Civic Si vs Golf R

[slowahhk20c2]

Hi, I currently drive a 2017 Civic EX sedan, with the k20 and CVT, but the lack of power and the CVT are no longer cutting it for me, and I am looking for a more fun and powerful car.

Where I live in Canada, the Type r is out of my price range, so that’s out of the picture. The 2 cars I’m thinking about are either a Civic Si (10th or 11th gen) or a Mk7 or 7.5 golf R. In my area they cost around the same at around 80000 km of mileage. The areas that are most important to me would probably be, driving feel, power, performance in winter conditions and overall quality.

I know this is a civic forum so the opinions may be a bit biased, but I just wanted to see if I could get any input on which car would be better.

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[Ultracubanite]

I would test drive both and see how it feels. Civic Si is going to be way slower stock compared to the the Golf R

 

[sbace_hamb]

Like Alex said, if you're purely concerned about stock performance, the Golf R will be the smarter choice. Being in Canada, you also have more opportunity to take advantage of the Haldex AWD than someone further south. My brother drives a Mk6 R, and even at 40HP less than the Mk7, it's a good bit faster than a stock Si. None of that is to say you can't make the Si just as fast, but I'm basing my comparison from a stock perspective.

Another difference will be driving dynamics. They're differently shaped cars with different weight distributions due to the mentioned AWD system. The R looks like it should end up lighter, but the two cars weigh around the same. More cargo space in the R, as you can't get a hatchback Si. They both also have pretty high natural clutch engagement points. Definitely recommend taking both on a test drive as a lot of this will come down to personal preference.

The last aspects I would take into consideration are ease of work and price of parts. The Golf R will generally be more difficult and more expensive to work on, although they're not as bad as some other German brands. The front stock rotors and pads on the R are HUGE and make a front brake job pricier than on the Si. There are also just more Si's in the world than R's, which additionally drives down part prices.

I think you'll thoroughly enjoy either one whichever you choose. There's plenty of info about why people love their Si's on the forum, so I mainly focused on the differences the R brings. At the end of the day, both are great cars and both have a very healthy aftermarket. Hope this helps!

 

[Cornercarver]

Normally I would lean towards the SI having owned one, given the reliability advantage and lower maintenance costs.
While slower than the Golf R - or the Type R I replaced it with -it has fantastic brakes, steering and pulls hard except for first gear, where the Golf R will no doubt shine. Not a hatchback but the trunk is very large. Also, nobody talks about this, but I believe the Golf R has a slightly better turning radius than the Si. And way better than the Civic Type R - one of my few gripes about an almost perfect car. Ownership experience - no issues with the SI over the three years and 53,000 miles I put on it. Brakes last a long time. Unless you track it of course, in which case you should invest in racing pads, duh. And a few other things. But otherwise...the brakes had almost 70 % left when I traded it - and I had maybe replaced them once, if that. Only replaced the tires once from new. Type R - loves tires and brakes, requires a steady diet of both. Not sure about tires on the VW, can't be too bad as it wears all four wheels more evenly than the Si, even though the Haldex AWD is front wheel biased.

But where you live the Golf R looks to be a no brainer. I only see snow on the nearby mountains - it rarely shows up on our desert streets. Yesterday was pushing 80 degrees Fahrenheit as an example.
You will get faster car in the VW, stock, as sbace_hamn pointed out above.
Never owned a Golf R, but I did test drive the original R32 that spawned the R36 and Golf R's that followed, and was impressed, and my folks even had the original 1975(76?) VW Rabbit. Handling on that lightweight gem was very special indeed.
I noticed you did not mention a used STI or WRX, same category. But not quite as good a reliability record as even the VW, let alone the Honda. And probably, examples with similar mileage are more money. But also appropriate for your area and tons of after-market support. I thought that was the top of my list in 2017, remembering fondly my test drives in the 2004-2006 STI and EVO (also a bit pricey these days on the used market). But after a test drive in the new 2018 WRX and then finding out it was over $ 30-32K new and not even for an STI I test drove the SI, paid $ 10K less than that for a new one and was happy. Not trying to make trouble here - you have narrowed it down to two good choices. If you see a lot snow and ice, etc. the R has to get the nod over the SI. I will say the Si performed incredibly well in rain. Can't vouch for snow.

 

[Memogiyi]

Golf R.

 

[DarrenCX]

Another vote for Golf R. Good luck

 

[Fg4Juke]

Go for the Golf R if you can swing it. My dad just bought a mk8 golf r and it drives so damn good I’m looking to replace my si next year.

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