Video: 2022 Honda Civic Si: Review

And hot performance compact sedans? Well that's an increasingly endangered species. And hot performance compact sedans that only come with a manual transmission? Well that just might be the rarest breed of them all. And yet here we are, standing next to a brand new 2022 Honda Civic Si. I don't think anybody would have faulted Honda if they decided not to renew the Si for the redesigned 11th generation Civic, but they decided to send a love letter to their fans. They spent the money, they created a new one and here it is. We've driven the new '22 Si and we've come away with some interesting thoughts about how good it is versus the previous generations. (warm mellow music) Visually, there really isn't that much that's different between lesser versions of the Civic and the new Si. There's a couple of subtle cues like the grille up front that uses a honeycomb pattern and the Si badge. That honeycomb pattern actually kind of matches the new honeycomb pattern that's on the dash for the 11th generation Civic. You've also got matte black 18-inch wheels, gloss black mirror caps, window surrounds and spoiler, and that's pretty much it. But one sure way to be able to identify a new Si is this, the Blazing Orange Pearl paint which is exclusive to the Si. Now the Civic was kind of a conservative redesign. We actually likened it to the Honda Accord when it came out a few months ago, and this Si version really doesn't look all that much more aggressive or hotted up. Now if your plan is to slide by under the radar of law enforcement, then yeah, being able to blend in, pretty good idea, but we do hope that they've got something a bit more aggressive planned for the upcoming Type R. It's generally agreed that the interior redesign of the 11th generation Civic was a bit more successful than the exterior redesign, and you can really see why when you sit in the new Si especially. You've got the honeycomb mesh in the dash that you have with lesser trim Civics, but it's got this red surround and piano black trim that really makes it pop. You've got special sports seats as well. Now they look very heavily bolstered, but even for a big guy like me, they're super comfortable. You've got really cool red checkered fabric and embroidery on the seatback as well. The same fabric is also in the doors. So is this red stitching that you also see on the leather wrapped steering wheel. You've got a couple of really interesting touches in here as well, like a fully digital instrument cluster, which is new, and you've got for the first time in the Si a standard 12-speaker Bose premium audio system, which sounds pretty kickin'. And the general changes to the 11th generation Civic also carry over for the Si of course. It's bigger in here. You've got a little bit more headroom, a little bit more width. There's a lot more room inside front to back as well, so up front and in the second row, you've got more leg room. What don't you get on the '22 Si? Adaptive dampers. The sports suspension has only been tuned one way, the way that Honda wants it tuned and that's the way you'll like it, or not. (engine roaring) You see, Honda's gotten rid of the adaptive dampers and they've tuned the suspension to be one way, and that way is sporty, very, very sporty. One would almost decide to say it's borderline stiff and bouncy. Now it's not Toyota Corolla Apex Edition tuned in some teenager's garage bruise your kidneys kind of bouncy, but it is still pretty stiff. It does feel stiffer than the last Civic Si, and this is even on these relatively smooth Southern California roads. I can't imagine what this thing is gonna be like back in the Midwest, but it kind of makes up for it by the fact that the steering is absolutely fantastic. It is direct, it is crisp. The feedback is fantastic, and even the shape and feel of the steering wheel is really good. It's just the right diameter. The actual cross section to grip the thing is also just the right diameter as well. But it is still pretty bouncy. The engine itself doesn't feel particularly any more powerful than the last Civic Si, but it does love to rev, and the six speed manual transmission also now has shorter throws. I do wish the shift knob was a little bit larger, it kind of disappears in my great big paws. But overall, it's still a joy to row through these gears, and there's also rev matching on the downshift as well, which is something new for the Si that was originally found only in the Type R. The shifter is really just a lot of fun. And if you don't know how to drive a manual transmission shifter, this really isn't a bad car to learn on, frankly. The clutch pickup point is right off the floor, so it does take a little bit of getting used to, but it's very typical Honda in its operation. It's just been so well tuned. The chassis dynamics, the steering feel, the shifter response. I mean, it's pretty much a seven tenths Type R, but oof, it is bouncy! You hit too big a bounce and you're a little too tall, you're gonna smack your head up in the headliner, ask me how I know. While it doesn't feel particularly quicker than the old Civic Si, that doesn't mean that it's not still fun. Now the engine power of 200 horsepower is down from previous years, and maybe more importantly, it's down versus its competitors. The Volkswagen GTI makes more and the Hyundai Elantra N, which is new, makes a lot more. They are also a little bit more expensive than the Civic Si. But just because the Civic, oof, isn't quite as powerful as its competitors doesn't mean that it's any less fun. It is still a lot of fun. So the engine noise that you're hearing as you're rowing these gears, at lower RPM, it's mostly the engine. It's got a really interesting coiled exhaust coming out the back. But once you get up into the higher rev rage, it actually starts piping some of that music in through the audio system, which I don't mind, it still sounds pretty good. And given how quiet most cars are these days, they kind of have to pipe the audio in, otherwise you'll never hear the engine. There may not be as many sport compact sedan fans out there as there used to be just a few years ago, but for the remaining diehard holdouts for whom no compact sport crossover will actually do, the new Civic Si is going to be a very satisfying choice, I think. Pricing starts at $28,315, including destination. Available high-performance summer tires will add $200, and that is a screaming deal, especially in today's super expensive car market. You can read the full review and look up all the other details on the Civic Si at Cars.com. (bright mellow music)