Compare the2024 Honda Civic Type RVS 2024 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic Type R 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.

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 Jetta GLI 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 Jetta GLI’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Civic Type R’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 Type R 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.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Civic Type R is safer than the Volkswagen Jetta GLI:

	Civic Type R	Jetta GLI
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	30%	31.7%
Neck Stress	241 lbs.	354 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	58 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	41.6%
Neck Compression	61 lbs.	141 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Civic Type R is safer than the Volkswagen Jetta GLI:

	Civic Type R	Jetta GLI
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.9 inches
Hip Force	286 lbs.	317 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	268	306
Hip Force	516 lbs.	554 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Civic Type R, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 3.6% less likely to roll over than the Jetta GLI, which received a four-star rating.

Warranty

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Civic Type R 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 Type R’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 Type R’s warranty.

Reliability

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.

Engine

The Civic Type R’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 87 more horsepower (315 vs. 228) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 258) than the Jetta GLI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Civic Type R is faster than the Volkswagen Jetta GLI (manual transmissions tested):

	Civic Type R	Jetta GLI
Zero to 60 MPH	4.9 sec	6.1 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	12.1 sec	14.6 sec
Quarter Mile	13.5 sec	14.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	106 MPH	100 MPH
Top Speed	169 MPH	126 MPH

Transmission

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 Jetta GLI doesn’t offer an up-shift light.

The Civic Type R’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer launch control.

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 Jetta GLI doesn’t offer a downshift rev synchronizer.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Civic Type R	Jetta GLI
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	13.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12 inches	11.8 inches

The Civic Type R stops much shorter than the Jetta GLI:

	Civic Type R	Jetta GLI
70 to 0 MPH	151 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Civic Type R has larger tires than the Jetta GLI (265/30R19 vs. 225/45R18).

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 Jetta GLI’s standard 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic Type R has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 18-inch wheels are available on the Jetta GLI.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic Type R’s wheelbase is 2.1 inches longer than on the Jetta GLI (107.7 inches vs. 105.6 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 2.8 inches wider in the rear than on the Jetta GLI.

The Civic Type R Touring handles at 1.04 G’s, while the Jetta GLI Autobahn pulls only .86 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Chassis

The Civic Type R is 6 inches shorter than the Jetta GLI, making the Civic Type R easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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 Jetta GLI uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

Passenger Space

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

The Civic Type R has 5.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Jetta GLI (99 vs. 93.9).

The Civic Type R has .8 inches more front headroom, 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.

Cargo Capacity

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Civic Type R’s hatch uses gas strut supported hinges that don’t intrude into the cargo area. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Jetta GLI’s useful trunk space.

Ergonomics

The Civic Type R’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Jetta GLI does not have an oil pressure gauge.

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 Jetta GLI can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Civic Type R has a standard rear wiper. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Recommendations

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024 and 9 more times in the last 40 years. The Jetta GLI hasn’t been picked since 2021, and the Jetta GLI has only been chosen twice.

The Honda Civic outsold the Volkswagen Jetta by over four to one during 2023.

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