Compare the2023 Honda Civic SiVS 2023 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic Si have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Jetta GLI doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Civic Si are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Honda Civic Si has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic Si deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic Si’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Jetta GLI’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Civic Si’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Civic Si and the Jetta GLI have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Civic Si 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Jetta GLI. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Jetta GLI ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Civic Si’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Jetta GLI’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 67 percent more Honda dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Civic Si’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 47 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 19 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Si gets better mileage than the Jetta GLI:

The Civic Si has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Honda Civic Si has a downshift rev synchronizer that automatically raises engine speed to make downshifts perfectly smooth. This keeps the car from lurching during downshifts, preventing loss of control during cornering. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer a downshift rev synchronizer.

The Civic Si stops much shorter than the Jetta GLI:

For better traction, the Civic Si has larger tires than the Jetta GLI (235/40R18 vs. 225/45R18).

The Civic Si’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Jetta GLI’s standard 45 series tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic Si’s wheelbase is 2.1 inches longer than on the Jetta GLI (107.7 inches vs. 105.6 inches).

The Civic Si handles at .97 G’s, while the Jetta GLI Autobahn pulls only .86 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Honda Civic Si may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 400 pounds less than the Volkswagen Jetta GLI.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Civic Si has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Jetta GLI uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic Si a Mid-size car, while the Jetta GLI is rated a Compact.

The Civic Si has 2.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Jetta GLI (96.6 vs. 93.9).

The Civic Si has 1.2 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Jetta GLI.

The Civic Si has a larger trunk than the Jetta GLI (14.4 vs. 14.1 cubic feet).

On a hot day the Civic Si’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Jetta GLI can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Civic Si, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its March 2022 issue and they ranked the Honda Civic Si higher than the Volkswagen Jetta GLI Autobahn.

The Civic Si was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” for 2 of the last 26 years. The Jetta GLI has never been an “All Star.”

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic Si as the 2016 North American Car of the Year. The Jetta GLI has never been chosen.

The Honda Civic outsold the Volkswagen Jetta by over three to one during the 2022 model year.