Civic hatchback or GTI

[WF19]

The GTI is smaller, too much so for me. I've always been a fan of them, though.

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[julianzh]

I can't say about the 17 gti. But I went from 16 civic 1.5t to 2019 gti autobahn dsg. I will never going back to honda.

Test drive both car and see what's suit you. The gti will cost more to maintain that's for sure. I opened a saving account just for that haha.

Also, thought about 2019+ gti? Starting with 2019, all gti come with performance package. There are plenty of 0% finance flowing around.

 

[NoRebound]

The GTI is hands down the better driving car. Faster, better handling, great seats, great vision from the cockpit. The interior is much more flexible for passenger/cargo combinations. The DSG is a better transmission if you don't want a manual.

On the other hand the build quality of the newer cars is suspect, they have emissions problems, are VERY expensive to maintain, get poor mileage, and have a very stiff clutch for a car that light. The DSG has a bunch of electronic gremlins that are beyond the reach of your neighborhood garage.

I bought the '19 Si Sedan rather than the GTI. It was less expensive, the insurance is insanely cheaper and it has the best manual transmission on the planet. Gets better gas mileage and I think is a better every day driver than the GTI. And yes after the VW diesel scandal I don't really trust what they are up to these days.

 

[James3spearchucker]

To everyone that replied on this post, thank you for your advice. I really appreciate it. What about the oil dilution that is being brought up on the civics? Is that something to worry about if I were to purchase the civic?

If you are comparing CVT against DSG, the DSG VW will have double the performance capabilities but that may come at a price, including carbon deposits and some reliability snafus. In addition the GTI will be perfectly adequate albeit quiet out of the box. I am not familiar with the overdrive gearing on autos but on 6MT, the GTI turns over about 500 less RPM at highway speeds. This can mean better highway mileage if you supercruise (above 80 mph).The seats and quiet of the GTI are game changers because for me as this personally matters to me but the reliability questions freak me out. If you have passengers then for sure GTI wins but if you are 99% alone then the Civic has enough power. And you asked about fuel dilution. I have not had much of that since break-in completed but I would suffer more if I lived far North like in Canada without a garage. The Civic also cannot stay warm while driving around town if the temperatures are below freezing. We are talking water temps. Maybe this cool Honda engine will net longer life, being a turbo, but we don't know yet. During summer at 100 degrees F or more the timing is pulled on Civic, & it drives as if at 1/2 power with stock intercooler. At 90F and below it is not nearly as bad.

Bottom line: If you can handle the louder buzz from road noise+engine, the Honda is better on fixed income but if you can flex for repairs the VW is better and more finished out of the box. The Honda needs tuning and mods to get it close to VW but it will never have as much torque. With DSG that GTI can really be a screamer.

 

[julianzh]

Get the gti and open a saving account. Deposit $50 into that account each week. When the warranty expire, you will have tone of money to fix it. Pre-2019 gti has 6 year bumper to bumper and powertrain warranty. Starting with 2020 gti, it has 4 years bumper to bumper and 6 years powertrain. Most dealers will throw in 2 year free maintain.

 

[James3spearchucker]

Get the gti its faster especially in straight line, hondacivic tin foil body is weak..never to buy a honda again

What happened to the body on your Civic?

 

[The Vyzitor]

...are VERY expensive to maintain...

I see people say this a lot, but I feel it is an exaggeration. Has the GTI been more expensive to maintain over the past 10 years/90k miles than a Toyota or Honda? Maybe? But I wouldn’t say it is VERY expensive. The regular maintenance fluids and filters aren’t that much more than a Honda, and the maintenance schedule means you’ll actually visit the dealer less often overall... for example, in 60k miles a Civic will have been serviced around 8 times or more (especially if you’re worried about dilution and changing oil early) including a few air filters and a couple transmission fluid changes. In the same mileage, the GTI will visit the dealer 6 times, have one transmission fluid change, and will just be having it’s first engine air filter change.

you want to talk about VERY expensive to maintain, think premium European brands like BMW and Porsche, Jaguar, Land Rover, etc etc. My mom is on her second Jaguar and it’s very expensive to maintain.

 

[James3spearchucker]

Literally dents on the pillars and I barely hit the passenger door with my knee and it dent the door but I was able to push it out back

Trust me I don't drink the Kool-Aid. Honda is a big company cutting corners at every turn. I can't get anyone to chime back to me about the door clickers. You know those things that provide resistance and detents to the doors...they don't even last one year and have been same design for ten or so years. The mirrors are not only delicate thin plastic made in China but also cost 550 dollars without camera or heat.

My 1990 Acura Integra had very soft metal body. Your thumb could dent it easily. Now my UK built hatchback has been sturdy and not easy to dent. I did hit an elk recently and it did some shallow dent to door. The paint has not chipped as bad as my VW did or much at all. Surprising given it is water based paint.

My biggest complaint is NVH which is not in same class as VW cars today. Road noise is really bad especially on pebbly asphalt. Seat comfort was also initially impressive but on drive over 1 hour very bad. Third is audio system and lack of CD option is like joke because I got 4 coaxial drivers period and Honda acts like I am stuck for the rest of my life with no chance to upgrade ever. Which takes us to 4th complaint: Honda Customer Disservice. The word Service does not even exist to them. Corporate Honda will never speak directly to you no matter how hard you try and the dealers avoid covering anything under warranty.

 

[civicmanic]

If you're looking for a fun little car, Gti would be the clear winner. An Si hatchback(if it existed) would be a closer competitor to the Gti. And even then I would go with the Gti. Having said that, it is more expensive.

 

[CastorX]

I was hoping to get some thoughts. I’m getting rid of 07 civic and was looking at the 17 sport touring hatchback, but then I saw the 17 VW GTI SE. What are your thoughts on the two? I heard Honda’s reliability is going down and the 1.5T & CVT isn’t all that great. I heard the GTI are pretty good and haven’t had any major issues. Any thoughts to help me decide ?

I think the VW GTI is not really a 'competitor' of the 1.5 Hatch, but more like the Si's.
The Civic hatch is a somewhat larger car with more cargo space than the Golf and also slower. It's hard to compare the Hatch with anything else since it's half a size bigger than most people think as competition. I also thought about getting a Golf for a moment but it was more expensive and every second kid around here is driving around with a Golf or Golf GTi. I think it's the exact opposite in the US.

 

[harrysalvatore1989]

I completely agree with you! I am very impressed by your point of view.

 

[TornadoredGen3]

hahaa only in honda forums you will find a comparo of mk7.5 performance oriented engine /trans and car overall with a outright econobox. Any non R or Si civic is not even in the same league as the mk7.5 that being manual or dsg. the civic ext out of the box is more closely matched with the Mk6/mk7 golf/jetta tsi 1.4t or 1.8t. Lets put this to rest once and for all a car is a as reliable as the owner.Yes there is lemos and bad models out there. Here is my 1.8t at 137k miles which is 90% similar to the Ae888 2.0t on the gti. car has been run really hard for at least 40k miles and before that i did do spirited driving her and there . currently at 150kmiles and still gets 37.8mpg combined. still keeps up with cars 1 or 2 tiers above . Now that being said the civic styling as a bit different and some what appealing just don't have idea how much that appeal would last. Usually german designs are timeless or last a bit longer then domestic and some asian cars
The performance alone and aftermarket options are a huge plus for the Gti i mean you could make aver 475whp on stock block with a mk7.5 gti

 

[VarmintCong]

hahaa only in honda forums you will find a comparo of mk7.5 performance oriented engine /trans and car overall with a outright econobox. Any non R or Si civic is not even in the same league as the mk7.5 that being manual or dsg. the civic ext out of the box is more closely matched with the Mk6/mk7 golf/jetta tsi 1.4t or 1.8t. Lets put this to rest once and for all a car is a as reliable as the owner.Yes there is lemos and bad models out there. Here is my 1.8t at 137k miles which is 90% similar to the Ae888 2.0t on the gti. car has been run really hard for at least 40k miles and before that i did do spirited driving her and there . currently at 150kmiles and still gets 37.8mpg combined. still keeps up with cars 1 or 2 tiers above . Now that being said the civic styling as a bit different and some what appealing just don't have idea how much that appeal would last. Usually german designs are timeless or last a bit longer then domestic and some asian cars
The performance alone and aftermarket options are a huge plus for the Gti i mean you could make aver 475whp on stock block with a mk7.5 gti

The Si matched a GTI PP at Lightning Lap. But I don't really care about that. I wanted to buy a GTI so bad I test drove it 3 times trying to convince myself to buy it. I loved the look, the interior, the seats, the engine sounds nice and it's certainly fast and comfortable. Unfortunately it didn't do anything for me driving it. It feels like a modern BMW. I loved pre 2008 BMWs and owned two, but the GTI didn't feel like those at all. It's too refined and numb. That Everyday Driver show said the same thing about the GTI and Si.

I drove the Si and loved the steering, the brakes, the shifter, everything feels natural and communicative, even the Sport hatch 6MT was more fun to drive for me.

I tried a GLI but that felt quite different, you sit high up and the car feels huge. Didn't like it at all.

The GTI has huge mod potential but I didn't feel like the car needed more power, it needs to be more involving. I've driven a recent 435i M Sport, and it has the same issue for me.

 

[TornadoredGen3]

The Si matched a GTI PP at Lightning Lap. But I don't really care about that. I wanted to buy a GTI so bad I test drove it 3 times trying to convince myself to buy it. I loved the look, the interior, the seats, the engine sounds nice and it's certainly fast and comfortable. Unfortunately it didn't do anything for me driving it. It feels like a modern BMW. I loved pre 2008 BMWs and owned two, but the GTI didn't feel like those at all. It's too refined and numb. That Everyday Driver show said the same thing about the GTI and Si.

I drove the Si and loved the steering, the brakes, the shifter, everything feels natural and communicative, even the Sport hatch 6MT was more fun to drive for me.

I tried a GLI but that felt quite different, you sit high up and the car feels huge. Didn't like it at all.

The GTI has huge mod potential but I didn't feel like the car needed more power, it needs to be more involving. I've driven a recent 435i M Sport, and it has the same issue for me.

OP has non Si or R model...

 

[20ABM06MT]

I came from a MkVII GTI (Autobahn 6MT) to the Si. My personal experience with the VW was great... no issues in the time I owned it. If you go GTI make sure you get the perf package (small hp bump, bigger brakes, VAQ limited slip diff...)

If you were not wedded to the hatch I would say include the Si in your comparisons. It is just such a fun and engaging car to drive. The Si feels younger (more fun) and more planted IMO. Both cars are fantastic- just with slightly different priorities.

As another poster mentioned, the GTI hatch is small before the seats are folded down. On a day to day basis I find the Si sedan to be more practical- however we have other options in our family when we need true practicality.

If your choice is limited to the Civic Sport and the GTI I agree with the poster who advised to drive both several times and pick what you like. The GTI's power/torque advantage and the VAQ limited slip will likely stand out for you.

Also - interesting review of the sport below- they compare to the GTI in the video...

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