The biggest news concerning the mildly updated 2020 Honda Civic Si is either the changed final drive ratio, the addition of a volume knob, or the inclusion of Honda Sensing — the company’s safety suite of driving aids — as standard equipment.
Obviously, this means the car hasn’t changed a whole hell of a lot.
That’s a very good thing.
(Full disclosure: Honda flew me to Las Vegas, housed me, fed me, and gave me a day pass to the SEMA show. They also offered a hat, which I did not take.)
Power remains the same at 205 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque, drawn from the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-banger. The sole transmission on offer remains a six-speed manual. The styling remains mostly the same, with some tweaks to the bumpers and front grille and the addition of LED headlights and fog lamps. The wheel design is different, and the wheels are now black.
The experience is a bit different, but only a bit, and for the better. The change to the final drive – now 4.35 to 1, after being 4.105 to 1 – isn’t noticeable (perhaps if you drove a 2019 back-to-back with a 2020, it might be), but the production cars we drove felt more buttoned-down than the last Si I tested. To be fair, that last car was a press-fleet loaner that was possibly beat upon by careless journos.
In or out of Sport mode (I forgot to set it for the most challenging stretch of road), the steering was dead-on accurate and well-weighted. It’s almost too easy to carve through corners.
The clutch initially felt too light, but it became more user-friendly as the day went on. Shifting remains a delight, thanks to an easy-to-row shifter that never finds the wrong gate.
Corner-to-corner acceleration is quick, especially if you can keep the engine in the sweet spot, and the brakes are stout enough for a car of this ilk.
While the rev-happy engine runs a bit high-strung when puttering around town, highway ride isn’t sacrificed. Tire and road noise is on the louder side, even with the tunes turned up.
Civic Si is offered in coupe or sedan variants, and the slightly lighter coupe is a tad better dance partner on the backroads. Still, the sedan will be satisfactory for most.
Interior space is adequate up front for taller drivers, and I was able to enter and sit in the rear of a sedan with little drama, though egress was tricky. I didn’t dare try to stuff myself into the coupe’s rear seat.
Inside, changes are cosmetic and minor. You still get the boy-racer gauges, though at least the HVAC controls are easy to use. The overall look is still a bit tacky, but it’s one you can live with, given what the car can do on-road. Cheesy interior decor is a small price to pay to play.
Civic Si isn’t as chill in traffic as the competing Volkswagen Jetta GLI, but it’s cheaper and more obvious in its intent. If you want a sleeper car, the GLI may be worth the extra dough. Otherwise, the Si and its subtle-ish wing will stand out in traffic, instantly recognizable to Honda fanboys.
That said, it’s hard to argue against this Civic. Yes, it can be a bit tiring around town, thanks to its rev-happy engine and omnipresent tire/road noise, but turn it loose and it’s such an engaging vehicle, for such a low price, that it almost feels impossible for a car like this to exist.
Even the features it lacks – such as factory nav – are features one can live without or replace via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.
Despite the bargain price, the car still offers features that most shoppers would want. Heated front seats, power moonroof, LaneWatch camera, Bluetooth, keyless entry, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, USB, premium audio, and the HondaSensing system (adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation braking, forward collision warning, lane-keeping assist, road-departure mitigation, lane-departure warning, and automatic high beams) are all part of the package. Summer tires are a $200 option.
Coupe or sedan, your price is $25K even, plus the $930 destination fee, unless you add another $200 for the summer rubber. The new final drive has a fuel economy penalty – numbers fall to 26 mpg city/36 mpg highway/30 mpg combined from 28/38/32 before.
A few journos expressed concern that the Si doesn’t offer enough of a gap between itself and the cheaper manual-transmission Civic Sport, and I can see why – the two trims line up well, feature-wise, and the Sport is a fair bit cheaper. Still, I suspect the dedicated sports-car buyer will be persuaded to spend the extra cash after a quick dash up and down a favorite road in the Si.
We’ve called the Si the best possible Civic, and a bargain that’s a blast. The car has changed little, so therefore our opinion remains the same. Well, not exactly – I’m even more enamored, fuel economy penalty be damned.
I still have strong feelings for the Jetta GLI, too, and that car is probably a better commuter. That said, the enhanced Civic Si remains a bargain, a blast, and arguably the best Civic possible.
[Images © 2019 Tim Healey/TTAC]
Sounds like its still a winner despite the rear end.
It’s just as depressing to see them throw on every electric nanny they have as it is to see an Si without VTEC. We haven’t had proper VTEC since the 8th gen and that’s a genuine shame.
Not sure where the “low price” idea comes from. This is a Honda not a Chevy. You are going to be paying every bit of that $26k (although I acknowledge Cars.com has only 1 2019 available within 150 miles and it is marked down).
And Options? Not sure Honda has heard of the word. That’s where I got stopped last time I was thinking of buying one of these. I only have a couple requirements for a car and none of them are even available.
For simplicity’s sake, we don’t delve into the ever-changing world of incentives. So MSRP compared to MSRP, the car is cheap. That said, your point about incentives/bargaining power vis a vis the brand is a fair one.
As far as options go, you can get heated front seats, moonroof, and use CarPlay or Android Auto in lieu of nav. Not ideal for some folks, agreed, but a lot of shoppers are probably just fine cloth seats, no seat cooling, and no factory nav.
They could charge more for this car but old people’s bad knees and hips hold it back
Honda pricing power isn’t what it used to be. You can find a discount, although maybe not a huge one.
Not sure why you’re basing discount info on dealer listings, but on Civic X these routinely go for 10-15% off excluding the occasional loyalty cash or small incentive.
What is “Civic X”?
Just to let you know…. I was just quoted $23,391 locally plus sales tax and other misc fees that I refuse to pay like $99 for nitrogen, $305 for window tint, $199 for all state theft(?), $495 for premier defense(?), $599 for DOC fee, GA tax $1716.52, Tag & Title $66.50, Total out the door $26,621.02
If they remove everything but the sales price, window tint, sales tax and tag/title…. I am all in. They indicated that they would but don’t know for sure yet.
This should be my wife’s next car but she can’t get past the ug-factor of the rear bumper.
Great car. Horrible rear bumper. Still, this would be on my short list if I were in a different part of life. But it’s only acceptable in the two darkest available colors.
Honda fanboi spotted ;)
An entertaining car, easy to operate, reasonably priced, inexpensive to own, and probably nice resale.
The biggest downside is they don’t offer it in the hatch. The MSRP is meaningless. I was looking at a leftover model last year and the dealer offered just over $21k. Excellent value but I declined. The car wasn’t for me. This is a great little runabout nonetheless.
Honda does a great job with details…. the aluminum pedals, sporty interior, seat design. The exterior design needs a rethink, but the interior is cool.
I need to drive one, but my sense is that Civic’s interior space is a full size down from the Jetta GLI. That Jetta is a surprisingly great driving car with a real world back seat. Not roomy, but big enough.
For what it’s worth. EPA quotes 98 cu ft in the Civic vs 94 cu ft for the Jetta/GLI, and from a quick look (although no seat time), the current Civic definitely looks like it was designed with Uber drivers in mind.
The GLI feels bigger in cabin and trunk, but the stats show otherwise.
Do you think the Civic SI or the Jetta GLI(manual) would be better for long term ownership, 10+ years?
And does either one run good on regular gas?
Other than the color, brand, styling, exterior, interior, powertrain, features and price, I like it a lot.
I also like the muffler and brake fluid.
Add numb brakes
I love the smell of new car, in general.
Honda makes great cars but the outer frame design of the Civic Si looks cheap and done in a hurry, the endless use of plastic, specially in the back. Its a shame because they are great vehicles but this one looks as if belongs in the PowerRangers
Why are you comparing this to the GLI? Shouldn’t it be the GTI?
At least in Virginia, it is the Civic Sport hatchback that is eating the GTI’s lunch.
Because the GTI is a hatch — and the Civic Si isn’t available as such. The GLI is a sedan.
If you can’t get it under $19K, it is not a bargain
I’ve tried but I just don’t like the look of the current Civic… any current Civic. I think part of the problem is its size. Unless I’m mistaken it has about the same wheelbase as the 8th generation Accord. And while the engine specs are impressive enough given its meagre displacement I’m still not a fan of these boosted mouse motors.
Then again I suppose I should just be happy it still has 4 cylinders and 3 pedals.
I tested it back then and preferred Mazda6 with 3 pedals. And it was $6K less too
If there isn’t more torque on tap than hp, then what’s the point of a turbocharger?
Why does it have a slot opening in the passenger side grill cover next to the fog light but not on the driver side?
Should I try to buy one now at a good price or wait a little while longer?