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2025 Honda Civic Si 4Dr HPT - Review by David Colman +VIDEO


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2025 Honda Civic SI 4DR HPT

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2025 Honda Civic SI 4DR HPT

It's a race car for the family

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David Colman
Photos and Story by David Colman
Special Correspondent to THE AUTO CHANNEL


Since 1973, when the first generation Civic went on sale in the USA, Honda has sold 12.6 million of them. One of those sales was to me. When the first competition oriented Civic, dubbed "Si," debuted in 1986, I knew it would make a primo autocross ride. By 1987 I was a regular competitor with it in SCCA Class D Stock Solo Events. Now, here we are some 37 years later, and I have once again rediscovered the enticing siren call of the Civic Si. The latest entry, for 2025, is still a kick to drive, and a super bargain at $31,800. If you're keen to buy a sports car, but occasionally need room to transport a quartet of passengers, the updated 2025 Civic Si four-door sedan is exactly what you need at a price you can afford.


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2025 Honda Civic SI 4DR HPT

Potential buyers who put a premium on handling will be interested to learn that a number of structural improvements to the '25 Si body shell have made this sedan more responsive than ever. Honda has added chassis stiffening plates at the point where the B pillar meets the floor pan. In addition, new longitudinal stiffeners have been added to the rear door sills to strengthen the Si platform. Consequently, the front upper and rear lower suspension mounts are now stiffer than before. Dampers have been recalibrated to take advantage of the newly rigidified platform. All these unseen modifications add up to a sedan that goes like stink, with a taut, precise, yet comfortable ride that will have you whizzing through a sea of autocross pylons with utter abandon.

Our test Civic sported a set of exceptionally grippy Goodyear Eagle F1 radials (235/40R18) made in Germany and carrying an autocross-ready Treadwear Rating of TW 240, and an elevated wet-weather rating of Traction AA. The Goodyears are mounted on new-for-2025 design Si alloys finished in a shade of gloss black that matches the finish applied to the exterior mirrors, window trim and rear spoiler. The body colored front spoiler hides beneath a redesigned and more aggressive looking black front fascia and grill. Our test Si was finished in a new optional ($455) color for 2025 called Urban Gray Pearl, a shade that looked both understated and menacing.


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2025 Honda Civic SI 4DR HPT

The redone interior of the Si is a visual and operational masterpiece you would never expect to find in a sedan carrying a base price of $30,250. Your eyes feast on a restrained medley of red and black focal points, with the subtle integration of the two colors causing you to arch your eyebrows and exclaim "Wow!" The front row seats have been completely redesigned for 2025, according to a race-inspired "BSSS" acronym for 'Body Stabilizing Sports Seats.' Complete with red "Si" logos embroidered into their headrests, these buckets will cosset you like a glove under high g-loads, and that's no BS. They provide better shoulder support than any previous Si seat, as well as improved lower thigh support. And to top off the improvements, the standard issue front seats are heated for the first time in an Si.


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2025 Honda Civic SI 4DR HPT

PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)
2025 Honda Civic SI 4DR HPT

You can only buy the new Si one way: 6 Speed Manual Gearbox. So if "Stick it in Drive and Forget about it" requires you to own an automatic, Honda has plenty of other Civic choices for you to select -- but the Si isn't one of them. Enthusiasts would regard this as a membership badge in an exclusive club The Si's stubby, aluminum knobbed shift lever is perfectly weighted for banging home upshifts and sliding back downshifts. I marveled at the fact that the gearbox is so well weighted and facile to operate that I never once missed a shift. My only criticism would be that the instrument panel would benefit from a large Numerical Designation of the gear you have currently selected. Since six are on tap, it's always helpful to know where you stand. I really liked the racing-inspired array of shift lights located above the tachometer. As your engine speed increases, the symmetrical dual display of lights change from amber to red at redline. At that point, a jarring buzzer sounds to ensure you upshift NOW.


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2025 Honda Civic SI 4DR HPT

PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)
2025 Honda Civic SI 4DR HPT

One characteristic of Si behavior that has endured from the outset is the rev-happy nature of this model's peaky powerplant. To extract its potential, you'll need to run it to its 6000rpm redline. In return, it will gift you with 0-60mph runs of 6.5 seconds and quarter-mile sprints of 14.8 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 135mph. Even though this engine displaces just 1500cc, it churns out 200hp at 6000rpm, and 192lb.-ft. of torque at a leisurely 1800rpm. That low torque threshold means you will almost never make a fool of yourself by stalling the Si when moving off from a stoplight. Another huge benefit to stick shift driving success is Honda's automatic parking brake application when starting off from rest. Only when you fully engage the clutch does the parking brake release. This ensures you will never have an unplanned rollback when making a hill start.


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2025 Honda Civic SI 4DR HPT

2025 HONDA CIVIC Si 4DR HPT

    • ENGINE: 1.5 liter inline-4, turbocharged and intercooled, DOHC, 16-valve, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
    • HORSEPOWER: 200hp@6000rpm
    • TORQUE: 192lb.-ft.@1800rpm
    • FUEL CONSUMPTION: 27City/37Highway
    • PRICE AS TESTED: $31,800

HYPES: Race Car for the Family

GRIPES: Pathetic Horn

STAR RATING: 10 Stars out of 10

©2024 David E Colman