A little while back, I think I said something along the lines of “The 2022 Honda Civic Si looks like AIDs.” Surly I couldn’t have been that mean. But DANG you know what? I’ve gotta eat my words a little bit. And I will… eventually lol.
It’s ugly…
Let’s get this out of the way. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But c’mon maaaan. The current Honda Civic Si looks as good as a hole in your sock. I know people say it looks better than the outgoing sedan. Yeah it does look better… but still bad. It can be both lol. And trust me I get it – the Honda Civic has never been a drop-dead gorgeous car… but it’s historically been a fantastically great blank canvas.
That being said…
The rest of the driving experience in the 2022 Honda Civic Si was so good… I started trying to justify the exterior. Or at least tried to imagine how it’d look with the right aero, ride height, and thick wheel/tire package. These days, it’s bonafide refreshing to drive something this lively. And for that reason, I tried to photograph it from the absolute best angles I could find lol. When I look at the photos, I gotta admit… it’s growing on me. Like a wart 😉
It’s great…
Ok so everything about this car (other than its appearance) is totally dialed-in. Unlike the exterior, the interior of the new Si DOES remind me of the clever styling that Honda can be so great at.
I LOVE the simplistic creativity of the hidden honeycomb AC vents.
The Si seats look good, and fit even better.
The shifter is crisp & engaging.
Wind it out a lil bit, and gear ratios fall perfectly into place.
Steering & suspension feel amazing. Firm but forgiving.
The ’22 Civic Si is light, agile, precise & very direct… literally all the things that make golden-era Honda’s so great.
The 1.5 vtec turbocharged engine comes on boost strong & early…
But wheezes out pretty early too. It shoots off of a red-light and/or pulls you our of a corner really well… but it just can’t hold the boost for long into the higher RPMs. That’s not really a bad thing though from the driver’s seat, because there’s a lot of driver-enjoyment in that punchy light-to-light responsiveness. It really is a pleasure to drive right out of the box. And it leaves a lot of opportunity for enthusiasts to make exciting gains in the aftermarket with initial tunes & breathing mods… and perhaps turbo upgrades down the road.
If you can get past the looks, or maybe transform them a bit with aftermarket parts, this is an outstanding driver’s commuter car and/or daily.
34mpg with a heavy foot & a big smile.
Manual 6-speed transmission
Plenty of backseat legroom.
Comfortable.
Zippy.
Fun.
Affordable.
And under 3,000lbs!
