The 2022 Honda Civic Si has just been revealed with the automaker saying it will be the best handling and most fun-to-drive version of the car it has built yet. While the sporty compact car will continue to offer a six-speed manual transmission and mechanical limited-slip differential, if you were hoping for more horsepower, you aren't going to find it here.
The Si version of the 11th-generation Honda Civic sedan will come with a 1.5L turbo four-cylinder engine like it did in the 10th-generation Si. While that car made 205 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque, this latest model will make the same torque and just 200 hp. There's more to the car than just the raw figures, though; Honda has widened the torque peak by 300 rpm so it's now available earlier at just 1,800. Honda also says there will be more power available between the car's 6,000-rpm power peak to the 6,500-rpm redline. A new exhaust flows 27 per cent more air than the Civic Touring, while the Si also gets an artificial in-cabin engine noise system.
Tweaks to the powertrain include a new single-mass flywheel that is 26 per cent lighter than last year's, which means less inertia and, Honda claims, improved throttle response and drivability. The six-speed manual, the only transmission available on the Si, has shortened throws as well as a more rigid mounting bracket for a better feel. The powertrain adds the rev-matching system taken from the Type R that can respond in as little as 430 milliseconds.
A great chassis has always been the key to the Si's strengths, and the new car starts with the latest Civic's stiffer body. Spring rates are eight per cent stiffer up front and 54 per cent stiffer in the rear, while the dampers are Si-specific with reinforced mounts in the front. Thicker stabilizer bars help stop body roll, while suspension bushings front and rear are taken from the Type R for more precise handling. Honda has used a 60 per cent stiffer torsion bar in the steering system to quicken response there. The brakes are larger than those of the standard sedan, by about an inch at both ends, and the 235/40R18 all-season tires can be replaced with a maximum performance summer tire option from the factory.
Styling changes outside include a more aggressive front bumper and exhaust cutouts in the rear. Honda gives the car gloss black exterior trim and only the Si offers this Blazing Orange Pearl paint.
Inside are new sport seats with larger shoulder and thigh bolsters. Sport pedals and red contrast stitching are part of the Si signature, with that red trim extending to the Civic's honeycomb dash panel. Like the base Civic, the Si will offer Honda Sensing driver assistance including pedestrian and cyclist detection plus adaptive cruise.
Honda did not reveal pricing or when the vehicle would arrive at dealers, but it did say that the 2022 Civic Si will be built at the automaker's Canadian plant in Alliston, Ont.
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