2022 Honda Civic Si vs. 2022 Subaru WRX

The 2022 Subaru WRX is all-new this year. This rally-inspired sedan makes performance a priority with sporty handling and a responsive engine. It also has aggressive exterior styling and a comfortable interior with a wide range of standard features.

The 2022 Honda Civic Si a single trim within the Civic lineup that focuses on performance. It boasts the most powerful engine of the trim range with a manual transmission and bold styling that makes it stand out. The Civic Si also has good standard safety and a fully featured infotainment system. Let’s take a closer look at these two sports sedans to see which is the best.

The Honda Civic Si isn’t a model, but rather a trim within the Civic lineup. Pricing is $28,315 with numerous standard features. These include a 9-inch infotainment touchscreen, 12-speaker Bose audio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, one-touch moonroof, heated side mirrors, and Si logos embossed on the front headrests.

The Subaru WRX offers four trims with pricing yet to be announced. The Base includes a 7.0-inch infotainment touchscreen and cloth seats. The Premium adds an 11.6-inch infotainment touchscreen and an all-weather package. The Limited gets a 10-way power driver’s seat and 11-speaker Harman Kardon audio. The GT offers sport-tuned suspension and Recaro front seats. For its range of trims, we give this to the WRX.

Winner: Subaru WRX

The Honda Civic Si is powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with 200 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired to a 6-speed manual transmission with no option for an automatic. While the manual makes the Civic Si incredibly fun to drive, not offering an automatic takes it right off the list for many buyers.

The Subaru WRX gets its power from a 2.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder with 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. While a 6-speed manual is standard, there’s the option for an 8-speed automatic that becomes standard on the top GT trim. The WRX has more power and more transmission options giving it the win.

Winner: Subaru WRX

These are sports sedans, so they don’t have the same smooth, compliant rides of less performance-focused models. The Civic Si is generally well-mannered. You will notice rough road surfaces, but it’s not intrusive enough to make the ride uncomfortable.

The Subaru WRX has a similarly sporty ride. Again, it’s not uncomfortable for passengers, but they will feel road imperfections. While the WRX does a good job balancing sportiness with passenger comfort, the Civic Si provides a smoother, more relaxing ride with less bounce and vibration on imperfect roads.

Winner: Honda Civic Si

The Civic Si has three drive modes of normal, sport, and individual. Normal is more relaxed and suited to leisurely drives while sport tightens things up for a more immersive driving experience. Individual lets you customize vehicle settings independently. In any mode, handling is crisp and responsive with good control even in tight corners at higher speeds.

The WRX offers intelligent, sport, or sport sharp drive modes that also let you tailor your drive experience. The top GT trim adds in electronic adjustable ride control for added personalization. Although both have crisp handling with good control, the WRX delivers sharper handling and a stiffer suspension system that makes it more fun tackling twisting roads.

Winner: Subaru WRX

The Civic Si features premium materials with leather and wood trims. Aluminum sport pedals and red contrast stitching deliver a striking first impression. Front seats are supportive and heavily bolstered with the Si logo embroidered onto the headrests. It’s an attractive and comfortable interior with backseats that fit three but are better suited to only two.

The WRX gets black surfaces with carbon fiber accents and red contrast stitching. There’s a flat-bottomed steering wheel that’s wrapped in leather and strong bolstering for the front seats. Like the Civic Si, backseat room is snug. Though both deliver a premium, sporty interior, the Civic Si is quieter and more comfortable, making it better suited to longer drives.

Winner: Honda Civic Si

Infotainment in the Civic Si features a standard 9.0-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 12-speaker Bose audio system, and two USB ports. It’s an intuitive system with well-organized menus. Passengers new to how it works will find it easy to quickly figure out.

Infotainment on the Base trim of the WRX includes dual 7.0-inch touchscreens with Apple CarPlay and Android. The rest of the lineup has an 11.6-inch touchscreen with an available 11-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. Though the base system is stronger in the Civic Si, the bulk of the WRX lineup has a larger screen that is easier to use. It also gives the WRX a more tech-savvy look and feel.

Winner: Subaru WRX

The Honda Civic Si has a long list of standard safety features. These include forward collision warning, collision mitigation braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, road departure mitigation, and traffic sign recognition. It also has blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, rear seat reminder, and auto high beams.

The Subaru WRX offers limited features on models equipped with the manual transmission, but a larger range of feature with the automatic. These include lane centering, pre-collision brake assist, automatic emergency steering, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control with lane centering. The Civic Si comes out on top for its longer list of standard features.

Winner: Honda Civic Si

These are not large sedans, so cargo room is more limited. Still, they both easily offer enough room to carry an average day’s cargo and even luggage for a getaway. The Honda Civic Si has a trunk with 14.4 cubic feet of room.

The Subaru WRX has only 12.5 cubic feet. It does have a low load floor and a wide trunk opening that makes it easier to stow large or heavy items but can’t match up to the space in the Civic Si.

Winner: Honda Civic Si

As sports sedans, fuel economy isn’t as good as what you’ll find in other small sedans. The Honda Civic Si gets an EPA-estimated 27 mpg in the city, 37 mpg on the highway, and 31 mpg combined. Those are surprisingly good numbers for a performance sedan.

The Subaru WRX gets an EPA-estimated 19 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined with the manual transmission. The automatic does slightly worse with 19 mpg in the city, 25 mpg on the highway, and 21 mpg combined. The Civic Si comes out ahead no matter which transmission you choose.

Winner: Honda Civic Si

The Subaru WRX delivers a range of trims with a responsive powertrain. There’s a choice of either a manual or automatic transmission with crisp handling and a well-mannered ride. The interior is comfortable with premium materials, and it has good standard safety.

The Honda Civic Si, however, comes out a bit ahead. It gets better fuel economy and has a longer list of standard safety features. The Civic Si also does a better job of combining sporty handling with a smooth ride that makes this sports sedan a good choice for longer drives.

Winner: Honda Civic Si