Unless you love Honda's or Civics... if you're buying either new... I'd say yes. In 5-10 years in the used market... if the current GTIs age like milk, maybe the Civic would get the nod. I think the GTI would be the better/nicer car to own, day to day. At the very least, someone would be making a mistake to not comparison shop the GTI.Isn’t the GTI a better driving car for a few thousand more?
I would say the GTI's rival is the Civic Si, the Sport Touring's rival is the the top trim level of the normal VW Golf.While researching the Type R and Si, I took a look at the HB Sport Touring and wondered when compared to the GTI Autobahm trim why people pick the Civic? Isn’t the GTI a better driving car for a few thousand more?
I shopped around and was in the price range of HB Sport 6MT. A used GTI was on my radar but I didn’t want to deal with maintenance and repair costs. If I wanted a comparable machine, I would’ve went Si, but I wanted HBI would say the GTI's rival is the Civic Si, the Sport Touring's rival is the the top trim level of the normal VW Golf.
It's actually the opposite, GTI's are known for being amazing daily drivers because of their relatively upscale interior and balance of comfort and performance. Not to mention like you said that the GTI makes serious power with just a tune and boltons being enough for it to spank a CTR in a straight line. Sure the Honda may last a little longer but as a person who likes to change cars every 4-5 years, i'd pick the GTI all day if I were in the market for a sporty hatchback. Also, GTI offers a DCT over the Civic's CVT for people who dont want to or cant drive manual.The GTI is a great track car. Not a great DD compared to the Civic platform given the number of people with issues after relatively short term ownership and cost of repair.
They sure do take added power well though .I've seen some seriously quick GTIs with just a tune and minimal bolt ons .