Hi, I'm John Davis and this is MotorWeek !

We're up to bat in a road test doubleheader of the Honda Civic Hybrid and Civic Si... Then, Dan Maffett takes the pressure off DIY painting... We'll see how renewable gas is made from all our trash before lacing up and running the all-new Nissan Kicks!

So, come drive with us, next!

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whether it's... JOHN: If you're looking at buying a Honda Civic Si instead of a standard Civic, chances are, you're the kind of driver that actually enjoys being behind the wheel and wants a fun-to-drive car that injects some pure enjoyment into your daily grind.

Well, good news!

There's an updated Civic Si that promises to deliver more fun and refinement than ever!

♪ ♪ The 2025 Honda Civic Si spearheads a revised Civic lineup that also sees the return of a Hybrid to the roster, something that's been missing since 2015.

This 11th gen Civic first arrived for 2021, and gets a slightly more aggressive look for '25 with an updated front fascia and grille.

And while it remains available as either a 4-door sedan or 5-door hatchback, the Si comes only as a sedan with a hex pattern grille, gloss black trim and aero enhancements, both up front and in the back, with a decklid spoiler.

Other Si upgrades include larger brakes and 18 inch V-spoke wheels for the optional summer performance tires.

Honda claims the chassis has been stiffened and the suspension retuned for 2025; and it certainly makes for a fun driving little car, though it's hard to call this current Civic little anymore, as dimensions and interior space are more midsize these days.

Under the Si's hood is Honda's tiny but mighty 1.5 liter turbo-4 engine, furiously spinning up its 200 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque.

The Si comes exclusively with a 6-speed manual transmission with a miniature shift knob and very light clutch enhancing its definitely playful vibe.

At our test track, once we got some heat in the front tires and figured out the best traction control settings, we were able to rip off consistent 6.9 second runs to 60.

Not crazy quick, but the free-revving engine and manual trans made for a totally engaging experience.

Our best quarter-mile, 15.1 seconds at 94 miles per hour.

But it was in our handling course where the fun really jumped up, slicing through the cones like we were in a video game.

Yet, it also felt well planted the entire time, grip was plentiful, and body roll minimal.

Consistency, too, in braking runs, repeatedly stopping in a mere 92 feet from 60 miles per hour.

No matter which Civic you choose, you'll get plenty of standard content, including auto climate controls and illuminated steering wheel controls, plus, more color choices for '25.

The funky lattice-style dash trim carries over, the Si getting racy red accents and manually-adjusted cloth seats that definitely are sporty.

While, over in the Hybrid, things take a classier turn with Sport Touring getting leather-trimmed seats, the 9.0 inch version of their touchscreen infotainment setup with Google built in, a 10.2 digital instrument cluster, 12-speaker Bose audio, and wireless phone charging.

Following Honda's current marketing strategy, the returning Hybrid will be available in upper trims only, specifically Sport and Sport Touring.

It uses a combination of naturally aspirated 2.0 liter I4 engine and Honda's Two Motor Hybrid system for a 200 horsepower total.

Yes, that's exactly the same as the Si, and the Hybrid setup out-torques big time with 232 pound-feet, 40 more than the Si.

The hatchback's Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 50 City, 45 Highway, and 48 Combined.

We only managed to wrangle 43.5 miles per gallon of Regular in our wintertime driving loop.

The Sedan's numbers are a little better than the hatchback's; and while that additional fuel economy is great, with all of that torque, the new Civic throws it back to the original Accord Hybrid, having a bit of a performance bent to it, including a Sport Drive mode that heightens throttle response and tightens up steering.

It also gets a unique gauge display and active sound inside the cabin.

There are also four levels of regen braking with shifter-style adjustment paddles on the back of the steering wheel.

And unlike the Si, you can get the Hybrid as a 5-door hatchback, which most of our staff really enjoy looking at and everyone can appreciate its 24.5 cubic-feet of cargo space and folding seatback flexibility.

Civic pricing starts at $25,400 for a base LX sedan.

Hybrids start with Sport Hybrid at $30,100.

The hatchback is a bit more at $31,300.

Si comes in at $31,400, just below the range-topping Sport Touring Hybrid at $33,100.

While at times the Civic has been more of a blank canvas that buyers could customize to make it their own, this 11th gen already offers something for just about everyone, whether you're a high-revving gear shifting driving enthusiast, a luxury-minded fuel sipper or something in between.

The 2025 Honda Civic is the total package.

One high quality, not-so-small car that delivers more fun and more refinement than ever.

♪ ♪ The ultimate goal of recycling is to find a beneficial use for all of the stuff we use and discard every day.

We already know that paper, plastics, and metals can be repurposed into new consumer products.

(sound of bottle dropping in the recycle bin) Well, America's largest landfill operator recently showed us how organic waste matter is being used to create sustainable, clean energy for homes and vehicles.

♪ ♪ WM, formerly known as Waste Management, operates more than 250 landfills across North America, and they handle the recycling and waste collection needs for over 21 million commercial, residential, and industrial customers each year.

One common element in every landfill is the natural production of landfill gas, primarily made up of methane and CO2, as all of that yard debris, dirty diapers, and food waste decomposes over time.

Modern landfills are constructed to bring that gas to the surface through a series of wells and pipes.

The excess gas would typically be burned off with flares to help control odors, prevent air pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in order to meet environmental regulations.

But a more beneficial use for landfill gas is to reclaim it as a locally-sourced clean fuel.

WM has been capturing landfill gas for over four decades, but in recent years, has invested over a billion dollars in technology to remove the CO2 and other impurities from landfill gas, and create what is called renewable natural gas.

RNG is chemically identical to fossil-derived conventional natural gas, and can use the same pipelines.

TARA HEMMER: So, we have 11 renewable natural gas facilities in operation today.

And we're going to bring online another 13, so we'll have a total of 24 across North America.

And when all of those are fully operational, we'll have 20 million MMBtu's of energy production that's clean, reliable, and renewable.

JOHN: WM's newest and largest RNG facility, at their Fairless Landfill near Philadelphia, will produce 3-million MMBtu's of energy annually, enough to power 63,000 local homes every day.

The amount of gas produced by each landfill will dwindle over time, but any lost volume will be replaced as with gas from new sites as they come online.

TARA: The peak day of landfill gas production is the last day the landfill is open for waste receipts.

And then after that, we start to see landfill gas decline about 3-5 percent every year.

So, it's going to be producing landfill gas for many years to come.

JOHN: WM pushes most of the RNG it produces directly into pipelines to help power local communities with clean renewable energy.

But they also use a portion to fuel the nearly 13,000 natural gas trucks that make up their own U.S. collection fleet, and they're on pace to be able to run 100 percent of them on RNG by 2026.

Which means, the truck emptying your garbage bins today can be powered by that same trash in the future, closing the loop on a truly circular clean energy solution.

TARA: A great way to think about it is, it is free energy.

It's something that otherwise was going to be wasted, that we can now put to good use.

JOHN: High volume, low pressure may be the beginnings of a good paint job, but ending with a finish that you're proud of takes more than just the right tools for the job.

So, here's Dan Maffett with the skills to match on MotorWeek's "Your Drive."

♪ ♪ DAN MAFFETT: It's undeniable: The best paint jobs in the world are done with HVLP paint guns.

Now these are high volume, low pressure air guns.

Now, people think you can't do this at home, but you definitely can.

The aftermarket world has a plethora of tools and guns just for the prosumer and consumer market.

Now, if you're going to take this on at your own home, there's some things you have to know about.

It's not as simple as opening up a can and spraying it.

A professional paint line is going to have to have the base coat, an activator, and a mixing ratio that you're going to need to know.

A paint system like this is a four-to-one, so four parts paint, one part activator; and they have to be mixed perfectly, in the right humidity, or they won't work, they won't dry, they'll peel, or they'll just orange peel up on you.

Now, a paint gun like this, you can find at most automotive retailers, and you have a line in for air, a hopper up top for your material, and a nozzle for the spray.

You can adjust the nozzle, the air speed, and how much material you're kicking out, and get a certain pattern to match your vehicle and the paint you're spraying.

One of the most important things when it comes to HVLP guns is maintenance.

After you use them, you want to clean them thoroughly and use something like this, a gun cleaner, to pull out any chemicals that are left inside the gun.

It's good practice to get, learn how to take them completely apart and rebuild them every time you use them.

We're going to get a gun together and we're going to spray this panel to show you the different fan patterns, you can get out of an HVLP.

So, we've got the gun loaded up with some water and we've got an airline.

We're going to show you a couple spray patterns here.

Now with a gun like this, you have options of how much material you're spraying, your air pressure, and how you're atomizing that pressure, the fan width.

So, with this fully adjusted down, you're going to see a very tight grouping that is going to lead to runs and too much material, too much fast.

(sound of spraying paint) So, that is just entirely too much panel getting too much paint.

So, we adjust this all the way back, find a good pattern, so now...we got a nice, wide pattern that's touching the panel, we're not getting any runs, it's laying it down really nice and easy.

And that's the pattern you want.

So, you would just adjust your settings until you find that nice pattern, (sound of spraying the paint) and you can coat a whole panel with no runs, no excess material loss.

One of the most important techniques going from a rattle can to one of these HVLP's is never turning your air off.

You have a two-stage trigger, air and then paint.

(air noise) So, you want to make sure (air noise) you stay on air even when you're off the panel.

You just release enough that the paint stops coming out.

(air coming out of paint gun) And what that does is it doesn't allow any kind of material to gum up on the tip of the gun.

It keeps it nice and clean, so you can get a nice, good panel.

With these tips and techniques, you can definitely do this at home in your own garage or a shop.

Just keep it ventilated, keep it clean.

Now, if you have any questions or comments, hit us up right here, at MotorWeek .

JOHN: From revived to redesigned, we're always ready for another QuickSpin!

♪ ♪ JESSICA RAY: If you're looking at this 2025 BMW 430i xDrive thinking "how is that a coupe?"

Well, you're right, it isn't.

Not by the traditional definition, at least.

This is a Gran Coupe, BMW's way of saying a 5-door liftback.

2025 sees a modest update, including the typical assortment of updated bodywork: headlights, grille, fascias, and new wheels.

Behind that freshened grille is an updated powertrain featuring a new 48-volt mild hybrid system.

But, no extra power for our 430i, still rated at a healthy 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque; however, the 3.0 liter inline-6 M440i gets an 11 HP boost, now up to 386 total.

In either case, an 8-speed automatic is bolted up; and doubling back to BMW nomenclature, xDrive refers to all-wheel-drive, though rear-wheel-drive is standard.

Not a so much a performance hybrid, the primary advantage to this enhancement is fuel economy.

When it comes to luxury sedans, fuel economy typically isn't a priority.

But the updates that the powertrain gets for 2025 make it overall more efficient here in the 4 Series.

And our 430i xDrive Gran Coupe tester gets up to 29 miles per gallon Combined, which is two more miles per gallon Combined over the 2024 model.

So, the 4 Series keeps its fun but luxurious driving experience, all while being that much more efficient.

Inside, new accent pieces provide a small change, but best of all, software updates have made the 14.9 inch touchscreen easier to navigate.

The 2025 BMW 430i xDrive Gran Coupe starts around $53,000, and a rear-wheel-drive model starts two grand less.

An M440i will start near $65,000, but we think most will be plenty happy with the 430i's "Gran" experience.

And we'll have more QuickSpins...soon!

♪ ♪ GREG CARLOSS: This update on our Volkswagen Jetta GLI is a shorty; but, not for a lack of drive time, having added 1,300 miles onto the odometer in just a couple weeks.

That's mostly highway, with a fair chunk spent "one-two-one" shifting in heavy Washington D.C. traffic, leading us to an observed 29.7 miles per gallon, near the EPA's 30 mpg combined rating.

Our regular unleaded fuel economy may have also suffered thanks to our leaded right feet, as we've had proper fun gettin' on it when we could.

(engine revving) Getting on the power generates some satisfying results from this GLI's torquey turbo-4.

We love the sporty weight of this clutch pedal, and the shifter feels nice and solid for spirited driving.

Now, if we're really hammering and we're trying to rattle off lightning fast shifts, the throws feel a tad bit long, but as long as we're precise, it's very rewarding.

Unfortunately, our Volkswagen Jetta GLI Autobahn will be leaving soon, but not before our Long-Term Honda Accord.

We'll say goodbye to that, and say "howdy" to our new Nissan Rogue Rock Creek, on the next MotorWeek Long-Term Road Test Update.

JOHN: Nissan began kicking around the idea of replacing their subcompact Juke with a much more modern crossover Ute more than a decade ago.

But it wasn't until 2018 that the Kicks finally stepped onto our shores.

Turned out it was a smart move, one that Nissan hopes to build upon with this all-new 2nd generation Kicks.

So, let's see if it kicks up more good things for Nissan.

♪ ♪ SUVs, "small" utility vehicles in this case, remain the hottest wheels going, with carmakers putting a herculean effort into making them as appealing as possible to as wide of an audience as possible.

That brings us to this 2025 Nissan Kicks.

What started out in 2018 as a more mainstream replacement for Nissan's funky, entry-level Ute Juke, has now evolved into a fine-looking SUV with impressive substance.

While, even the first Kicks looked way better than the Juke ever could, this one doubles down with some upscale Murano flavor, though the wide stance and exaggerated rear fenders do pay homage to the Juke.

The unique patterns and textures around the lower body are designed to resemble high-end sneakers or "kicks."

Top SR makes the most of it with available 19 inch wheels, black accents, and full LED lighting.

This second gen is now bigger in every dimension, just under an inch taller, an inch and a half wider, and almost 3.0 inches longer; and even ground clearance gets a nice boost to a healthy 8.4 inches.

There's a new engine, too, staying naturally aspirated, but growing from 1.6 liters to 2.0 liters, and gaining 19 horsepower to 141.

Torque gains are more impressive from 114 to 140 pound-feet.

Bigger news is that all-wheel- drive is now available, as the original was front-drive only.

And while, we're talking about that first gen, don't get confused, as there is also a 2025 Nissan Kicks Play, which is actually a budget carryover of that first-gen Kicks.

Kicking off our track time, there's a nice hit of initial spirit off the line, but then power delivery settles down and you take a slow CVT crawl down the track.

It took us 10.7 seconds to hit 60 miles per hour, a full second slower than the 2018 original.

But it does seem to pick up the pace a bit further on, ending the quarter-mile at 18-flat and 78 miles per hour.

Engine noise is expectedly elevated, and even though there are simulated shifts happening in the CVT, it doesn't really help the pace.

Drive modes include Normal, Eco, Sport, and Snow, which comes only with all-wheel-drive.

Now, it was a completely different experience on our handling course.

Here, the Kicks kicked it up a nice notch for its class.

There was substantial grip and good balance, steering was light and it provided a respectable amount of feedback.

The suspension was firm and willing, with very little body roll and no notable understeer or oversteer.

Overall, a quite pleasant cone trip.

All-wheel-drive models come with a suspension upgrade, replacing the rear's simple twist beam setup with a multi-link arrangement, and adding a thicker stabilizer bar to the independent strut front.

It was also quite commendable in braking with consistent, straight stops from 60 of only 106 feet.

(SUV whooshing by) Bigger dimensions allow for a nice upward movement in space inside the Kicks' 5-seat cabin.

Plus, a tech upgrade has definitely taken place with all but base S trim getting wireless phone charging and a new 12.3 inch touchscreen.

Top SR adds a 12.3 inch gauge display; and comes with a leather-wrapped steering wheel, simulated-leather trimmed seats, and surround-view camera.

Nissan spreads the supportive Zero Gravity seats to both rows, so even back seat dwellers get well above average comfort for this price point.

AWD hardware and suspension does necessitate a higher cargo floor and a bit less cargo capacity, 23.9 cubic-feet instead of 29.2; max is 50.1 with seatbacks folded.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings with all-wheel-drive are 27 City, 34 Highway, and 30 Combined.

Our average was right on at 30.4 miles per gallon of Regular.

While, the new Kicks is certainly better to look at, it remains exceptionally affordable, beginning at $23,220; top SR starts at $27,570.

All-wheel-drive is available with all trims for $1,500.

The original Nissan Kicks existed almost totally as a value leader.

And while, the value proposition of the 2025 Nissan Kicks remains very high, it has upped its own ante to be a far more interesting and appealing small SUV to see, to drive, and to be driven in.

We think Nissan put this one straight through the uprights!

Well, that's our show, I hope you enjoyed it.

Now, for more MotorWeek , including daily news updates, podcasts, and even complete episodes, cruise on over to PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

And I hope you'll join us next time for a refresher look at the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, then sit high and mighty in the Infiniti QX80.

Until then, I'm John Davis.

We'll see you right here on MotorWeek !

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Learn more at AutoValue.Com and BumperToBumper.Com.

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We offer multiple installation options.

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