By Chris Tropea
May 29, 2022
On paper, the 2022 Honda Civic Si is down on power compared to the outgoing model. But does that mean it’s a slouch on track?
We take the 11th-gen Si to the Florida International Rally & Motorsport Park to find out.
5/27/22 11:20 a.m.
Barf. Let's see: looks like A Toyota Camry and a new age Jetta had port-a-John sex at a high school jazz concert.
Hideous. Boring. Fat. Don't sell me a fat civic. Sub 2,700lbs or nothing. There's plenty of fat fwd cars out there.
5/27/22 11:31 a.m.
Ummm, Honda Civics are supposed to be boring. At least boring to look at.
5/27/22 11:51 a.m.
My reaction, having owned or lived with every Civic Si back to 1986: We want it.
5/27/22 11:54 a.m.
In reply to Definitely gone now :
Yes, there's a multitude of new sub 2,700lb sedans for people to choose from out there
Civic Si and its competitors haven't been sub 2,700lbs for almost a quarter of a century now (and those cars would be leagues slower on track than this one). Time to get over it.
5/27/22 12:33 p.m.
Part of the weight gain problem with “small” fwd sedans is that about every 8 to 10 years the have swollen to nearly the size of the model above them in the lineup. Yes we can blame gov regs for some of it but apparently the average consumer is just fine with it. Remember when not just Civics we’re small but also Sentras and Corollas. The 97 Accord I had is certainly smaller and lighter than the current Civic.
5/27/22 12:43 p.m.
I like it, especially in orange, and especially the interior. I suspect if we wait for the Type R to drop, the overall market will cool sufficiently that you might be able to snag an Si at MSRP
5/27/22 1:07 p.m.
I don't think you can. For better or worse, its a response to the market. Honda makes a Fit which is like an old Civic but really tall. Nissan makes a Versa that is similar in relation to the older Sentra. Mazda makes a Miata that is the same size it was 30 years ago.
And for all the people who constantly whine about size, a Veloster is very nearly the same size as an EG hatch.
5/27/22 1:32 p.m.
I like it. Didn't expect to.
5/27/22 1:47 p.m.
In reply to calteg :
I'm all about the orange as well.
My wife has daily driven a '14 Civic Si since new and really likes it, but she also really, really liked our orange test car. (She still misses her 2000 Civic So, too.)
She's away this week and has a previous Civic as her rental. She's liking that, too.
So, guess I'm saying that Honda has managed to keep at least these two long-term customers happy.
5/27/22 1:51 p.m.
In reply to BDG :
Nope. I don't have to. And you can't make me.
5/27/22 2:01 p.m.
Best daily I've ever had! Mrs trucke approves!
5/27/22 2:19 p.m.
How about a Sport Si without the sunroof?
I know, nope.
5/27/22 2:31 p.m.
I didn't get to drive the new Si for very long when we had it but I was underwhelmed by it. It is not a bad car but it just didn't have that wow factor. Like J.G. said in the video everything felt calm and smooth but it left me wanting more.
5/27/22 3:00 p.m.
In reply to trucke :
Awesome to hear. Looks good in Stormtrooper trim.
5/27/22 3:14 p.m.
I owned a 10th gen Civic sport for about 9 months. It was quite fast, handled reasonably well, and got amazing gas mileage. But I never really liked driving it. At all. So Carvana helped it find someone more appreciative of its qualities. I came away thinking that Civics are rather over-hyped.
To prove my weirdness, I now drive a 6MT Crosstrek, which is quite slow, handles reasonably well, and gets semi-terrible gas mileage. But I really enjoy driving it.
5/27/22 3:18 p.m.
In reply to trucke :
My very similar car should arrive this summer. I'm glad to hear your is doing well as a daily. I liked this video, but was hoping it'd get into how the car is for daily duty.
5/27/22 4:01 p.m.
I've been lucky to get some autocross codrives in my friend's 2017 sport hatchback. As good as that car is, I'm not surprised at your review of the new SI.
5/27/22 4:14 p.m.
Weight is just a number on a spec sheet. If it handles better, goes faster, stops faster, grips harder, gets better mileage and puts up a better performance, how much does it really matter that it's one overweight passenger heavier? Would you ever know if that spec wasn't published?
5/27/22 4:38 p.m.
I can understand your comment. Love the Si as a daily because its easier to get in and out of than my other car. But the driving dynamics are similar! The SI consistently returns 37 mpg+ in my commute.
This car has the WOW factor in spades!
5/27/22 6:58 p.m.
Every dealer I spoke to that had one of these, wanted on average $10,000 in market adjustments or "protection package". That's before fees & taxes. My favorite part was the salesperson justifying the extortion.
"There's always going to be a mark-up on the Si, bc they're limited production"
Dealer: Hi, are you interested in Civic Si?
Me: Yes, for MSRP.
D: <audible laughing> let me go ask my sales Manager. <5 minutes later> GOOD NEWS! My sales Manager says we can sell the the Si for $37.4k.
Me: Out the door?
D: No that price does not include taxes and fees.
Me: Goodluck with sale
5/27/22 9:25 p.m.
In reply to thashane :
My dealer is quoting me MSRP and no shenanigans. If they deliver, I will gladly recommend them. They sold more Rs than most dealers because they were not marking them up insanely. I held on the call while my sales rep verified no markup with the sales manager. This is a big part of the reason I am waiting on this car.
5/27/22 9:40 p.m.
Which actually makes it even more impressive that the cars are only 100-200 pounds over. New Accords are huge! But the base Accord is under 3200 pounds.
5/28/22 8:47 p.m.
In reply to thashane :
so that means a manual Integra will be $47k?
5/31/22 1:04 a.m.
In reply to Noddaz :
Being vertically challenged (6'4, long torso) virtually any car with sunroof is unsuitable. Not willing to vote for banning them but won't drive one even as a rental.
5/31/22 6:24 a.m.
In reply to PT_SHO :
And they can be the source of water in the chassis which is terrible.
5/31/22 8:46 a.m.
I would just like the option not to have a hole in the roof with it's added complexity and weight.
Not that I will be in the market for a new car any time soon.
But back to the nw Civic Si.
It looks like a really nice car and the orange is stunning.
5/31/22 10:12 a.m.
The best Civic Si was the 99-00 in Electron Blue. Now get off my lawn.
5/31/22 2:16 p.m.
In reply to madmrak351 :
The car growth is just part of automotive life cycle for all cars, not just small FWD. A Fit is WAY larger than the first Civics from the 70's, 10 inches + in wheelbase and ~1000 lb heavier, but it's roomier, safer, and probably more economical.
A model has to change and improve to attract new buyers or step-up buyers, and getting smaller isn't an accepted way to do that, except for the very rare performance car getting lighter on a total redesign. Safety regs mean more steel, poorer visibility to improve rollover protection, etc.
5/31/22 2:20 p.m.
My wife is still bummed that I suggested that we sell hers. It was a terrific car, but having her in something with ABS, modern airbags, etc., also made a lot of sense.
6/1/22 9:13 a.m.
The 8th gen Si was the best.
I've had a version of every subsequent generation and they've only gotten more boring and bloated since.
I really enjoyed my 10th Gen and I regret selling it. The fact that the 11th gen went up and price and lost features will make it that I likely won't own this generation unless I get a Type R. I get that Honda withheld features on the Si to incorporate into the Integra but E36 M3 that car is like $37k.....$2k more than the MSRP of a Type R.
6/1/22 9:36 a.m.
Yes and no. Safety regs do drive differences in design, sure. But the Civic isn't huge because of safety regs, its huge because of the market / feature bloat.
Honda could easily make it much smaller than it is as evidenced by the existence of the Fit.
6/1/22 11:06 a.m.
In reply to ProDarwin :
And look how well the Fit sells....
6/1/22 11:31 p.m.
I recently drove a 9th gen Si and that split screen dash is horrible! I couldn't enjoy the K series engine at all because of the dash.
I'm going to drive a 10th gen coupe soon too. I'm sad there will be no more coupes. I really liked the 10th gen sedan I drove.
Waiting for an 11th gen might be too painful. It's been irritating so far.
6/2/22 10:21 a.m.
I don't mind the split dash in our '14 Si but, yeah, I do prefer the interiors of the later cars. (Don't tell my wife.)
I looooooooved our yellow '19 Civic Si. I'd own it if not for Covid–just couldn't justify a car purchase as the fate of the world was cloudy.
This new one, too, I do really like.
6/2/22 10:43 a.m.
Tire and brake wear.
6/2/22 11:59 a.m.
Man that's a great laugh for the day. I've never heard of someone not being able to enjoy a car because of something that they shouldn't focusing on when driving. It's there to glance at - and it does a great job of putting the speedometer, a shift light, and fuel level in spot where you're not taking your eyes to far off the road. I loved the dashes in the 8th/9th gen. The 10th and 11th are pretty boring and meh.
The base model cluster offering in the 11th gen Si just so the Integra A-Spec could have the full digital dash is a slap in the face to Si die-hards. Especially when the Canadian Spec Si gets all the bells and whistles. Not sure why Honda hates the US market so much.
6/2/22 12:13 p.m.
In reply to DirtyBird222 :
I tried to find an 8th gen SI to daily. There must not be many left in existence with stock suspensions and intakes.
I bought a 2008 coupe with the R18/5 speed. It's slow, but it's a great platform and I've gotten 33 MPG driving 80+.
6/2/22 1:56 p.m.
Your articles convinced me to go drive one, and I was never a Honda fan boy. I get it now and for my new commute, it will be great. I just need to decide 18 coupe or 22 sedan. I drove a 19 Sedan and it was incredible.
6/2/22 2:01 p.m.
In reply to DirtyBird222 :
I get it. You like it. I teach people about wine all the time. Wine is all about figuring out what you like and appreciate. I absolutely hated the split dash and found it super distracting. I haven't hated a dash this much since the C4 digital dash. It's a deal breaker for me.
Everyone loves a C5 Z06 too, but someone here did not. Personal preference is a real thing when it comes to car looks and interior design. Some love driving new Camaros, and a lot of people do not.
And tons of people here hate Subarus too. I have a lot of fun in mine. That's what makes this site hood though; variety. I love seeing all the different builds and cars. Single marque stuff is boring.
And I would much prefer to have the tachometer in the east to view spot compared to fuel level..... Porsche does a great dash. TACH, SPEED..... everything else small. That's how it should be.
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