Compare the2024 Honda Civic Type RVS 2024 Volkswagen GTI

The Honda Civic Type R 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 GTI doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic Type R 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 Type R’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The GTI’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Civic Type R and the GTI have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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

The Civic Type R’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the GTI’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 Type R’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 59 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 22 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Civic Type R’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 74 more horsepower (315 vs. 241) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 273) than the GTI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Civic Type R is faster than the Volkswagen GTI (manual transmissions tested):

In a Car and Driver race course test, the Honda Civic Type R Touring was clocked 12.6 seconds faster than the Volkswagen GTI S (178.8 sec. vs. 191.4 sec.).

The Civic Type R has a tether attaching its gas cap to prevent its loss. The GTI’s gas cap isn’t tethered, so it can be left at a gas station if the driver forgets to screw the cap back in.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Civic Type R higher (6 out of 10) than the Volkswagen GTI (5). This means the Civic Type R produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GTI every 15,000 miles.

To facilitate fast shifting and allow the driver to focus on the road, the Civic Type R has a standard up-shift light to indicate when the engine is approaching redline. The GTI doesn’t offer an up-shift light.

The Honda Civic Type R 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 GTI doesn’t offer a downshift rev synchronizer.

For better stopping power the Civic Type R’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the GTI:

The Civic Type R stops much shorter than the GTI:

For better traction, the Civic Type R has larger tires than the GTI (265/30R19 vs. 225/40R18). The Civic Type R’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GTI (265/30R19 vs. 235/35R19).

The Civic Type R’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 30 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the GTI’s standard 40 series tires. The Civic Type R’s tires are lower profile than the GTI Autobahn/380’s 35 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic Type R has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the GTI.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic Type R’s wheelbase is 4.1 inches longer than on the GTI (107.7 inches vs. 103.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Civic Type R is 3.5 inches wider in the front and 3.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the GTI.

The Civic Type R Touring handles at 1.03 G’s, while the GTI Autobahn pulls only .92 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Civic Type R Touring executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the GTI Autobahn (24.5 seconds @ .76 average G’s vs. 25.5 seconds @ .72 average G’s).

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

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Civic Type R Touring is quieter than the GTI Autobahn (70 vs. 74 dB).

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic Type R a Large car, while the GTI is rated a Compact.

The Civic Type R has 7.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the GTI (99 vs. 91.9).

The Civic Type R has .8 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear legroom, 2.6 inches more rear hip room and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the GTI.

The Civic Type R has a much larger trunk than the GTI with its rear seat up (24.5 vs. 19.9 cubic feet).

If the windows are left open on the Civic Type R the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the GTI can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Civic Type R has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the GTI only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Civic Type R has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the GTI Autobahn.

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024 and 9 more times in the last 40 years. The GTI hasn’t been picked since 2022.

The Honda Civic outsold the Volkswagen Golf/GTI by almost 19 to one during 2023.