“Fuel injected fun.”
For 1985, Honda put one of its hottest four-cylinder engines into its tiny CRX, creating the Si. Si stood for Sports, injected, and the new EW3/4 engine was a multiport fuel-injected version of the carburetted 1.5 liter/91 ci engine that had been the top of the line in 1984.
Horsepower was 91 bhp at 5,500 rpm, up 20% from the carburetted engine. This increase doesn’t sound like much, but the CRX only weighed about 1,800 pounds—to get the same power-to-weight ratio in a 2025 Honda Civic sedan, you would need 150 bhp (interestingly, the 2025 Civic coupe has a … 150 bhp engine). Car and Driver recorded a 0-60 time of 9.1 seconds (Motor Trend reported 8.5 seconds) and a top speed of 112 mph. The EPA fuel economy rating with the required five-speed manual transmission was 32 city/36 highway by the day’s standards (27/33 by today’s measures).
The CRX Si’s base price was $7,999—about $24,500 in 2025 dollars or almost exactly what a 2025 Civic sedan costs. Standard exterior equipment included a deep front air dam, halogen headlights, tinted glass, a power sunroof, a rear wiper/washer, and a rear spoiler molded of soft urethane instead of the hard plastic in other CRXs. Mechanical equipment included rack and pinion steering, power-assisted front disc/rear drum brakes, and 175/70R13 tires (a size last seen on the 2005 Hyundai Accent) on 5.0-inch-wide aluminum alloy wheels. Inside, reclining Sport bucket seats with adjustable headrests, a tachometer, and a trip odometer were standard.
Since the CRX Si came pretty loaded by Honda standards, there were no factory options. The Si received an exclusive black paint option in place of the white available in other CRXs—red or blue were also available. Air conditioning was available only as a dealer accessory, as were a rear speaker and a choice of various car stereos: Honda would continue to sell AC as a dealer accessory well into the 1990s.
The View From 2025
According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1985 CRX Si in #1/Concours condition is an astounding $57,900, with a more normal #3/Good condition car going for $20,800. I don’t see many first-generation CRX Si’s come up for sale in either the Hemmings Motor News classifieds or on eBay Motors. However, there is good club support for the CRX at Red Pepper Racing, and they maintain a semi-regular presence on Bring a Trailer.
Make mine Black, please. It looks sharp with the red band on the new for 1985 charcoal gray body cladding.
Other Hondas I have written about include the 1982 Honda Prelude Sport Coupe, the 1983 Accord sedan, the 1983 Civic S hatchback coupe, the 1984 Civic DX hatchback coupe, the 1984 Civic CRX hatchback coupe, the 1986 Accord sedan, the 1986 Prelude Si coupe, and the 1988 Civic sedan.
Last updated August 2025.
Eighties Cars 
I had an ’85 DX with a five-speed. Absolutely wonderful on a twisty back road.
Thank you for your comment—agreed that these Hondas were wonderful cars for the twisties.