Once upon a time a performance car was a 2-door. The number of doors no longer matters. Maybe it's because of an aging population (and I don't mean geezers like me) that there are so many 4-door performance cars. It really doesn't matter - Performance is Performance.
What kind of performance are we talking about? It isn't eye-poppingly quick but it is more than decent. Zero to 60 mph comes up in about 6.6 seconds. (If you want more performance there is the more expensive Type R.)
You might think that a performance car would have gobs of horsepower. In the greater scheme of things 200 horsepower really isn't that much. But trust me, it is enough to enjoy yourself.
There is one aspect of the turbocharged, 1.5-liter engine that disappoints me - the look of it. Honda isn't alone here, I find most modern engines unappealing to look at. Here's a pictures of the 2025 Si's engine and a 1989 Integra's -
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| 2025 Civic Si engine |
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| 1989 Integra engine |
No one is going to open the hood of the new Civic to show off the engine. I am not denying that it is a superior engine, it is, but its looks don't stir the soul.
Thankfully a six-speed manual is the transmission you get with the Si. I will say that between the rev-happy engine and the short first gear it is really easy to bump up against the rev limiter on hard acceleration. More time doing acceleration runs would help for sure. The computer provides rev-matching on downshifts but really around town, just running errands, it is not needed. In fact there were times I wished it would stop blipping the throttle.
Honda has worked some magic to get the fuel economy to its rating of 27-mpg city and 37-mpg highway. Regular fuel is okay. I didn't check it but I know that the gas gauge barely moved on my 80-odd mile highway drive (and by highway I mean the road I was on was a highway but my speed averaged 27 mph!). The engine doesn't laze along at highway speeds, it runs about 2,300 rpm at 70 mph.
The gauge layout was nice but I would have liked a heads up display (I have grown used to them).
The front seats were nicely supportive and comfortable. I do wish the rear seats matched the color combination of the fronts; the rear looks blah.
The brakes were outstanding. Front rotors are 12.3", rears are 11.1". The standard tires are 235/40R18 "All Season", the test car had the same size "Summer" tires. You might want to invest in some real snow tires if you live where it snows (just my opinion).
I bet the '25 Civic Si does fairly well on the track with those big tires and stiff suspension. Maybe, just maybe, it could be dialed back a tad for the street. Believe it or not, our roads in sunny California are not billiard table smooth.
I liked the 2025 Honda Civic Si, my wife not so much. I kind of agree with two of the things she didn't like - the loud exhaust and the stiff ride. The exhaust wasn't overly loud but sometimes I just wanted to turn it off; maybe there should be a stealth mode? And maybe Honda could offer a "street" suspension?
Should you buy a 2025 Honda Civic Si? I would if it was just for me. It is a fun, yet economical car. I wouldn't choose the Urban Gray color, maybe the Crystal Black Pearl.
A base 2025 Honda Civic Si starts at $29,950, as tested it was $30,250. Two of the four paint colors add $455 to the price. If you love manual transmissions buy one before they disappear. Unless you have to have the ultimate Civic, the Type R ($15,645 more than the Si) go with the Si.
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