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sackofcheese

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Andrew
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Central KY
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2022 Civic SI, 1994 Miata (track toy)
I want to preface this review by first acknowledging that I went into the purchase of this car without having a test drive of it. However, since it is an evolution of the 11th gen Civic Si (2017-2020) and the overwhelming positive reviews, I was confident I would like it. I also was trading in my Modified 2015 VW GTI DSG. It had a stage 1 tune, Eibach Pro Kit, Koni Yellows, and 034 Motorsports Camber plates. I put 78k almost trouble free miles on it. The only issue was a wiring harness that got crimped, but was covered under an extended warranty from VW.

Styling: This is one of the controversial parts of the 11th gen. I personally love the more restrained look overall compared to the 10th gen. It has great body lines, and the metallic white paint really pops in the sunlight. The two tail pipes look cool too when combined with the black spoiler. However I do wish it was just a little bit more aggressive. It looks almost exactly like a Civic Sport with the HPD wing. Even the wheels are the same. Honda definitely could have changed it up just a tad bit more and it still would have fit the Si mantra of a Sporty Civic.

Interior: One word, Amazing. The seats are phenomenal, really well bolstered and supportive on longer drives, the cloth is really nice too. The dashboard is well put together, with super nice buttons and knobs. I really like where the infotainment screen is at, and the functionality is great. Wireless Apple CarPlay works well, and it’s not a laggy system. The “upgraded” Bose stereo is good, but not great. I still prefer the Fender system in the GTI. The instrument panel is cool with the digital Tach and analog Speedo. It has a lot of options for what gets displayed in the space in the middle of the tach.

Driving Dynamics: It is a surprisingly nice for just driving around town and commuting. The controls are light, the clutch is easy, and it’s fairly quiet. It makes stop and go easy. The gas mileage is good too. In my mostly Highway commuting I’m seeing 34 mpg and that’s cruising at 80mph. The radar cruise works well, and so do the auto high beams. I still need to try the lane keep assist where it will maintain lane for longer drives though. The ride is definitely on the firmer side, but it is not harsh. It manages bumps and road imperfections well.

For spirited driving the chassis balance is downright epic. The car encourages you to drive harder and faster. The auto rev match system works near flawlessly, and even without it it’s super easy to heel toe. The shifter is a joy to use. Well defined gates and a good shape knob. It does require a little heft but is so fun to operate. The way Honda tuned the engine, it pulls all the way to redline, add in the short gearing and it feels much faster than it actually is. People on the internet are complaining that 200hp isn’t enough, but honestly it feels like a good amount. I like being able to wring out the car without breaking the speed limit too much. Plus it still has enough power to get around just about anything. When it’s put into sport mode you get pumped in audio that I actually think sounds decent. The steering is super precise and the way the car builds confidence in you, it’s just fun. The diff is magical too, but I’m sure that’s any helical LSD in a FWD car. It genuinely shocked me but down my favorite local twisty road, the Si was able to be just as fast as my MK7 GTI. The way the car allows you to carry speed is wonderful. Unlike that GTI you don’t have to fight the car either. It seems like it is eager to have fun. The GTI was very German and would shut down any fun, even with ESC coded to be fully off.

I do have a couple of nitpicks with the Si though. To start, I am bummed Honda decided not to put seat heaters or dual zone climate in the car. I’m sure it has more to do with chip availability, but it’s still silly since the Canadian market Si gets them. It’s also frustrating that Honda doesn’t give you a water temp or an oil temperature gauge. All you get is a dummy light. I would have much rather have those in the configurable dash instead of a throttle%/brake pedal/ gauge or some of the other useless options for that screen. While I’m grateful they gave us an individual mode, it seems like it was a last second addition without a ton of thought out into it. They should have let you also configure the auto rev matching, and the fake engine noise. Also the OEM All Seasons are pretty terrible. However that’s an easy fix.

Overall I’m really happy with my purchase, on top of getting better gas mileage, it’s more fun to drive. Yet I really only sacrifice the heated seats and some of the quietness from my GTI. For less than $31k OTD and with a new car warranty, I think the Civic Si is hard to beat if you need a 4 door car that has to do everything. I can’t wait to toss some sticky tires and go autocross it this spring!
11th Gen Honda Civic 1000 Mile 2022 Civic Si Owner Review 03442BD3-0910-44A5-98ED-24845C79314F
11th Gen Honda Civic 1000 Mile 2022 Civic Si Owner Review 865A0C4B-C658-45F8-877D-2463EB312530
11th Gen Honda Civic 1000 Mile 2022 Civic Si Owner Review EE6EC15E-7430-43DC-BD0C-E214D5FDCE77
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sackofcheese

sackofcheese

Senior Member
First Name
Andrew
Joined
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134
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152
Location
Central KY
Vehicle(s)
2022 Civic SI, 1994 Miata (track toy)
I also want to add, if you already own a 10th Gen Si, I don’t know if it will be enough of a change for you to jump ship to this one. IMO the 11th Gen feels more playful, and eager to do fun car stuff. However if you rank the 10th Gen Si as a 10/10, the 11th Gen is a 10.5/10 for how it feels to drive.
 

OGGsr

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Jamie
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PWP 2022 Civic Si
SPOT on with your assessment of the 11th generation civic si. My experience very much parallels yours right down to the color of the car. I have owned a 3g Integra GSR 4g CRX Si and a 2005 Accord. I bought mine 3 weeks ago and have put about 1000 miles on mine. The more I drive it, the more I appreciate the confident handling, rev matching down shifts, solid structure and the 35+ mpg economy. I bought mine for a little over 30k OTD and haven't looked back!
 


narwhalsteak

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Matt
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People on the internet are complaining that 200hp isn’t enough, but honestly it feels like a good amount. I like being able to wring out the car without breaking the speed limit too much.
This is super interesting to me. I have an SI on order but after the $2k worth of addons the dealership requires, it’s only $3k less OTD than an Elantra n. I test drove one yesterday (looks far less hideous in person btw). It’s actually an incredible machine, but I was only able to drive the DCT. It’s clearly built for the track and isn’t actually terribly fun unless you are driving very illegally. I don’t know if the manual would change that.

Anyways, to the 2022 SI owners on the thread, my question is if you would buy the SI again now that you’ve experienced all the missing features in a daily scenario, or if you would opt for something like a manual Elantra N that has all the essentials and a ton more power for just a little more money?
 
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OGGsr

Senior Member
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Jamie
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PWP 2022 Civic Si
This is super interesting to me. I have an SI on order but after the $2k worth of addons the dealership requires, it’s only $3k less OTD than an Elantra n. I test drove one yesterday (looks far less hideous in person btw). It’s actually an incredible machine, but I was only able to drive the DCT. It’s clearly built for the track and isn’t actually terribly fun unless you are driving very illegally. I don’t know if the manual would change that.

Anyways, to the 2022 SI owners on the thread, my question is if you would buy the SI again now that you’ve experienced all the missing features in a daily scenario, or if you would opt for something like a manual Elantra N that has all the essentials and a ton more power for just a little more money?
I haven't driven the Elantra N or N line but I'm sure they are great machines. I've said this before, but the Civic Si is a great drivers car. In stock form, it won't win any drag races, but the shifter is excellent, handles great and is comfortable. The interior is a nice place to be and if you have a family, it's roomy enough for 4 people. A conservative tune from Hondata or KTuner really wakes up the performance of the engine.
 

alhounos

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Oregon
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2022 Civic Si - Sold, Tesla Model 3
Awesome review! I can't wait till mine is broken in, but I am already enjoying the incredible chassis rigidity, crazy nimble handling and superb shifter.

Cool to hear that it is more fun than your GTI, a car that is "better" spec-wise. I read an Si owner review on another forum where the owner was coming from a Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio, which is a ludicrously fast car, but he realized you can't even begin to use that power on the street. A lot of spec sheet obsessed people don't understand that the driving experience is more than the sum of its numbers.
 

trucke

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Art
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Hendersonville, North Carolina
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2019 CTR; 2022 Civic Si; 87 Corolla FX16 GT-S
I have autocrossed a Veloster N was quite impressed with it. The seat, pedal, shifter was just not quite up to pare with my Type R. Because of my experience with that Veloster N, I looked at the Elantra N Line to replace my daily driver. The N Line has the bells and whistles, but no LSD. LSD in a FWD is a must. To get that with the Hyundai, you're in Elantra N territory. For me, I cannot justify the Elantra N as a commuter, as I have the CTR sitting in the garage for autocross season. If it's flat out performance you want, the N will be quicker than the Si.

I have a deposit on a 2022 Si. Won't be here until March (February build date) and I have my choice of color as long as it is Platinum White.

Thanks for the positive comments on the car. Can't wait until March.
 

Corey2k8g

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2019 Honda Civic EX/2022 Honda Civic SI
I'm behind this review 100% I'm about to reach 1000 miles myself. Great car. It is my first SI. So can't really compare to any other. But I'm enjoying it nonetheless.
 


narwhalsteak

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Matt
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I have autocrossed a Veloster N was quite impressed with it. The seat, pedal, shifter was just not quite up to pare with my Type R. Because of my experience with that Veloster N, I looked at the Elantra N Line to replace my daily driver. The N Line has the bells and whistles, but no LSD. LSD in a FWD is a must. To get that with the Hyundai, you're in Elantra N territory. For me, I cannot justify the Elantra N as a commuter, as I have the CTR sitting in the garage for autocross season. If it's flat out performance you want, the N will be quicker than the Si.

I have a deposit on a 2022 Si. Won't be here until March (February build date) and I have my choice of color as long as it is Platinum White.

Thanks for the positive comments on the car. Can't wait until March.
I really appreciate this response. I’m not looking for performance. I’m not a numbers focused driver. I want the feeling of acceleration/performance and as much fun as you can possibly get out of street driving. I don’t autocross or Track my cars, but I live in a mountainous area with lots of canyon roads and I get huge satisfaction from backroads driving.

My timeline is about the same as yours - March-April. Also platinum white.
 
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sackofcheese

sackofcheese

Senior Member
First Name
Andrew
Joined
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134
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152
Location
Central KY
Vehicle(s)
2022 Civic SI, 1994 Miata (track toy)
Anyways, to the 2022 SI owners on the thread, my question is if you would buy the SI again now that you’ve experienced all the missing features in a daily scenario, or if you would opt for something like a manual Elantra N that has all the essentials and a ton more power for just a little more money?
I personally would buy the Si again. My modified GTI was faster than a Type R in a straight line, and could also keep up on a twisty road. The performance capability of it was higher than a stock Velobster N. The added cost of going to an Elantra N doesn't seem worth it to me, especially if its just a street car. In order to have fun on the street I would have to go into "Straight to jail" types of speed. With the Si, its fun at basically any speed. to make it even better, with the way Honda set this car up from the factory, all you need is a decent set of tires to be just as quick on a backroad.
 
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sackofcheese

sackofcheese

Senior Member
First Name
Andrew
Joined
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Threads
5
Messages
134
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152
Location
Central KY
Vehicle(s)
2022 Civic SI, 1994 Miata (track toy)
I have autocrossed a Veloster N was quite impressed with it. The seat, pedal, shifter was just not quite up to pare with my Type R. Because of my experience with that Veloster N, I looked at the Elantra N Line to replace my daily driver. The N Line has the bells and whistles, but no LSD. LSD in a FWD is a must. To get that with the Hyundai, you're in Elantra N territory. For me, I cannot justify the Elantra N as a commuter, as I have the CTR sitting in the garage for autocross season. If it's flat out performance you want, the N will be quicker than the Si.

I have a deposit on a 2022 Si. Won't be here until March (February build date) and I have my choice of color as long as it is Platinum White.

Thanks for the positive comments on the car. Can't wait until March.
Before I settled on the Si, I was shopping for a FK8. However, with a little one on the way, I just couldn't stomach that high of a monthly car payment since the market went absolutely bonkers. I should have bought the brand new 2021 I was looking at back in April for $1k over MSRP, but I was being stubborn and didn't want to pay over MSRP.
 
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sackofcheese

sackofcheese

Senior Member
First Name
Andrew
Joined
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Threads
5
Messages
134
Reaction score
152
Location
Central KY
Vehicle(s)
2022 Civic SI, 1994 Miata (track toy)
Awesome review! I can't wait till mine is broken in, but I am already enjoying the incredible chassis rigidity, crazy nimble handling and superb shifter.

Cool to hear that it is more fun than your GTI, a car that is "better" spec-wise. I read an Si owner review on another forum where the owner was coming from a Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio, which is a ludicrously fast car, but he realized you can't even begin to use that power on the street. A lot of spec sheet obsessed people don't understand that the driving experience is more than the sum of its numbers.
My GTI was only fun when you pushed it very hard, and it was overkill for street driving.
 

trucke

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Art
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Hendersonville, North Carolina
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2019 CTR; 2022 Civic Si; 87 Corolla FX16 GT-S
I really appreciate this response. I’m not looking for performance. I’m not a numbers focused driver. I want the feeling of acceleration/performance and as much fun as you can possibly get out of street driving. I don’t autocross or Track my cars, but I live in a mountainous area with lots of canyon roads and I get huge satisfaction from backroads driving.

My timeline is about the same as yours - March-April. Also platinum white.
I'm in the mountains of western North Carolina. If you go FWD, you will want an LSD machine. That is a great feature on the switchbacks. The only drawback of LSD cars on windy roads is that you will ALWAYS come up on someone who thinks they are zipping along, while you're sit behind them bored stiff!
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