The 2022 Honda Civic Si May Have Grown Up — But This Racing Version Still Gets A Massive Rear Wing

Honda's testing out the new Si's racing chops

2022 Honda Civic Si - racing prototype
The 2022 Honda Civic Si goes racing at Thunderhill Raceway in California. (Images: Honda)

The 2022 Honda Civic Si is right around the corner.

There’s been plenty of discussion, including my own, about just how much more grown up the eleventh-generation Civic Si has become. Gone are quite a few of the sharp edges, creases and indeed the “claw” taillights. That said, I still expect the new Si to be a blast to drive, and Honda may be making the case for its prowess at Thunderhill Raceway. On Monday, the automaker published these photos showing the car testing around the track, where it will participate in 25 Hours of Thunderhill this December.

So what can we see with this crop of teaser photos? As you’d expect, the 2022 Honda Civic Si is indeed coming in four-door sedan form. Unlike the past generation, we won’t get a coupe this time around. Much of the styling matches your typical Civic Sedan, although this racing version gets a substantial-looking spoiler and a couple hood scoops for good measure. It’s tough to say at this point whether that will translate to the production model.

What we do expect to see on the new Si is an all-around improvement from the tenth-generation car. That is, it should get a more powerful turbocharged engine than the 205 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque managed before. Suspension tweaks should be part of the package, as well. Honda’s one of the few actually sticking with a 6-speed manual, and that will once again be available here. Now, whether this Civic Si — and indeed the hotter Type R — will be manual-only is up in the air for the moment.

The production model is coming soon!

Sure, that enormous spoiler may not make its way to the actual 2022 Honda Civic Si that’ll be out on the roads. At least, the automaker won’t bring that out from the factory. We should see the new Si emerge in a short while, as the standard Civic Hatchback is now reaching dealers.

More on that below: