Review highlights:

• 2022 Honda Civic Si ($27,300 – $27,500)
• “Top Safety Pick +” – IIHS
• Pros: The Civic Si was completely redesigned for 2022 and features excitingly fun driving dynamics, surprising comfort, and enough technology for your daily needs.
• Cons: There’s no hatchback body style for this trim level and the powerband runs out of breath at the top end of the RPM range.

If you’re looking for a sporty compact car for under $30,000, then your options are getting slimmer as the years go on. Sure, there’s the Subaru WRX and Volkswagen GTI, which are great cars. But if you want the utmost reliability and arguably the most performance for your dollar, then it’s hard to beat the 2022 Honda Civic Si.

The Civic Si shares the same architecture as the regular Civic, so it benefits from the same redesign elements for the 2022 model year. However, Honda upped the ante with the Civic Si by stiffening its chassis, refining its turbocharged engine, and even making the shifter shorter.

Which 2022 Honda Civic Si trim is best for you?

Fortunately, there is only one Civic Si trim level to choose from for 2022. The only real option that you have to decide is whether or not you want the high-performance summer tires (HPT) installed on the car.

• Honda Civic Si – $27,300
• Honda Civic Si HPT – $27,500

My tester for the week was a Civic Si painted in the optional Blaze Orange Pearl, which is a $395 upcharge for being a “premium” color. There are five other exterior colors to choose from but the interior only comes in black with red accents for a truly sporty look and feel.

The all-new Civic Si only comes in a sedan body style

While the Civic Si is based on the regular Civic architecture, it doesn’t come in a hatchback body style. My assumption is that with the release of the new Acura Integra, which will be a four-door hatchback, Honda decided not to cannibalize the body style between the two cars. That being said, the Civic Si works well as a sedan as it’s 1.5-inches longer and 0.5-inch wider than the last Si model, which equates to more interior room.

Honda also stiffened up the car’s body rigidity all around, including the dampers, and even threw in an aluminum hood for some weight savings. As far as looks go, I think the Civic Si looks more mature and sleeker in its new iteration, which is fitting for how the car has evolved over the years.

The Civic Si has a comfortable and sporty interior

Sitting inside the 2022 Civic Si, the first thing that I noticed is how comfortable the red and black bucket seats are. They’re well-bolstered but wide enough for most Americans. There are red accents on the door panels and dash vents as well, which gives the interior a sportier feel than the regular Civic. There’s also a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system that sits in the center of the dash and is easy to reach from either front seat.

Sitting in front of the driver’s seat is a half-digital instrument that displays all of the pertinent information on the left side, including the tachometer, and the speedometer on the right is an analog display. Overall visibility is excellent as the A-pillars are pushed back and the side mirrors are low, which makes it easy to see out of the front and sides of the car. Lastly, the rear seat is comfortable as well, even if you have to sit in the middle.

The Civic Si comes loaded with features

For 2022, the Civic Si comes standard with a bevy of features. The most notable features include front sport seats, sport pedals, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, LED head and taillights, and an automatic climate control system. Audiophiles will love the Bose premium audio system, as its 12 speakers make every song sound crisp with the right amount of bass. And you won’t need to worry about connecting your phone for Apple Carplay and Android Auto as they’re both wireless.

There’s also a multi-view backup camera, a power moonroof, and 18-inch black alloy wheels wrapped in all-season tires. Surprisingly, Honda deleted the front seat heaters, which is a drawback for those living in snow states.

This new Honda Civic Si can tear up canyon roads with ease

Out on the road, the 2022 Civic Si feels at home whether you’re putting it around on the streets or tackling some tight canyon roads. During the week I had it, I put my Civic Si test car through its paces by driving it around town, on the highway, and up into the mountains. The car’s suspension felt compliant in all three situations and the suspension never felt jarring when going over road imperfections and bumps.

That’s surprising considering Honda added a 60-percent stiffer rear torsion bar and added beefed-up compliance bushings taken from the Civic Type R. The stiffer suspension won’t beat you up when driving normally and it will make you smile when you throw the car into the corners. The car grips well and its steering feels smooth, thanks to a refined electronic power steering setup. In any case, you won’t be disappointed with the way that the Civic Si handles; it’s smooth, crisp, and comfortable.

The 2022 Civic Si is down on power but has a refined power curve

The 2022 Civic Si is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 200 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. That’s five fewer horsepower than the outgoing model, however, Honda improved the engine’s power curve so that the torque comes on earlier and the horsepower is smoother in the top end. When driving the car, I noticed that the boost pressure from the turbo came on quickly, but not in a sudden way like the Subaru WRX.

The top end of the power band feels good as well, thanks to the new incorporation of VTEC, unlike the last model. But it still feels like it runs out of breath. As far as the transmission goes, buyers are stuck with a six-speed manual transmission and that’s not a bad thing.

To put it plainly, the slick-shifting stick is by far the most perfect-feeling shifter on the market, in my opinion. Honda shortened the throws and included a lighter flywheel and a limited-slip differential, all of which equate to a quick-shifting and traction-grabbing driving experience. It even rev-matches your downshifts, which is nice, but I found it a little annoying since I’m a do-it-yourselfer.

As for fuel economy, the Civic Si has an EPA-estimated fuel economy rating of up to 27 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. In my real-world mixed driving at a mile-high elevation, I was able to achieve an average of 26 mpg, which can be attributed to a heavy right foot.

How safe is the Civic Si?

The 2022 Honda Civic Si is very safe as it comes with a host of technologically advanced safety features. The most notable ones include LED daytime running lights, auto high beams, six airbags, anti-lock brakes, and vehicle stability assist. Like the other Civic models, the Si trim also comes with the Honda Sensing suite of driver-assist features. Those features include adaptive cruise control, a collision mitigation braking system, lane-keeping assist, and road departure mitigation.

All of these safety features attribute to the 2022 Honda Civic garnering top honors with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which gave the car a “Top Safety Pick +” award for 2021.

The Honda Civic Si is easy to maintain

Honda vehicles have a renowned reputation for reliability and the 2022 Civic Si is no exception. According to Edmunds’ True Cost to Own calculator, the Civic Si should cost around $3,600 to maintain during the first five years of ownership. Repair costs are cheap too as Edmunds estimates that the average cost can add up to around $744 for the first five years.

Any Civic Si buyers won’t have to worry much about repairs during the first few years of ownership, though, as the car is covered by Honda’s basic 3-year/36,000-mile warranty and 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. The car also comes with Honda’s roadside assistance, which lasts up to three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first.

The 2022 Honda Civic Si is a driver’s car masquerading as a civilized commuter

Ultimately, the 2022 Honda Civic Si carries on the sporty torch of the past 10 generations and evolves it into something that anyone can get into. That is to say, it’s a genuine driver’s car that’s a thrill to drive in almost any situation, but it also works well as a normal commuter when needed. Dollar for dollar, there’s almost no beating the Civic Si when it comes to performance and value, even if its strongest competitors are the Volkswagen GTI and Subaru WRX.

MotorBiscuit gives the 2022 Honda Civic Si an expert rating of 9.1 out of 10

The editors at MotorBiscuit gave the 2022 Honda Civic Si an overall rating of 9.1 out of 10. Honda really hit a home run with this new version of the sporty Civic by giving it a refined stature, a responsive and stout engine, and a transmission that feels like it was made by the gods. Really, it’s that good and this sporty compact is definitely worth the price of entry.