Our penchant for overconsumption spills into enthusiast cars, too. You don’t need more than 300 horsepower, launch control, drive modes coming out the wazoo, and a big wing on the trunk. The 2026 Honda Civic Si makes a case for having just enough, because really, what more do you need than a punchy engine, great steering, and three pedals?
What’s new for 2026?
Following last year’s refresh, the 2026 Civic Si is unchanged this year. Honda kept it simple with a nip-and-tuck up front, a new set of wheels, and a very subtle update to the tail lights — they’re now smoked from the factory, so for the love of God, put the Lamin-X down. If primer grey is your thing, Honda lets you spec a new-last-year colour called Urban Grey Pearl, and the nine-inch touchscreen sticking out of the dash is now running Google software. U.S. models now get standard heated seats, but we’ve had them all along. Suckers.
The nip/tuck might be subtle, but underneath, the updated Si has a few more things going on, though nothing overly game-changing. Honda carried out a handful of chassis tweaks; the b-pillar and door supports are now positioned lower for extra rigidity, the standard adaptive dampers are retuned to play nice with said extra rigidity, and the rev-match feature can now do its thing downshifting from second to first. Our sincerest apologies for not verifying this; we turned off rev-matching right away, because we prefer to do it ourselves.
First impressions
The 11th-gen Civic has been a favourite of ours since its debut. Honda toned down the creases, folds, and sharp character lines for a much cleaner, almost baby-Accord look that still looks good today. The grille and front lip are more pronounced and angular than before, but it’s not overbearing. Along the side, you might not notice the new wheels at first, but they’re there, and one thing to note is that they’re not repurposed from the Integra even though they look very similar. Around the back, the changes are even subtler; I barely noticed the now-smoked tail lights, and the “Civic” badge being black but the rest chrome stands out … not in a good way.
Nevertheless, the Si is as handsome as the rest of the refreshed Civic lineup, and wears the subtly racy bits well. Inside, it’s much the same — Honda’s latest crop of interiors absolutely nail it. Visibility is great, the seating position is bang-on, everything you touch feels well-made, and everything is where it needs to be. There’s no learning curve to anything inside the Civic — except for maybe saving radio station presets, but I’ll get to that — and this being an Si, there’s the requisite red trim and accents. Red, after all, is the fastest colour.
Driving impressions
On paper, the Si is the enthusiast’s choice. It shares its 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with other Hondas including the standard Civic and the CR-V, but massaged to pump out 200 horsepower and 191 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired to a six-speed manual transmission and nothing else. Just like Principal Skinner steams a good ham, Honda time and again makes a good manual shifter. The 2026 Si is no exception, with short, crisp, and smooth throws, as well as just enough resistance to make traffic tolerable while avoiding feeling like you’re churning butter.
But despite its sporting intentions, the Si is let down by a couple of things. It was never really about the straight-line speed, but come on Honda, the Civic Hybrid feels way punchier and quicker than this Si in a straight line. And then there’s the rev hang. Everyone everywhere bemoaned Honda’s clutch/shifter/engine combo ever since the Si went turbo in 2017. To Honda’s credit, they have smoothed it out over the years, but it’s still noticeable almost a decade later. When you’re driving the Si with any sort of gusto, clutching out too quickly will still trip up your go-fast flow.
And that’s a shame, because everything else is a treat. The chassis is a gem, riding delivering a damn-near-perfect balance between comfort and sportiness. Understeer is minimal, only really making itself known when you really take a tight on-ramp hot. There’s more than enough mechanical grip, the steering is sharp and feels natural, and did I mention the shifter itself is an absolute gem?
Living with the Civic Si
As long as you don’t go beyond eight-tenths, the Civic Si is a really fun daily. The quick steering, crisp shifter, and excellent driving position make commutes fun, and when you’re not in the mood, the Si does the Regular Car thing exceedingly well. It has all the active safety and driver assists you could possibly need — including adaptive cruise control that plays nice with a clutch pedal — the adaptive dampers soak up bumps and potholes very well, and the standard-issue limited-slip diff makes clawing out of snowbanks easy-peasy with winter boots. Even the fuel economy surprised us, settling at 7.5 L/100 km combined in the middle of winter.
The rest of the Civic high points translate to the Si, too. There’s plenty of headroom up front, the back seat has about as much legroom as an Accord from a decade ago, and the 407-litre trunk remains on the roomy end of the segment. All the controls are perfectly placed, the Google-based infotainment looks like Honda’s old software but it’s faster and more responsive, and the climate control knobs and mesh trim running across the dash feel as classy as ever. The only nitpick we have is with the infotainment; the process to set your radio presets is an infuriating three-step process, when it should really be as simple as push-and-hold. Better make sure your music tastes never change for as long as you own an Si.
Final thoughts
You can knock the 2026 Honda Civic Si for being underpowered, and you can knock it for its still-noticeable rev hang. But at $38,430 as-tested, including $1,830 for destination, you can’t knock the 2026 Honda Civic Si for being a great deal if you’re looking for a fun daily driver. It’s roomy, it has all the tech you need and want, it drives great, and most importantly, it has three pedals. No, really, what more do you need?
