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Living with the SI - First 10 Days

Cooper

Member
First Name
Cooper
Joined
Jul 2, 2022
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Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Vehicle(s)
2022 Civic SI - Sonic Gray Pearl
My first new car since my 1999 Honda Civic HX is the new 2022 Civic SI. Between the two, I had a 2012 Honda Fit Sport 5MT, bought in 2016. For my wife's vehicles, we have had a 2007 Subaru Legacy and 2014 Honda Odyssey EX-L. I did not expect to be buying a new car in 2022, but because used car prices were so high, I set my sights on the new SI. Though I wanted a hatchback, I still remember passing on the 1999 Civic SI in Electron Blue, and couldn't bear to do it again!

Quick summary:
  • This car feels extremely quiet to me. Way quieter than the Fit (no surprise), but also much quieter than our Odyssey. I am surprised that there are complaints about road noise.
  • The Bose sound system is amazing. The mid-bass is a little high, but I have it set on stock sound settings, and even regular FM sounds great, whereas HD Radio and USB mp3 files sound even better.
  • Suspension is perfect. I was worried it would be too stiff, but it feels quite nice to me. If you have super bad roads near you, any sports car will have some bumps.
  • I love the seats. You sit very low in the car, and I didn't realize how deep the buckets were. Comfortable for me (I'm just under 6 feet tall).
  • Auto rev matching is really sweet, and actually a game changer. Downshifts are so easy now, that I had to retrain myself to just use clutch and brake while downshifting, and not worry about the throttle. This actually makes it almost a half-step between manual and automatic transmission.
  • Power is impressive for such a small engine! I have not gotten it above 4k yet as I try to respect the break-in period, but torque and power are excellent.
  • Infotainment system is excellent. Android Auto is a sweet spot for me, and it works wirelessly with no issues. Touch screen is responsive and well laid out. The only thing I would change is the ability to shrink the Android Auto screen enough to fit a top bar with the Infotainment status. I am often listening to FM or USB audio while Google Maps is up, and it the top bar that shows on all other screens disappears w/ Android Auto. So then I can't see what's playing on the radio unless I put it on the tach screen, or hit the Home button to get out of AA. But this is a minor quibble.
  • The transmission is great. Smooth and quick, fun to use. I don't know that it's necessarily better than a BMW stick shift, which is a little more precise, but it is great nonetheless. Sixth gear gave me trouble at first, as I kept going from 5th to 4th. But then I realized that I don't have to worry about hitting Reverse, since it is locked at when driving at speed, so I just have to deliberately push down and to the right.
  • Clutch is so easy to operate, and so smooth. This when compared to the Fit, which had a pretty subpar clutch setup: late engagement, then it hit all at once.
  • Super fuel efficient. Easy to get 30mpg around town and 35+ on the highway. Of course!
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zeroptzero

Senior Member
First Name
Joey
Joined
Jan 6, 2022
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Location
Ontario Canada
Vehicle(s)
2022 Civic Si, 2022 Subaru WRX
Great review, I agree with all of your points. I also find it odd that people complain about road noise, mine is very quiet IMO, I know it is mostly the tires though. The suspension is perfectly tuned, and they definitely spent a great deal of time tuning this one on the Si, I wouldn't want it any less stiff and it is perfect for me.
 

OGGsr

Senior Member
First Name
Jamie
Joined
Dec 4, 2021
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Location
Richmond VA
Vehicle(s)
PWP 2022 Civic Si
Agree with all of your points. A mild tune really wakes the engine up if you are so inclined. The chassis tuning really is a great compromise between great handling and streetability. I have about 6k miles on mine and still love driving it every day.

-Jamie
 
OP
OP

Cooper

Member
First Name
Cooper
Joined
Jul 2, 2022
Threads
5
Messages
8
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16
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Vehicle(s)
2022 Civic SI - Sonic Gray Pearl
30 day Update!
  • Bose. Sound. System. I have a "sub" in the family Odyssey, which is barely audible. I think acoustically, mounting the sub on the rear deck is way better than the side, as it uses the entire trunk as its chamber. I love this sound system. Only downside is I have to turn it down when others want to talk in the car!
  • Rev matching is still awesome. Must have. It just makes it more fun and not have to heel-toe.
  • The shifter works better when I'm pushing the car. For some reason, the 1-2 shift is clunky for me at low speeds, but when you find the rhythm and pause just a tad after pushing the clutch in, it's very smooth and rewarding.
  • Never saw any rev hang until I passed the break-in period. Once you push above 5500, Hello, why are you still revving? But it's probably for emissions, so you just have to drop the clutch before waiting for revs to come down, or that Prius is going to pass you.
  • The poise on sweeping curves is excellent. Drop a gear or two, crack the windows, and you can really pull some g's while listening to the tires find their limit. The car just stays planted, and the limited slip helps you out as you exit.
  • Finding the redline is a lot of fun. But this engine has a great punch from 2500 to 4000, so you really don't need to redline most of the time. Feeling the turbo each time is very gratifying. Why are people whining about the old VTEC days? I don't need to start checking Facebook while waiting to hit 6k rpm so the engine can wake up; power is available much lower, as long as you have some throttle to keep the turbo ready.
  • Even with a few high-rpm blasts, I can still get 30-35 mpg on small roads. Amazingly efficient.
  • You can configure one of your trips to auto reset each time you turn on the car. Then you can get Elapsed Time, distance and mpg for each trip.
  • The front seats are great. You really drop into them, and seating position is nice and low, with very effective side bolsters.
  • Brake Hold feature is nice when sitting at long lights. And it also takes care of the parking brake when you turn off the car.
Quirks:
  • Sometimes it thinks I locked my keys in the trunk, and pops open again. Silly.. until it actually saved me when I really did accidentally lock my keys in the trunk twice in a row!
  • Radio turns on immediately, but can't be turned off right after starting the car, for the first 15 seconds or so. Just turn down the volume while the infotainment boots up.
  • Is there some reason we not only have no temp gauge, but also have no option to display engine temp on the flexible tach display? But I'm just a data nerd, I guess.
All in all, I am thrilled with the car, and the first 1000 miles went by fast!
 


Whitboy82

Senior Member
First Name
Kris
Joined
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Dallas
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2020 Explorer ST
Why are people whining about the old VTEC days? I don't need to start checking Facebook while waiting to hit 6k rpm so the engine can wake up; power is available much lower, as long as you have some throttle to keep the turbo ready.
Very nice update! But I mean, for the same reason people enjoy manual transmissions, when DCTs and 10spds are obviously quicker. There is just something special with an NA motor, and especially a high revving VTEC motor.
 

TypeSiR

Senior Member
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Car Driver
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On a Twisty Road
Vehicle(s)
1.5T Civic, CTR, MX-5, Fit
Is there some reason we not only have no temp gauge, but also have no option to display engine temp on the flexible tach display?
The upgraded Si, the Integra (slotting below the Type R), happened.
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