Honda Civic Si Gets New Motor for LA Debut

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

To say that details on the next-generation Honda Civic Si have been limited would be a massive understatement. Honda fanboys — and even normal people — have been hungry for even the barest scraps of information.

Well, we finally have a scrap. The Los Angeles Auto Show recently let loose in a press release that Honda will introduce the tenth generation Civic Si at their expo in November. They also ended some of the speculation on what type of engine we can expect.


The new Si will stray away from the previous model’s naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder and gain a turbocharged motor. Unfortunately, we don’t know which one is going to replace it. The most likely candidate would be a tuned version of Honda’s 1.5-liter VTEC turbo four already found in the Civic and upcoming CR-V. Although many are hoping for a detuned version of the 2.0-liter turbo from the Civic Type R, that seems less likely based on how Honda has done things in the past.

Either way, you can probably assume the engine will make somewhere in the neighborhood of 220 horsepower, rev high, and offer a six-speed manual transmission. Spy photos circulating the internet suggest the Si will arrive as a coupe, though sedan or hatchback variants can’t be ruled out. Aggressive styling cues, on the other hand, are guaranteed.

Before the Civic Si debuts in LA, the Type R prototype will make its North American debut at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

[Image: Honda]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Nedmundo Nedmundo on Oct 14, 2016

    I expect a detuned version of the CTR's 2.0T, because it needs to compete with the Focus ST, GTI, and WRX on power and torque. I agree with Tedward on this. As for body styles, I thought we basically knew the Si was arriving in coupe and sedan form only, but I'm not sure where I read that. If true, that might partially explain why the "Sport" version is hatch only. I'd love to see an Si hatch though. I sat in a new EX-L Navi hatch last week, and I think I'd prefer that configuration to the sedan. I even think it looks cool, in a funky/functional way. Heck, if the 6MT Sport version with 180 hp feels strong enough and the Si rides too hard for the city, I might even go for the Sport hatch over an Si.

  • DearS DearS on Oct 14, 2016

    The 2.0 makes a lot more sense for responsiveness I would imagine, plus it could help lower CTR prices because of scale. A 1.5T can be tuned to 200HP for anyone with an EX with a chip.

    • Nedmundo Nedmundo on Oct 15, 2016

      Yes, the 2.0T would help for scale with the CTR, and also the next Acura ILX, which I seriously doubt would use a 1.5T. And, because the ILX will definitely have an automatic, the rumors of an automatic in the Civic Si could very well be true. May as well get the most out of the drivetrain development costs. Hopefully it's a version of the current ILX/TLX's 8DCT. A version of the 2.0T could (should) even go into the larger TLX, just as BMW, Audi, and Cadillac have spread their 2.0T's into larger cars like the 5 Series, A6, and CTS.

  • Stuki Stuki on Oct 14, 2016

    What a bore! I was hoping for an NA SI, now that "objectively faster, come what may," contingent gets the turbo'd R to play with. Half of Honda's sporty car fan base, became Fanbois on account of impossibly high rev ceilings (and shift action at least a few notches above the rest.) I guess there's always the chance Acura is allowed to revive itself, by fitting a tradition proper vtec revver in the new chassis. Might even make some sort of sense, as the original vtec demographic is supposed to shop for Acuras now, leaving Civics for their kids. Can't imagine a more wholesome car ad, than son and dad along a sinous Cali coastal road. Kiddo tearing it up in a modern turbo'd Honda, with daddy in hot pursuit banging off upshifts at 9X00 rpms in a similar boned Acura...

  • A4kev A4kev on Oct 16, 2016

    Honda/Acura have a track record of producing exceptionally reliable engines.They rarely drop the ball! I suspect that the 2.0L with a turbo putting out 220hp.250 or so ft.Lbs would satisfy this equation I'm an Audi guy but I'm more than willing to admit that Honda knows how to make a bulletproof efficient fun to wind out engine.

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