2025 Honda Civic Si: Building on a Winning Recipe

There aren’t too many compact sports sedans available with a manual transmission these days. The Honda Civic Si is one, along with the Volkswagen Jetta GLI and Subaru WRX. In order to keep it fresh and competitive, the Japanese automaker has made a few revisions to styling, performance and technology for 2025.

First, the cosmetic changes are hardly noticeable. The front fascia sports a new hex-pattern grille and more aggressive-looking bumper, while the rear end gets revised taillights for a darker appearance. Redesigned V-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels finished in matte black are also part of the package. Oh, and there’s a new body colour called Urban Gray Pearl, as you can see on the pictures. It costs an extra $300.

• Also: 2025 Honda Civic Hatchback Drops Base Price, Adds Hybrid Option
• Also: 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid: The Long Awaited Return

The Car Guide had the opportunity to spend quality time with the refreshed Civic Si—as well as the new Civic Hatchback Hybrid—while on a trip to Nashville, Tennessee. We’ll focus on the former, here. Is it just as desirable as the outgoing model? Read on.

Cool New Tech

Inside, the 2025 update essentially comes down to revised displays. The 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster adds F1-style lights found in the high-performance Civic Type R. These lights get brighter as you approach the engine’s redline and flash to prompt a gear shift at 6,400 rpm. The rev limiter is set at 6,600 rpm.

Meanwhile, the 9-inch infotainment touchscreen adds wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, not to mention the first integration of Google built-in (Google Assistant, Google Maps and more via Google Play) in Honda’s compact car. A wireless smartphone charger comes standard on Canadian-spec models (not those in the U.S.) along with a sweet-sounding 12-speaker Bose audio system. Additional USB-C ports can be found in the first row. Overall, the cockpit proves ergonomic and user-friendly.

Fun Times Behind the Wheel

The Honda Civic Si is a fun little car and that doesn’t change for 2025. Helped by a limited-slip differential and Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 tires, it attacks corners with pinpoint accuracy and remains glued to the road, even under the rain. The chassis is now a tad stiffer and the shocks were adjusted accordingly.

Under the hood, the turbocharged 1.5-litre engine continues to deliver 200 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, which is enough most of the time but not as much power as the aforementioned rivals. Not that it absolutely needs it, but we’d love an extra 30 horsepower or so and a bit more ferociousness at high revs. Peak torque (192 lb-ft) is also modest, but the fact that it’s accessible from 1,800-5,000 rpm results in linear acceleration.

As always, the Civic Si comes in a single trim level (MSRP starting at $35,800) with a six-speed manual transmission only. That gearbox is unquestionably superior to the one in the WRX or the Jetta GLI, especially where the shifter is concerned. We feel like the clutch pedal is too soft and needs some work, mind you. On the bright side, Honda has upgraded the rev-matching system, which now includes downshifts from second to first gear. 

The brakes, while powerful, could use better calibration. Proper deceleration requires the pedal to be depressed farther than we’d like. As for fuel consumption, well, we can’t complain with a combined 6.9 L/100 km on our watch.

Leading Safety

Back in 2022, we described the new Civic Si as a tech-laden driver’s car. The same is true when talking about the updated 2025 model, with technology being one of the top reasons to choose this sports sedan. Safety is another. The U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the latest Civic a Top Safety Pick+ award, the highest possible accolade.

At the end of the day, the Civic Si will continue to please driving enthusiasts who prefer to row their own gears, at a price that remains affordable. If only the next one could pack a little more punch, that’d be great. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.