2020 Honda Civic Si First Drive Review | Still fun, and now a better value

AUSTIN, Texas — The 2020 Honda Civic range has been given a mid-cycle update, the first for this 10th generation of economy cars. That naturally includes the hopped-up Civic Si. The updates are mild, making it a better value than it used to be, keeping it as fun as ever, and leaving just a few rough edges.

Mechanically, the Civic Si is nearly unchanged. It still has a reworked turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four making 205 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. That’s still not a whole lot in a segment where 250 horsepower is more the norm, but there’s enough here to enjoy on the street, and the aftermarket is ready and willing to give you the power you desire. Power aside, the engine’s still smooth and growly like a good Honda engine should be. In fact, it sounds good enough that the electronic sound enhancement in Sport mode is unnecessary and almost annoying. Compared to past Hondas, the revs climb slowly and to a lower peak. But the torque is lovely. The engine has a distinct turbo feel, with boost coming on less smoothly and not quite as quickly as the competition.

The engine is paired solely with a six-speed manual transmission that feels mechanical and slick. It proves Honda still has this department down pat. The clutch is surprisingly light, which will be handy for those who deal with stop-and-go traffic frequently. It could use a little extra feedback, but doesn’t hinder driving at all. The one mechanical change Honda did make was a shorter final drive ratio in the differential. This will probably result in slightly quicker acceleration times, but you probably won’t notice it being any faster; we certainly didn’t. This change also dropped fuel economy to 26 mpg in the city and 36 on the highway, a drop of 2 mpg from the previous model, though that still beats just about every small sporty car save the now defunct and less powerful Fiat 500 Abarth.

The highlight of the Civic Si is its handling. The chassis is stiff and the car feels light, no doubt a result of it weighing just under 3,000 pounds. Steering is pinpoint precise, light and quick. And if the weight in the default mode is too light for you, Sport mode adds some heft but no extra feedback to the mildly talkative wheel. Ride quality is certainly a bit stiffer than your average Civic, leading to an occasionally bumpy ride. But bumps are well-damped meaning you won’t be kicked, and the car is never upset in corners. Body roll is minimal, only starting to show up during track work, which we discovered during laps of Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

The Si’s standard mechanical limited-slip differential is the icing on the cornering cake, and does the most to elevate it above the Civic Sport Hatchback. It allows the front wheels to claw the car around bends with the throttle depressed, something that would result in aggressive traction control intervention or a roasted inside tire. It doesn’t eliminate understeer, though, and the Civic Si does have some when pushed to the limit, as we did during some track time at Circuit of the Americas. The back end is firmly planted, too, so it’s hard to swing the back end around by lifting off the throttle. The upside of this is that the Si is very predictable and won’t do anything scary.

The Civic Si is a nice place to be, too. Like all Civics, the low, wide dash and thin pillars give it a spacious, airy feeling. That’s a boon to visibility as well. The dash consists of attractively grained soft plastics, and is further decorated with red trim for 2020. The well-bolstered seats are now black with red accents to match. Honda packs loads of features, too, with standard sunroof, heated seats, touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, dual-zone automatic climate control and an upgraded sound system. Sweetening the deal is the addition of standard Honda Sensing, which adds adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist and the Lane Watch blind-spot camera. All of that comes at the Civic Si’s base price of $25,930, which is the same whether you choose the coupe or sedan. The only option is a set of summer performance tires for $200. And for the money, none of the competition provides as much content.

Unfortunately, while Honda has added all this technology, it has neglected to update the infotainment system any further. The company recently added a physical volume knob and shortcut buttons to the maligned system introduced on the car, but that doesn’t fix the clunky software interface. It’s sluggish to respond and ugly. Honda needs to drop in the system from the Accord as soon as possible. But at least CarPlay and Android Auto can keep your interactions with the Honda software to a minimum.

The Civic Si isn’t the most fearsome sport compact for the money, but it is the best value. You get nearly all the comfort and convenience items you could want, a playful chassis with a peppy engine that’s perfect for upgrading, and an affordable price that will allow room for modifications. The Civic Si is an ideal canvas for painting your pint-size performance masterpiece.