[Auto] Tested: 2025 Honda Civic Sport Is Satisfying but Not Speedy

[7aMoDi]

Delights abound in the 2025 Honda Civic lineup, highlighted by the new hybrid variant that delivers impressive acceleration and fuel-economy numbers. The sporty Civic Si gets upgrades as well, but the base car is mostly left out of the fun. The changes to the nonhybrid 2025 Civic's powertrain, in fact, are far from fun: Not only has it dropped the manual transmission previously available in the hatchback, it also has a new engine that's less powerful than before. The engine swap of one 2.0-liter inline-four for another is mostly focused on efficiency. The new unit runs on the thriftier Atkinson cycle, resulting in less power and torque than before. The base Civic was already one of the lower-powered compact cars, and its new totals of 150 horsepower and 133 pound-feet of torque—decreases of eight horsepower and five pound-feet—don't help matters. It's the standard powertrain choice in the LX and Sport trim levels, while the far more desirable hybrid setup comes exclusively on the higher trims.

 

 

HIGHS: Fabulous ride and handling balance, highly ergonomic interior, improved fuel economy.

At our test track, the numbers back up the slight drop in output. The 2025 Civic Sport sedan we tested was 0.1 second slower than the nearly identical 2022 Civic Sport sedan we tested, getting to 60 mph in a lackadaisical 8.9 seconds. That's hardly a noticeable drop from the seat-of-your-pants perspective, but many competitors are quicker.

We did notice an uptick in terms of refinement from the new engine. It's smoother than before and there's less noise, vibration, and harshness that intrudes on the cabin under hard acceleration. At wide-open throttle, it recorded 78 decibels on our sound meter, a noticeable drop of six decibels compared with the previous model. Honda's CVT executes its fake "shifts" better than most, but it's not the best pairing for this kind of low-torque naturally aspirated engine. The engine still drones noisily when you're merging or passing, making hard acceleration feel like a chore.

 

There is a fuel-economy benefit, at least. As per the EPA's calculations, the new engine nets a 1- to 2-mpg boost across the board, with the base LX sedan now rated at 36 mpg and the Sport sedan like the one seen here rated at 34 mpg combined. (The Civic Sport hatchback is also available with this powertrain, and it's rated at 34 mpg combined but gives up 1 mpg in city and highway driving compared with the sedan.) We haven't yet gotten a chance to test the 2025 model on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test to see how it compares to the old model's 36-mpg result.

 

LOWS: Slow acceleration, manual only available in performance models, nicer equipment reserved for hybrid trims.

The rest of the package remains the same great Civic we know and love. Even in base form, it's a package that combines driving pleasure, sophistication, space efficiency, and ease of use in a way few cars at this price point can match. Riding on Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season tires, it matched the performance of the previous Civic Sport on our skidpad, at 0.87 g, but took 10 more feet to stop from 70 mph, at 180 feet.

 

Civic prices have continued to creep up over the years, to the point where the base 2.0-liter LX sedan's starting price has crested $25,000 since the 2024 model year. The Sport you see here looks quite a bit cooler thanks to its 18-inch wheels and exterior trim changes, and it adds equipment such as blind-spot monitoring, remote start, split-folding rear seats, and an eight-speaker audio system. It starts at $27,345, which is affordable by today's new-car standards but still strikes us as a lot of money for a compact sedan with non-heated cloth seats and 150 horsepower. Of course, it's significantly less than the $30,000-plus hybrid and Si models (the Sport Hybrid slides in at just under $30K). If you're on a strict budget, you can do a lot worse than the base Civic, but if you have a bit more to spend, you can also do a lot better within the Civic family.

 

VERDICT: The base Civic makes compromises in the engine room but otherwise shares its best qualities with its more expensive siblings.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a62353517/2025-honda-civic-sport-sedan-test/