Fans of manual transmissions can breathe a sigh of relief: The 2025 Honda Civic Si is coming in hot for the trim’s traditional sweet spot between Civic practicality and fun driving dynamics. Under the hood sits a 200-horsepower, turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, and best of all for three-pedal enthusiasts, the only way you can spec the refreshed Civic Si is with a manual transmission.
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Bring on the Fun
The new Civic Si takes the refreshed 2025 Civic and turns it up a notch, focusing on mods that make it a bit faster and more fun to drive than the base and hybrid variants.
The Civic Si doesn’t share the 2.0-liter engine found in the rest of the refreshed lineup, but it instead has a turbo 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine good for 200 hp and 192 pounds-feet of torque, all of which is sent to the front wheels through a standard limited-slip differential. While this matches the power but isn’t as torquey as the 2025 Civic Hybrid, the other changes that make the Si special should make it the choice for maximum fun. Honda enthusiasts will still get to claim that VTEC just kicked in, as Honda’s valve-timing system is a feature on the Civic Si’s turbo 1.5-liter engine. It’s also relatively efficient for a turbocharged performance engine, with the automaker claiming it gets 27/37/31 mpg city/highway/combined (official EPA figures for 2025 are not yet available).
The real party piece is the Civic Si’s six-speed manual transmission, which features a short-throw shifter and a light flywheel that helps rev up the engine faster. Honda also expanded its rev-matching feature to include downshifts from 2nd to 1st gear, wherein the transmission can automatically blip the throttle in between downshifts to ensure a smooth transition.
Honda claims this is the most rigid Civic Si to date, with new lower B-pillar and rear door sill supports that aim to improve handling. The Si’s suspension dampers were retuned to match the additional rigidity, and larger brakes come standard.
Drivers can pick between Normal, Sport and a customizable Individual drive mode that allows for tuning the steering assist level, engine response and instrument panel display colors. Sport mode is all about maximum performance, increasing throttle response, shutting off the stop-start system, decreasing steering assist and switching the instrument panel accent color from white to red.
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Extra Style Points
If my early-2000s high school parking lot taught me anything, it’s that it wouldn’t be a hot Civic without a few styling tweaks. The Civic Si keeps these subtle with a more aggressive front fascia, blacked-out hex-pattern grille, front and rear spoilers, different taillights and trim-specific matte-black wheels. Equipping those wheels with grippier high-performance summer tires is a $300 option, as the Si rides on 235/40R18 all-season performance tires by default. LED headlights and taillights are standard, and the window surrounds, rear spoiler and rearview mirror caps are all finished in gloss black.
Inside, an LED shift-light indicator joins the new Civic’s 10.2-inch digital instrument panel, and selectable views include a large tachometer, gear-position display, boost gauge and G-force gauge. The new Civic Si also features the other tech upgrades coming to the regular 2025 Civic, including a 9-inch center touchscreen, Google Built-In and an expanded suite of Honda Sensing safety and automation features. Heated front sport seats with extra bolstering for tight turns, the Civic’s top-trim 12-speaker Bose audio system, a moonroof and red accent stitching are standard on the Si trim, as well.
Pricing and Availability
The Civic Si goes on sale in early August and starts at $31,045 (including $1,095 destination fee).
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