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The 2022 Honda Civic Si is a peppy sedan that's just as driver-focused as we've come to expect from Honda's performance offerings.

The all-new generation of the Honda Civic Si has been launched for a base MSRP of $27,300 and is here to enthrall the gearheads out there with a fun-to-drive package that is also quite versatile and affordable. Being one of the very few compact performance offerings of the price segment, the car also comes in both coupe and sedan versions.

The 2022 HondaCivic Si comes with a punchy 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 motor and a 6-speed manual transmission, making it very engaging to drive. The car handles beautifully, and the spacious and sporty-looking cabin comes with all the necessary features as well. Competing with the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Hyundai Veloster N, here are 10 things you need to know before buying the 2022 Honda Civic Si.

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After the hiatus of a year, the 2022 Honda Civic Si comes with many changes, but the powertrain is not one of them. This car comes powered by the same 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 motor mated to the 6-speed manual and the FWD drivetrain, producing 200 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. The car could do 0-60 mph in 6.8 seconds and has a top speed of 137 mph.

Overall, we found the engine of the 2022 Civic Si to be sporty, with impressive low-end and mid-range performance. This also helps the car to shine during the city and highway driving, which is not something that you would normally get from the cars of this segment. However, as you approach the top-end, the motor feels a bit coarse and unrefined.

The 2022 Honda Civic Si is the only car in the segment that comes with the 6-speed manual transmission as standard. It also doesn't offer an optional automatic transmission, unlike the Subaru WRX. Even though this restricts the Civic Si in a few ways, the joy offered by this manual transmission is second to none.

This is a typical Honda gearbox with short throws and a positive shift feel, making it easily better than the manual transmission offered with the WRX and the Golf GTI. The clutch is supremely light and with the inclusion of rev-match which is well-calibrated, you would be having a wide grin, irrespective of the roads that you drive through.

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The older generation of the Honda Civic Si has always been synonymous with its taut handling, and we are delighted to report that this ethos has been carried forward to this all-new generation as well. The car gets a front and rear independent suspension system that contributes to its precise handling and body control significantly.

The suspension is calibrated to the stiffer side and that helps the car to drive through the corners quite flat, with minimal body roll. There is no major understeer either, even though it is an FWD sedan. If you go for the optional summer tires, the cornering grip and road manners would be even better.

Coming with a turbocharged motor mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, the 2022 Honda Civic Si turned out to be an adequately frugal offering of the sporty compact sedan segment. The Civic Si could do about 27 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway, both of which are slightly better than the older generation's fuel efficiency.

With a 12.4-gallon fuel tank capacity, the 2022 Honda Civic Si also managed to do a combined range of 458 miles with its 31 mpg of combined gas mileage. In comparison, the Volkswagen Golf GTI has 32 mpg of highway consumption and the Subaru WRX could do an even lower 27 mpg on the highways.

Being a sporty version of the regular compact sedan, the 2022 Honda Civic Si is expected to perform impressively in the braking front. Thankfully, it doesn't disappoint. Coming with larger brake rotors and stickier summer tires in comparison to the regular Civic, the 2022 Civic Si offers sharp and sure-footed braking performance.

The 2022 Honda Civic Si gets 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, EBD, automated emergency brakes, and many more as standard. With 12.3" front rotors and 11.1" rear rotors, the car managed to do the 70-0 mph braking in 160 feet, making it better than the rivals. The front-end dive is minimal, braking progression is unmatched, and there is no major brake fade as well.

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What makes the 2022 Honda Civic Si quite different from the regular Civic is when it comes to the interior. The cabin looks much more sporty due to the inclusion of contrastive stitching, red inserts to the dashboard and door cards, sporty seats with thicker padding and side bolstering, and many more subtle details, all of which makes this sedan stand out.

You would also be quite surprised with the excellent quality of materials used for the construction of the cabin, making it better than the 2022 Subaru WRX and the Volkswagen Golf GTI. The center console looks and feels elegant, and the same applies to the well-integrated infotainment system.

The 9" touchscreen infotainment system of the Civic remains unchanged, and it is one of the most easy-to-use and smooth systems around. The menu is uncluttered and the learning curve needed for this infotainment is very minimal. The display quality and touch sensitivity are top-notch as well.

All the regular features like Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM radio, Bluetooth, voice recognition, etc are standard. With hard buttons and knobs, the driver wouldn't need to look away from the roads, which is a good thing. The audio experience offered by the 12-speaker Bose Premium Audio System has excellent bass and low and mid-frequency output.

The 2022 Honda Civic Si comes loaded with all the bells and whistles when it comes to the safety front. All the regular and advanced safety and driver-assistance features like ABS, airbags, traction control, stability control, tire pressure monitoring system, forward-collision warning, automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, etc., are standard.

This makes it the most safety features packed offering of the segment. Coming with superb build quality due to the construction entirely happening in high-tensile steel, the 2022 Honda Civic Si also managed to receive a good rating and the top safety pick + title from the IIHS. However, NHTSA hasn't crash-tested it yet.

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Even though we are quite happy with how value for money the 2022 Civic Si is, one thing that could have been better is when it comes to the refinement level. One thing that you would surely notice is the high engine noise that enters the cabin, even when not revving too much. The motor doesn't sound very sporty, and the droning noise would get to you on the highways.

The sound insulation provided by Honda is a notch below what Volkswagen offers with the 2022 Golf GTI, and that does bog down the otherwise decent traveling experience. Apart from that, the tire noise and road noise are on the higher side too.

Irrespective of the coupe or sedan architecture, the 2022 Honda Civic Si turned out to be the best of the segment in terms of interior space. In the front, you wouldn't feel very claustrophobic like in the rivals. There is more than adequate headroom and legroom for the front passengers, making it quite comfortable to accommodate even the tallest people out there.

The same is also the case with the rear seat, which also managed to come out with more than adequate headroom and legroom. The shoulder room is pretty decent, and the seats offer a decent amount of under-thigh support and lower-back support. However, the cabin would not be very comfortable for three adults, similar to the rivals. The 14.4 cu ft of cargo space is superb too.

Mohith is our in-house motorcycle mechanic and automotive geek. He loves riding and driving at the limits, and you would frequently notice him on racetracks at the weekends. Mohith is someone who would redline anything that comes with a motor - even our office lawnmower. He often does cross-country road trips in his trusted 300ZX and you could find him riding his CB750 quite often through the streets of Pasadena as well as on the Moore Motorsports racetrack.