And it’s not just some subtle appearance tweaks over the standard Civic, though there are some. The new Si also comes with a front mounted electronically controlled Limited Slip Differential (LSD) to help you put that Japanese power down while exiting a corner, a revised transmission with shorter gear ratios for more torque and improved acceleration (about 6% shorter than the previous Si), and a slightly tweaked engine mode that will get around 205 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque from that 1.5 direct injected turbocharged engine.
To the disappointment of the Honda enthusiasts, the engine does not have V-TEC, having to pay extra for a Type R to benefit from that delicious feature that Honda spoiled us with in recent years. The increased performance in acceleration comes with a cost - not a big one though - as the EPA ratings for the 2020 Civic Si are down from the 2019 car by around 2 mpg, averaging a 32 mpg combined fuel consumption.
Si? Yes, it stands for Sports Injected, and you will definitely see what they mean. From the front, the new Civic Si looks more aggressive with body colored wings on each side and a gloss black grille. They also removed the fake grills near the fog lamps and installed all LED headlights as standard, a feature that many Civic owners wanted and it looks like the design engineers from Honda actually listened. Same happened with the case of the ‘missing knob’ for the volume control in the center console which now finds its way back in the cockpit.
There’s also a new lower treatment, which picks up on the gloss black detailing of its counterpart at the front, while at the back the massive fake outlets are gone, and a new narrow strip now stretches across the bumper. The back of the car is also treated with a new, not so ‘in-your-face’ as the Type R rear wing, giving it a more sporty and contemporary look.
The 2020 Si comes with all new 18-inch wheels with an aggressive looking matte black finish and all-season performance tires, to be honest the previous default setup with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S made more sense taking into consideration that this car is made to be thrown around into corners, but then again, Honda gives you the opportunity to upgrade to 4S’s if you’re willing to pay an extra $200.
Emphasizing on sportiveness, the 2020 Civic Si treats us with the already known massive HDMI look-a-like exhaust that has the sound coming from it tweaked for deeper and more profound growls. And it does not disappoint, they have made a serious improvement in what you hear from the engine, you will not mistake a 2020 Si for a normal Civic.
Inside the cabin, there are redesigned sport seats with red Si branding, red stitching and loads of lateral support for your track days and backroad fun. The infotainment system isn’t the greatest in the business, but at least you get Apple Car Play and Android Auto as standard, and an intuitive and fast responding menu.
The car is also loaded with safety features that will come as standard, probably one of the most features that any car manufacturer offers in their standard package. It has Honda Sensing, Active Sound Control, automatic LED beams adjustments, adaptive dampers, side cameras with Lane Watch, heated front seats, parking sensors, a powered sunroof and a 450W audio system with ten speakers to listen to your tunes while you carve through corners.
As for the price, you can get a brand new 2020 Honda Civic Si for no more than $25.000. When you take a moment to consider the tech that this car has, the reliability that Honda built its name on and the sporty thrills that this revised model offers, it pretty much sums up to be a great deal every way you look at it.
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