Honda->ke34’s newly refreshed 2014 Civic Coupe Si is now set to roll out of dealer showrooms, and with the added tech, upgraded powertrain and revised looks, Honda hopes the Si will push the car past its already impressive sales numbers for 2013.

While the Civic Si has been topping the list of cheap car thrills for more than two decades now, there have been complaints about the car lacking ‘spice.’ Thankfully, it seems Honda has spiced up the recipe to bring new life into the car, especially in the Si trim.

Added power, a re-tuned sport suspension, an upgraded interior and a new exterior look are among the changes for 2014. Outside, the Civic Si sports a reshaped front bumper and grille with a more aggressive appearance. Reshaped front finders carry the aggression rearward toward a revamped rear fascia that includes an air diffuser and a mildly boy-racer wing.

Things are still familiar inside the Civic with minor changes only recognizable by Civic fans. The Si trim gets a new unique seat fabric with contrasting red bottoms and black bolsters and the dash gets a faux carbon-fiber surround for the center stack.

The best changes are relegated under hood, as the 2.4-liter I-4 now produces four more horsepower and four pound-feet of torque to total 205 and 174, respectively. The Civic’s six-speed manual returns unaltered and as the Si’s only transmission choice. Despite the slight increase in power, the 2.4-liter still returns the same 22 mpg city, 31 mpg highway and 25 mpg combined.

Updated 10/14/2014: Honda announced prices for the 2015 Civic SI Coupe which is now on sale at Honda dealers nationwide. The model remains unchanged and comes with a starting price of $22,890.

Click past the jump for all the details on the refreshed 2014 Civic Coupe Si

Exterior

While some might consider the exterior refresh to be over the top, the new look certainly exudes the Si’s performance theme. The large lower front air inlets and reshaped grille are much more aggressive than the outgoing model. The car’s rump continues the sporty trim with a revamped bumper with an attractive lower air diffuser, chrome tipped exhaust pipe, and imitation air vents. The new taillights have a new lenses that house updated lighting elements.

New 18-inch wheels are now standard and can be wrapped in either all-season or summer performance tires. The larger wheel size is nice, though their design reminds us too much of those rolling under the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.

2014 Honda Civic Si - Exterior Dimensions

2014 Honda Civic Si - Standard Exterior Features

- One-Touch Power Moonroof with Tilt Feature

- Integrated Rear-Window Antenna

- Security System with Remote Entry and Trunk Release

- Smart Entry System

- Body-Colored Power Side Mirrors including Expanded View Driver's Mirror

- Variable Intermittent Windshield Wipers

- Body-Colored Wing Spoiler

- Multi-Reflector Halogen Headlights with Auto-On/Off

- Fog Lights

- Chrome Exhaust Finisher

- Body-Colored Door Handles

- Impact-Absorbing Body-Colored Bumpers

Interior

Things haven’t changed all that much within in the Civic’s interior. The most recognizable change is a new seven-inch touchscreen display in the center stack. It loses the physical buttons from last year and integrates everything via touch control. The new head unit does clean up the dash’s appearance considerably. New red-on-black seats are also new with red stitching binding together the back fabric bolsters.

Drivetrain

A massaged version of the familiar 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder makes its return for 2014, though with more power. Four extra horses and pound-feet of torque are made, bringing the total to 205 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. Mated only to a close-ratio, six-speed manual transmission, the car will likely drop a tenth off its 0 to 60 time. For 2013, the Civic Coupe Si hit 60 mph in 6.1 seconds. What doesn’t change with the added power is the Civic’s fuel economy. It still earns an EPA-estimated 22/31/25 mpg city/hwy/combined.

Keeping everything on the road is a revised suspension with a higher spring rates, new dampers, and a thicker rear anti-roll bar.

Prices

The Civic Coupe Si gets a slight price hike of $275 bringing its MSRP to $22,790 with sales starting March 12, 2014. The Civic Sedan Si starts its sales just behind on March 26 with an MSRP of $22,990. Both prices already include the $790 destination fee, though dealer fees, taxes, and such are obviously not.

Two major options are available for the Civic Si: summer tires costing an additional $200 and the navigation upgrade costing $1,500.

2015 Honda Civic SI Coupe - prices

Competition

2014 Scion FR-S

The Scion FR-S rolls in with a 2.0-liter boxer engine with 200 ponies and 151 pound-feet of torque in tow. Sure, the Si is not nearly as sporty as the FR-S, but the prospective buyers are the same.

The FR-S falls short in overall power, and will likely lose the 0-to-60 mph race, but the rear-wheel-drive FR-S is certainly more fun to drive than the front-driven Civic Si.

Honda Civic Coupe

The new Honda Civic Coupe was unveiled at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show and it offered numerous updates to the exterior and the interior, while the engine lineup remained unchanged.

The Civic Coupe is powered by a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine that delivers a total of 140 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque at 4,300 rpm. The power is transmitted to the front-wheels via a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission.

Prices for the Civic Coupe start at around $18k.

Conclusion

The changes the Civic receives for 2014 should be well-received by Civic fans. The added aggression and personality within the front clip and rear end help make the Civic Si a standout. The car is designed to be an inexpensive yet thrilling car to throw around city streets and racetracks and for once, the new design – plus its added power – helps convey that. Beside the new 18-inch wheels, the 2014 Honda Civic Coupe Si gets our vote.