[Griso]

In 2019 I bought a Corolla Hatchback SE, 6-speed and that little car has served me well. It was manufactured in Japan and after 6 years of traveling on gravel and generally rough paved roads there's been a squeak or rattle and never a need to go back to the dealer. Its 165hp was ample but I occasionally wished for a little more.

I generally trade cars every 4 years and it had been 6 so I started looking for a replacement. The requirements were that it have a manual transmission, be a bit sportier and more power than the Corolla but still comfortable and practical. I studied and looked at Mazda Miata and 3 HB, Toyota GR86 and Corolla GR, Subie WRX, VW Jetta GLI, and Cicic SI. By process of elimination I chose the Civic.

Next involved going back and forth with a few different dealers that had ones in stock or coming in only to be told "the SI's command a premium" BS. Late May I ended up having a dealer just order a 2026 with no extras and it arrived last week. I also sold my Corolla last week so timing worked out well.

The short review is I really like this car! Seats are comfortable, ride is firm but not harsh, the transmission with rev-match is delightful to use, the 200 hp turbo motor feels a lot stronger than 35 more HP listed over the Corolla. Gears are well spaced with 75 mph coming at 3,000 rpm (less than half redline). MPG is very good at about the same as the Corolla which is around 34 for my typical local driving.

One negative is it comes w/o a spare, instead a bottle of fix-a-flat and small DC compressor. But there's space for one so I ordered the kit including donut, jack, and cover that all fits in the trunk well.

The only colors are red, black, as well as gray and white which are "premium colors". White's pretty good at not showing road dust so that's what I went with, plus it matches the Ridgeline!

 

[Farther]

That looks very nice. I've always liked the Civic Si since my CRX Si in the 1980s. I often wondered by Honda chose not to have the current Civic Si in hatchback form.

 

[Honda4evr]

Honda should be ashamed with the lack of color choices on the SI. I probably would have bought one if they had the real pretty blue they discontinued in 2025.

 

[Griso]

Yes this is actually my second SI the first being a 1987 CRX SI (black) bought new that year when I decided to be a responsible father and give up motorcycles. The CRX was bought to satisfy my motorcycle urge and it was a fun little car, but no car can match the fun of any motorcycle so I only kept it a couple years.

Isn't the Civil Sport hybrid a hatchback? I'm fine either way the sedan's rear seats fold down to become open with the trunk so almost like a HB. I imagine the 12 Gen SI in another couple years will be hybrid, if so no more manual.

TBH as far as color I'm more disappointed with black being the only interior than just having just the 4 exterior. The red tweed seat inserts help but they're only on the front seats, the rears are solid black. I'd FAR prefer beige leather or a charcoal/light gray tweed fabric. But it's only a $32K car and in the US Honda has to save upscale interiors and exterior trims for Acura.

 

[Honda4evr]

Yes this is actually my second SI the first being a 1987 CRX SI (black) bought new that year when I decided to be a responsible father and give up motorcycles. The CRX was bought to satisfy my motorcycle urge and it was a fun little car, but no car can match the fun of any motorcycle so I only kept it a couple years.

Isn't the Civil Sport hybrid a hatchback? I'm fine either way the sedan's rear seats fold down to become open with the trunk so almost like a HB. I imagine the 12 Gen SI in another couple years will be hybrid, if so no more manual.

TBH as far as color I'm more disappointed with black being the only interior than just having just the 4 exterior. The red tweed seat inserts help but they're only on the front seats, the rears are solid black. I'd FAR prefer beige leather or a charcoal/light gray tweed fabric. But it's only a $32K car and in the US Honda has to save upscale interiors and exterior trims for Acura.

You are right. A $7,000 Acura premium for basically cosmetics.

 

[Jesse7C]

I had a 2003 Civic Si. I bemoaned the transition to a 4dr, but having grown up, I really like this generation Si. If I were downsizing to something smaller than an Accord, the Civic Si would be the definitive choice for me.

 

[HonduhNewb]

Nice! Never been a fan of white, but with the black accents that thing is fire! I really like the new Si aesthetic. Enjoy. I came from a Jetta GLI (heavily modified) and the car was fun, but I think the Civic Si would have been the right option.

 

[Griso]

The white has a metallic to it so not just work truck white, in fact it's probably the exact same as on my 2023 Ridgeline.

The Jetta GLI was my second choice and it certainly had a more premium interior.

As far as the Acura version I would have considered it for $3,000 maybe $4,000 more for its nicer leather interior and adaptive suspension but they also put their technology (or whatever they call it) package which I do not want and price it $7,000-$8,000 more than the Civic version. And there's no dealer near by either.