2020 Honda Civic Si Review | The everyman's sport sedan

With a slick-shifting 6-speed and a treasure under the hood, this isn't your basic Honda Civic. Available in either coupe or sedan form, the Civic Si rewards drivers with a thrilling powertrain.

Minor design tweaks, more standard safety and convenience features, and more manual transmissions arrive as the standout changes for the Civic's 2020 model year. Last redesigned for the 2016 model year, the Civic keeps outperforming its small-car peers by offering the performance and quality of more expensive cars, while retaining the value and longevity expected of a Honda.

The simple interior, with its narrow center stack and minimal instrumentation, is built with soft-touch rubbers and high-quality switchgear. The hard plastics on the lower sections of the dash and on the doors are acceptable and have a fine grain. More gloss-black trim on the steering wheel and dash, the feel of the metal shift knob, the pulsing red glow of the start button, and even the way the central air vents play off their symmetry are all pleasing to the eye.

On the Si, the 1.5-liter engine is boosted to 205 hp and 192 lb-ft (in both the coupe and sedan). The Type R, with 306 hp and 295 lb-ft, is predictably insane. Both the Civic Si and Type R come exclusively with a stick-shift.

While the Type R is a delight—and remarkably composed despite ultra-thin 20-inch tires and all that power routed to the front wheels—the Si is more the everyday delight. Adaptive dampers come standard and really remove the body roll, though the Si rides noticeably stiffer than the regular Civic even in the normal setting.

The Civic still uses an outdated infotainment system that runs slower, looks graphically dated, and remains too complex versus the new system in the Accord and other Honda models. This 7-inch touchscreen, now standard on all models except the base LX, comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to let you bypass the factory interface. At least the navigation on top-end trims is Garmin-based, fast, and has accurate voice recognition. A garage-door opener is now standard on the Sport Touring hatchback.

The 2020 Civic sedan starts at an MSRP of $19,750, the Civic coupe starts at $20,950, and the Civic hatchback at $21,650. Fully-loaded with a $930 destination charge, every Civic costs less than $30,000 except the Type R, which stickers for thousands more. In general, these prices put the Civic in a position just barely more expensive than the Kia Forte, in line with the Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla, and slightly less pricey than a Mazda3.

Presenter: Matt Smith
Cinematography: Elliot Haney

0:00 Intro to the 2020 Honda Civic
1:16 Exterior Design
1:43 Interior Impressions
2:45 Technology Overview
4:10 Driving Impressions
6:00 Safety Features
7:06 Cargo Space & Fuel Economy
8:04 Pricing Overview
8:37 Conclusion

[JFresh]

When it comes to manuals - I often equate it to gaming at 60fps vs 30fps with an automatic.

At least among the cars I've driven I can't help but feel that automatic transmission cars are still not as responsive as I want them to be. Add in more control in general and especially when turning (I hate it when an auto transmission car changes gears mid-turn) and I can't help but feel that I'll be a manual guy for life.

[mengdynasty]

Hopefully the 2022 comes with the 2.0t

[onechanceonemistake]

He really let his ice cream melt just to keep driving the car😂😂

[jamiewilliams]

I have to disagree. I understand that the drive is the main focus of this vehicle, but that is the problem. The more you want to drive it, the more time you spend in the car. The more time you spend in the car, the more you notice how much is lacking.

[YT-rnjp]

It’s most amazing car. It gets you addicted to drive. No match to it.

[Michael-liid]

I own a 19 Si, it's an absolutely incredible vehicle. The suspension and handling are INSANE. The backseat and trunk are spacious, it's good on gas but peppy. I'm so sick of this vehicle getting poo-pooed because the CTR exists. The Si is $23k after negotiations and the CTR is pushing $40k. Is the CTR nicer? Of course. However, it's 70% more money. Is it 70% better? Not even close. People crapping on the Si because the CTR exists is like people saying Desean Watson stinks because of Tom Brady.
Oh, one more little thing, the Si also has the highest residual value of any sedan in America at 68% after 3/36, so when you buy it for $23k, 3 years later with 36k you can sell it for $18k.
There is NO vehicle for $23k that does as many things as well as the Si, it's in a league of its own.

[riley]

I have the 2020 Si Coupe. Love the car. It's a blast to drive and it has the perfect amount of power for me. Only thing I don't like about the car is the rev hang. That can make the car pretty jerky and rough in between shifts sometimes. Other than that though, I love it. It's a great car.

[SGTOldSchool]

The rear aesthetics of the new civic just ruin it for me, otherwise it’s a solid car.

[scratchs]

I test drove one of these yesterday, and it was amazing.

[Ksport]

I looked at the '19 version and wasn't impressed with the seat cloth. It drove fine, but there were other areas of the interior that killed the deal. The Accord Sport was a nicer place to be. I ultimately ended up in a '19 WRX for very close to the Si's MSRP. Sure, the WRX isn't perfect, but somehow it felt better sitting in it. A few things need improvement, but what car doesn't in the sub $30k sport compact segment.

[kevinnorris]

I’d love this car, but the rev hang kills it for me.

[miguelcastaneda]

Great 👍 video I got me one 2020 .CIVIC SI GREAT PERFORMANCE ...on manual sport. It's a. Blast !!! 😁

[Peter-rqxn]

I prefer the old Civic SI wheels. This would be a deal breaker for now as petty as it sounds.

[montana]

A car intended to be a sporty sedan with a length of over 180 inches is " NOT FOR SUCH A SMALL CAR".

[BaldKiwi]

can we please get a si hatchback? I would pick a hatchback sport model with a manual over this

[davidpistek]

I'm thinking of possibly getting one

[davidhelder]

I drove one recently; a 2020 si coupe. I own a 2006 acura rsx type s, so I was comparing it to that-- I was appalled by the horribly obvious fake engine noise that made the car sound like it was broken. Disconnected throttle made me feel like I was in a a video game, not driving a car. I do agree that the transmission shifts were much more joyous than on my car, but still the overall disconnected feeling of the car showed me that once again Honda has forgotten how to make an enthusiast car.

[elvisrosales]

My big but with the honda SI is : Where is my emergency brake? Wtf. Is a sporty car ! Replacing my level EB for a stupid uncomfortable bottom ?

[tkns]

I will take that em1 over that 2020 any day.!!

[swanblake]

Too bad about the oil mixing with the gas. Also the rev hang on this is unbearable along with an engine that always sounds like a vaccum. Then there is its anime styling and faux vents everywhere including the rear bumper. Other than that, it's a great car....