on performance and handling rather than legroom and cargo space. Most features of a compact sports sedan cater to the driver and up to some extent, the front passenger riding shotgun. The rear seats are usually better off used as luggage carriers.
But in the new Civic Si, you can fit two normal-sized ADULT humans comfortably. Emphasize the word comfortably here. Not only does it add more practicality to the car, but it also functions as a family car when it’s not track day.
9 The Instrument Cluster Is Surprisingly Customizable
In sub-$30,000 sedans, you do not expect them to have a digital instrument cluster, at least not a good one anyway. But the Civic Si has a very neat-looking cluster with an analog speedometer, but a digital screen for a tachometer, and many more things. For example, you can have your cluster screen show anything from music playback to radio to phone contacts for calling and a lot more cool stuff.
But the two that caught our eye were the turbo gauge that shows how much boost (in psi) you’re getting from your turbo, and a stopwatch to easily track your acceleration runs, quarter miles, or lap times. You don’t see that often in cars in this range.
8 The Updated Front And Rear Bumper Design Looks Awesome
Compared to the standard 2022 Civic, the Si boasts a different grille with a honeycomb pattern with a red ‘Si’ badge to make it look more aggressive. Honda also made a big deal out of the fact that the front painted panel is wider and comes much more outward or forward than the regular Civic.
On the rear, for some reason, we love that Honda decided to add a big spoiler even though it's an FWD 200 HP sedan. Honda also gave it a dual exhaust system. But then again, these have been the mark of a performance sedan for years now. The design of this car is one of its best features
7 It Borrows Some Cool Mechanical Components From The Previous-Generation Civic Type R
If you want pure performance in a Honda regardless of the budget or other practical factors, the Civic Type R is the one to get. Everything from the engine to the tires is probably different/better in the Type R than the Si, right? Well yeah, but the Si gets some Type R components too.
The Si is one of the last performance cars with 3 pedals and a stick shift. And the stick shift looks like it’s taken straight from the faster one. It also gets automatic rev-matching from the Type R that works like a charm. Things like these do give the Si some value for money aspects.
6 It's Got Better Mileage And Cargo Space Than Class Average
Yup, line up all the performance sedans in direct comparison to the Civic Si, and the Honda will haul the most stuff and go the furthest. For those of us on a budget, sometimes we cannot compromise on practical stuff for just pure performance. In that case, the Civic Si makes the most sense.
The rated mileage of the Si is 27 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. That’s way better than what its German or American competitors have to offer. And we have already mentioned an adult sitting comfortably in the rear seats.
5 The Red Ornate Mesh Brings A Lot Of Flashiness In The Interior Cabin
Do not think that it’s all seriousness and logical designing everywhere. The Civic Si does come with some flashiness and show-off-worthy elements. Step inside, and you’ll instantly notice the red ornate mesh grille running across the cabin.
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There’s red stitching everywhere for that sporty feeling, but the grille does most of the work here. Honda did a cool job blending and hiding the a/c vents in that red grille to make it look more upmarket and modern. Even the climate controls are tactile and feel great to use.
4 It's Got Sharp Handling And Performance That'll Take You By Surprise
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Let us tell you that the handling in the car is way better than one might expect from a 200 hp FWD sedan. Compared to the previous model, the new Si loses 5 hp and the adaptive dampers. Yet, it is not low on performance and cornering.
The optional summer tires give it a huge potential of high-speed cornering like a sports sedan is supposed to. The power curve extends towards the redline too, so there won’t be a drop-off in power before changing gears too.
3 The Six-Speed Manual Gives Satisfying Throws And Feels Great To Operate
The 2022 Civic Si is one of the last performance sedans with a manual transmission and hence, the only true manual in its segment. And the Civic Type-R sourced shifter is one of the best additions to the new Si.
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The sifter has about 10% less throw than before. So the gear changes are fast, and the shifts feel satisfying to operate. You don’t even need to worry about heel-toe maneuver to match the revs while shifting because the car does that for you.
2 It's The Near-Perfect Blend Of Sportiness And Daily-Drivability
When it comes to pure driver’s cars, the Civic Si is one of the most affordable ones out there. You can buy a new one for about $28,315 only. There aren’t many options for cars that are equally great at being grin-inducing sporty machines and family-satisfying daily drivers.
And for this price range, the Civic Si is one of the few ones out there. To put it simply, the 2022 Honda Civic Si is a pure driver's car that most folks can afford.
1 (We Hate) It's More Expensive And Less Powerful Than The Previous SI Models
This is something we need to know why Honda did. Compared to the previous model, the 2022 Honda Civic Si costs more, and yet has less power. In the age where cars are getting more and more powerful, often at the same price, Honda pulled a complete 180 on us.
The engine sounds coarse when we push it hard as well. Yes, the rev-matching helps, but more power would help even more. Surely Honda must have thought about it before making the decision, but we’ll always love more power, won’t we?