2020 Honda Civic Si: Review

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
2020 Honda Civic Si
For most Honda Civic owners, the popular compact car is an excellent choice for getting from point A to point B. But there’s a different Civic for those who want to have a bit of driving fun along the way — the Si. Honda has offered the sporty Si edition of the Civic since the 1980s, and now the new version of this hot hatch (and sedan) gets styling updates, more standard equipment as well as performance upgrades for the 2020 model year.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Updated Styling
For 2020 Honda updates the exterior styling of the Civic Si to give it a sportier look than the standard version. Tweaks include revised styling to the fog light housing, which gets gloss black surround trim; an updated grille crossbar; LED fog lights; and new multi-element LED headlights that are both stylish and more effective. At the rear of the car, the lower bumper treatment matches the new styling up front.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Freshened Interior
The changes to the 2020 Honda Civic Si continue inside, with updates to the sport seats including red accents that match the red trim on the instrument panel as well as the stitching on the gear-shift sleeve. These subtle additions enhance the interior improvements that Honda made last year, including redesigned steering wheel controls and larger cupholders. Arguably the most important upgrade is the return to a volume knob as well as physical buttons for key functions such as map, audio and phone. If only the tuning knob would make a comeback.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Model Lineup
The 2020 Honda Civic Si is available as a coupe or sedan and, interestingly, both have a base price of $25,000. Honda likes to keep the ordering process simple, so the only option is summer tires for $200; all-season tires are standard. Both coupe and sedan are identically equipped; however, the sedan is about 5 inches longer and weighs an imperceptible 14 additional pounds.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Standard Features
Honda loads the Civic Si with an impressive list of standard equipment that includes dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, a power moonroof, a rearview camera, pushbutton start, aluminum pedals, a 7-inch touchscreen display, Apple CarPlay / Android Auto and a 450-watt premium audio system with 10 speakers. The Civic Si also gets LED fog lights and daytime running lights, a rear spoiler and matte black 18-inch wheels.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Under the Hood
To be clear, the 2020 Honda Civic Si is not simply an appearance package — it has power to back up that sporty styling. A 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine under the hood generates 205 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Manual Gearbox Only
Power in the 2020 Honda Civic Si gets sent to the front wheels via a smooth-shifting 6-speed manual gearbox, aided by a helical limited-slip differential. The transmission in the new Si has a six percent shorter final-drive ratio designed to give the car improved acceleration. For those who do not know how to drive with three pedals, the Civic Si might not be the best choice —no automatic transmission is available.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Fuel Efficient
Even though the Si is the sporty Civic, it doesn’t give up much in fuel efficiency. The U.S. EPA rates the 2020 Civic Si at 26 mpg city / 36 mpg hwy / 30 mpg combined.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Safety Features
Both the 2020 Honda Civic Si sedan and coupe come with the Honda Sensing suite of advanced safety features as standard equipment. These include automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, lane-keeping assist, lane departure warning with road departure mitigation and automatic high beams.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
On the Road
We spent a few hours behind the wheel of the updated Civic Si on roads outside of Las Vegas and quickly remembered why we always enjoy this car. An incredibly smooth shifter makes rowing through the gears quick and satisfying. With precise steering and a solid, balanced chassis, the Si handles winding roads extremely well, proving that drivers don’t need superabundant horsepower or an expensive sports car to have a good time on the road.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Easy to Drive
As entertaining as the 2020 Honda Civic Si may be when driven hard up a mountain road, it is still a Civic — which means it is just as at home cruising city streets or down the freeway. With its light clutch, the Civic Si is easily driven through traffic; and thanks to its roomy back seat and spacious cargo area it works well as a daily driver.

© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Rating: 9.0
The Honda Civic Si continues to deliver a great blend of sporty fun-to-drive characteristics with the efficiency and versatility of a daily driver. The improvements in styling and features are certainly welcome additions, and with a long list of standard equipment at a surprisingly low price, the Civic Si is a great choice for those that want to enjoy the drive, rather than simply trying to get to point B.