The 2022 Honda Civic Si is finally here. Right on cue, the car was unveiled after a proper teaser campaign was done online. The new Civic Si comes with some goodies borrowed from the more serious Type-R and promises to be the most fun Civic you can get for now.
Design-wise, the Civic Si comes with a host of improvements done in key areas. The front bumper has a new design on the upper side, along with a new front spoiler at the bottom. Round the back you’ll notice the rear bumper now features two oval exhaust tips, the boot lid has a black gloss spoiler on it while the mirrors and window surrounds have also turned black.
As standard on the Civic Si you also get LED headlights and taillights along with 18” ten-spoke alloy wheels done in the same black color. According to Honda, this is the best-equipped Civic Si ever and the list of standard kit includes the Blazing Orange Pearl paint you can see in the photos below.
Inside the cabin you’ll find a more driver-focused layout than on the regular Civic. For example, the body stabilizing sport seats have built-in head restraints. Everywhere you look you’ll find contrasting stitching in red, while the pedals have matching covers for ‘a sportier look’. Standard kit in the cockpit includes a 9” HD display for the infotainment system, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support as well as a 12-speaker Bose sound system.
While all that sounds good, people looking to buy the Civic Si will be more interested in the tech side of things. As we reported yesterday, the engine under the hood didn’t change. We’re still looking at the 1.5-liter turbocharged mill but, according to Honda, it was updated. Therefore, we’re now dealing with 200 HP and 192 lb-ft of torque, which is a bit less than on the previous generation. Nevertheless, the engineers tell us that the power difference won’t matter at the end of the day because of various tweaks done around the engine bay.
For example, the maximum torque available comes in earlier, at 1,800 RPM and that should translate into better acceleration overall. Furthermore, the power band has been expanded between 6,000 and 6,500 RPM, so you’ll have the full grunt of the engine at your disposal for longer.
On the transmission side of things, we’re only getting a manual 6-speed and that’s fair. This not a regular 6-speed though. It learned some tricks from the Type-R and comes with rev-matching now as well as 10 percent shorter throws compared to the previous gen. To top things off, the single-mass flywheel used by the gearbox is 26 percent lighter than before, which should deliver better throttle response.
The front axle also gets a limited-slip differential included as standard, while the rear axle has a multi-link suspension setup. The brakes have also been upgraded, the rotors increasing in size by 1.2 inches up front and 0.9 inches at the back, for a total of 12.3” and 11.1” respectively.
Pricing hasn’t been announced just yet but Honda says that the first units will arrive on showroom floors before the end of the year.
