2020 Honda Civic Si: Sharp performance and an excellent value
Cars
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Whew.
This car feels good.
Today, we're behind the wheel of the 2020 Honda Civic SI.
In a lot of ways, it's Honda's answer to Through the fan favorite VW GTI, but it's also a sport compact legend in its own right.
And that rivalry is still hot today.
But we'll get back to that in a little bit.
For now, let's pull over and see we're working with underhood.
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2020 Honda Civic Si makes 205 horsepower and 195 pound feet of torque from this.
It's 1.5 liter turbocharged four cylinder engine.
Now, that seems a little small for this class, but trust me it's better than it sounds.
With a healthy mid-range of torque and a willingness to rev at the top end that I just find delightful from Honda's engine.
Now, that's how it reaches the road via a six speed manual transmission with an almost painfully precise shifter and a really nice light clutch.
There's also a limited slip differential in their metering the torque between the two contact patches.
Now the ratios are a little bit lower for 2020, which makes for a more responsive drive but it also mean there's a tad bit more drone on the highway but not a whole lot more.
And I should also mention there's no automatic transmission option for the SI and no DCT which I don't really care that much about because this is almost as perfect Of manual transmission as you can ask for the price point, but it bears mentioning.
The suspension department is staffed by a multi link rear setup and MacPherson struts at the front and it all four corners we've got adaptive dampers that go from firm to really firm with a touch of a button on the console.
Rolling stock consists of standard 18 inch wheel shot and to 35 with all season, or like we've got here an optional upgrade to summer tire for just $200 check in the box for the stickier rubber is definitely a worthwhile option.
The tenth generation Civic's strongest suit is always been it's well tuned chassis and short of the type R the SI is probably the best example of that.
The steering has a really good weight to it.
It feels nice and tight.
The handling is very precise which makes it very easy to position this car where you want it in your lane.
And pretty much every phase of a turn, From the braking to the positioning yourself at the apex of the accelerating out has a really nice precision to it.
Now pretty much every part of the performance benefits in the light clutch and the Red Hat The engine was made.
Makes flipping downshifts really easy and upshifts as well.
And the way that this shifter sort of falls magnetically into gear is extremely satisfying.
It's a great car to drive around in stop and go traffic, even with the manual transmission.
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Overall, it feels like Honda has tuned the performance of the Civic SI to be the best possible on the street driving car that it could provide for this price point.
Now relative to Volkswagen's GTI though, it's down around 25 horsepower and About 60 pound feet of torque, which you don't really notice when you're chucking this thing around the corners.
Partially because the chassis dynamics of the Civic just feel much more engaging.
It's a more alive car in your hands than the GTI is.
On the other hand, there's also the fact that the engine is more rev happy, which kinda get your pulse going a little bit.
So has really noticed that I'm down power.
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On the other hand, around town, the GTI��s meter [UNKNOWN] curve, makes it a much more relaxed daily driver for those times when you��re in a stop and go traffic.
The fact that you can get it with a dual clutch transmission, also makes it a little easier to live with.
The GTI Also a much more premium vehicle, with better interior build quality, nicer options and more.
On the other hand, it's a much more expensive vehicle [INAUDIBLE] starting at around $2,000 more than the Civic Si does, for comparably equipped vehicle.
Meanwhile, other parts of the Si get 2020 updates and make the vehicle a little bit easier to live with.
Things like LED headlamps that make the exterior design look a little bit better.
Or an upgrade to our seven inch infotainment system that includes a volume knob and physical control.
Things that are just really nice to have.
Now I should mention that there is no OEM navigation option on the Civic SI.
But with standard Android Auto and Apple Carplay, I don't really care.
I'm probably gonna be using My phone most of the time anyway.
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The 2020 Honda Civic Si starts at $25,000 whether you go coop or like we've got here the sidin factory destination charges and that $200 tire upgrade that I recommended and you're looking at around $26,000 delivered.
That combined with it slightly sharper handling and performance makes it I believe Better sport compact value for your dollar even though I still think that the VW the better car overall
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