2022 Honda Civic Si Walkaround

Will Honda be the last automaker to build a small, fun, affordable car with a manual transmission? It's now one of just a handful of companies that's able to make a business case for a car such as the Civic Si in the United States. We think it's commendable that this sub-$30,000, turbocharged, stick-shift sedan still exists at all, let alone that it's entering a new generation with numerous improvements.

The 2022 Honda Civic Si is part of the 11th-generation Civic lineup that features the same basic mechanicals as its predecessor but a nicer interior and cleaner exterior styling. The Si formula remains the same as before: A turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four with a six-speed manual is the sole powertrain, and the Si is available only as a sedan. But Honda has made upgrades that increase the car's appeal without diluting the engaging driving experience we enjoyed so much in the previous Si.

The hard numbers don't paint the best picture of the new car, as it's a couple thousand dollars more expensive than before and features less horsepower. Honda says it has retuned the turbo four so that it both revs more eagerly and produces peak torque starting 300 rpm lower in the rev range. But the tradeoff is a loss of 5 horsepower, for a total of 200 horsepower that now comes on at 6000 rpm, compared with 205 horses at 5700 rpm before. (The redline is 100 rpm higher at 6600 rpm.)

We didn't notice much of a difference in the engine's character during our drive, as its sound and power delivery largely mimic our experience with the 2020 model. The 1.5-liter is still somewhat coarse when pushed, but Honda has improved engine NVH, with the interior better isolated than before. Sometimes automakers achieve this by adding heavy sound deadening, but the new Si tipped our scales at 2937 pounds, just 21 pounds more than the old car.

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