By Contributor,Michael Harley
Copyright forbes
Striking an excellent balance between efficiency, comfort, and sport
The 2025 Honda Civic Si sedan
©2025 Honda
Honda has refreshed the performance-focused Civic Si for 2025 with updated styling, upgraded technology, a revised suspension, and additional standard features. Honda says these changes make the Civic Si—still the only car in its class offered solely with a manual transmission—its most engaging version yet, aimed squarely at driving enthusiasts. I recently had the opportunity to spend a day behind the wheel, driving and evaluating the sedan on the twisty Tail of the Dragon and surrounding highways.
To keep things fresh, Honda gave the Civic Si a more aggressive front fascia with a new hex-pattern grille, while revised darkened taillights highlight the rear of the four-door. Unique V-spoke 18-inch matte-black alloy wheels sit at all four corners, tying in with the Si-specific black trim on the mirrors and window surrounds for a cohesive, sporty look. The 2025 Civic Si also adds Urban Gray Pearl, a paint color popular on the Accord and CR-V, to its exterior palette.
Inside the five-place passenger cabin, new driver-focused technology includes a LED shift indicator light that provides more information for the driver rowing the 6-speed manual gearbox (with a standard rev-matching system). Also standard on the 2025 model is the sedan’s first integration of Google built-in (including apps like Google Assistant, Google Maps, and more on Google Play) that comes with a complimentary 3-year unlimited data plan. Those in colder climates will appreciate the now-standard 3-level heated front seats.
The 2025 Honda Civic Si interior
©2025 Honda
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All Civic Si models are fitted with a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 200 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent through a 6-speed short-throw manual transmission to the front wheels through a helical limited-slip differential. Si models feature upgraded brakes, wider low-profile tires, and sport suspension—the dampers have been retuned for 2025 to take advantage of the Civic’s stiff body structure. And high-performance summer tires are now available as a factory option—further elevating performance for those who want something more aggressive than all-season tires.
On that note, the vehicle I was driving was fitted with Firestone Firehawk INDY 500 tires. These aftermarket ultra-high performance summer tires are an excellent choice for driving enthusiasts seeking to maximize grip in both dry and wet conditions (the fitment was 235/40R18—the factory stock size for the Civic Si).
If you haven’t driven a Civic Si, bets are that you will be pleasantly surprised—I was.
Honda offers a Drive Mode system with Normal, Sport, and Individual modes. Normal mode is fine for commuting and running errands, but those seeking a bit more performance will want to select Sport mode. In that configuration, throttle response increases, steering assist decreases (steering feel gets heavier), the idle stop system is deactivated, and the instrument accent lighting changes from white to red—the Si transforms, within seconds, into a sport sedan.
The 2025 Honda Civic Si sedan
©2025 Honda
While a 1.5-liter engine is considered “small displacement” when compared to most other 4-cylinder engines, Honda—celebrated for decades as an engine company—has done a brilliant job turbocharging and tuning the powerplant. It has plenty of power and torque on the low end of the tachometer (making standing starts with the manual gearbox effortless) and it pulls well on the highway—the engine loves to rev, making the LED shift indicator an almost obligatory requirement.
There’s a distinct satisfaction in revving the engine to redline, pressing the clutch, and snapping the shifter into the next gear. The result is a smooth surge that takes this four-door from 0 to 60 mph in about 6.6 seconds—impressive performance for a car that also delivers 30 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway.
The road is narrow and winding, but the Civic Si’s chassis tuning shines, letting the car dance eagerly between corners. Its INDY 500 tires—engineered for autocross and track use—deliver consistent grip, keeping the contact patch firmly planted. With 60 percent of its 2,952 pounds over the front wheels, hard pushes at 9/10ths through tight 30 mph bends reveal clear understeer; however, on faster, sweeping corners, the balance feels spot on. In the mountains, the Si proves stable, quick, and genuinely fun to toss between turns.
The most impressive part about the 2025 Honda Civic Si is its ability to play two lead roles—sporty in the canyons, yet very comfortable (and frugal with fuel) on the highway. I put a couple of hundred miles on the sedan on the open road, and the cabin was quiet, the seats comfortable, and the drive was pleasant. And those seeking safety technology will be pleased to learn that the Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies is standard on the Civic Si (with enhanced safety performance for 2025).
Built in the U.S., the Honda Civic is offered in multiple variations, from the fuel-sipping Hybrid to the track-focused Type R. It’s probably no surprise that my pick of the lineup is the 2025 Civic Si, which strikes an appealing balance between everyday efficiency, long-distance comfort, and the spirit of a true sport sedan. It’s on sale now with a starting MSRP of $29,950 (plus a $1,095 destination charge).
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