How often have we heard that sporty versions of vehicles offer rough, uncomfortable seats and useless trunk space? It makes you think they aren’t worth the money. But the Honda Civic Si will change the way you think about sporty models.

A MotorTrend reviewer recently spent some time with a 2020 Honda Civic Si. Here’s what’s good about it and how well it handled the road during testing. 

How the Honda Civic Si breaks the sporty-car mold

The Honda Civic Si breaks the mold of sporty vehicles. First of all, it’s easy to access the rear seats. The four-door sedan means you don’t have to climb over seats or sneak behind one of the front ones to get back there. 

Also, the seats are full-sized and comfortable, and there’s plenty of room to stretch out back there. Even the trunk is relatively large. The Civic Si offers 14.7 cubic feet of trunk storage, which is unusual to see in a sporty model from any automaker. 

Even the Civic Si’s fuel economy contradicts the misconception that you have to fuel up a sports vehicle often. Honda’s sporty compact gets 26 mpg on city roads and up to 36 mpg on the highway. Fuel stops are inevitable, but not nearly as often as some other models. 

What else does it do well?

The MotorTrend reviewer noted the Civic Si easily handled a three-hour drive for a weekend getaway. The ride was comfortable, unlike what they would’ve gotten with other sporty vehicles. There was no interior noise, and they didn’t have to make frequent stops for fuel. 

There’s also plenty of little nooks and crannies to store items like your phone and coins. The infotainment system has many useful features as well. One of them is Apple CarPlay, which allows you to access music or podcasts on your iPhone with ease. Plus, there’s a handy control button instead of a touchscreen display to manage the volume.

The reviewer also mentioned that even though the 2020 Honda Civic Si is a practical vehicle, it isn’t boring. It still comes alive in driving performance and handling. Because it’s efficient and comfortable, it might make you forget it’s still a sporty sedan at the end of the day. 

2020 Honda Civic Si specs

The Honda Civic Si comes in three body styles. You can choose a coupe, hatchback, or sedan. The last model is what MotorTrend tested. 

There are also a couple of powertrains. The LX and Sport models on the coupe and sedan get a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that generates 158 hp.  Powering the upper trims is a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-four motor producing 174 hp. 

Paired with them are a continuously variable automatic transmission and a six-speed manual gearbox. The manual transmission is standard on the Sport trim of the coupe and sedan. Civic’s base models and upper trims get the CVT.

The 2020 Honda Civic Si is a sporty model, but that doesn’t mean it’s uncomfortable. In fact, it’s the opposite. If you’re looking for practicality with some edge, the Civic Si will do the trick better than its cousin the Type R.