First Look: 2022 Honda Civic Si

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Honda Canada swears up and down that this Si, the 2022 version, is “the best-handling and most fun-to-drive Civic Si ever.” We know this because the word best features no less than four times in the script that accompanies the introduction of the new Si, always in conjunction with something denoting handling and the fact that this Si, based on the 11th-generation Civic, is, well, the best ever.

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It’s probably good news that it is so much better-handling, because I don’t think it’s going to be any faster. Powered by essentially the same 1.5-litre turbocharged four that powered the last Si, the 2022 has somehow managed to lose five horsepower somewhere, now boasting 200-hp rather than its predecessor’s 205-hp. Max torque, meanwhile, remains 192 pound-feet, but Honda says that by moving its torque peak 300 rpm earlier, it’s created a “usefully broader power curve” than the outgoing version. A new, lighter flywheel is also supposed to give the little turbo “snappier throttle response.” The standard six-speed transmission now has rev-matching to better suit that quicker revving flywheel. All told, though, you should be expecting roughly the same performance as before.

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First Look: 2022 Honda Civic Si Back to video

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There might be something to this best-handling business, though. Not only is the 11th-gen body-in-white eight per cent stiffer in torsion, but it is also some 13 per cent better able to resist twisting. Throw in stiffer springs (eight per cent up front and a seriously-oversteering 54 per cent in the rear), thicker sway bars (a 27 millimetre hollow affair up front, an 18-mil solid in the rear) and 83 per cent stiffer front compliance bushings and you almost have the makings of a Type R on your hands. Indeed, the rear bushings and suspension’s B-arm are actually sourced from the Type R. Heftier brake rotors and 235/40R18 all-season performance tires complete the “best-handling” package ever.

Making all this road-holding bearable are sport seats with more prominent shoulder and lower thigh side supports that Honda claim offer more stability while cornering. Meanwhile, red contrast stitching on the doors, steering wheel, centre arm rest, shift boot, and shift knob distinguishes the Si from run-of-the-mill Civics, as does the Si-specific red trim that dresses the metal honeycomb dash panel.

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One thing the new Si does share with all other new Civics is long list of new active and passive safety systems. New on the Civic Si, for instance, is Honda’s latest sensing suite of active safety and driver-assistive technologies that uses a new single-camera system that generates a longer, wider field of vision than the previous radar-and-camera based system. Combined with software advances and a new, more powerful processor, it’s capable of accurately identifying pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vehicles, along with road lines and road signs. As well, new air bags are designed to better cradle the driver’s and passenger’s head when inflated and, like all 11th-gen Civics, the Si’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure is enhanced to provide better protection from larger vehicles.

Nonetheless, the news for the Si is that, for the time being at least, it is the sportiest option in the Civic lineup. That’s is until the latest Type R shows up sometime in 2023. Meanwhile, Acura is reputedly working on a similarly sporty Integra. Yes, after an absence of 20 years, the famed Integra nameplate is returning. The new Civic platform is really getting a workout.