OpenTube

Honda Civic Type R vs VW Golf GTI Clubsport | Who makes the best hot-hatch?

CAR magazine

83,602 views

#VW #GolfGTI #CivicTypeR
We pitch the latest – and last – Honda Civic Type R against the VW Golf GTI Clubsport to find out who makes the best everyday hot-hatch. CAR magazine Editor, Ben Miller, and Editor-at-large, Ben Barry, have been living with both cars for the last few months, so are perfectly placed to give the most-informed opinion out there!

Want to stay up to date with CAR's videos? Subscribe here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/CARmagaz...

Get more content from Car with a magazine subscription:
https://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/carm...

Get the latest reviews and news from CAR magazine here:
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/

Follow us at:
X: Twitter: CARmagazine
Instagram: Instagram: carmagazine
Facebook: Facebook: CARmagazine
TikTok: TikTok: car.magazine.uk

Presenters:
Instagram: benmillercar
Instagram: benbarrycars

CAR is the online edition of CAR magazine, Britain's oldest monthly motoring mag. It's the UK's best and fastest online motoring news service, providing a constant stream of scoops, first drives and official pictures of new cars.

20 Comments

@CARmagazineTV Creator 1 year ago Pinned

Which car gets your vote?

Honda Civic Type R or Golf GTI Clubsport?

@myadventures2911 1 year ago

Was craving a manual car as I used to drive one in the 90s, got a civic Type R 4 months ago can’t stop driving it

@ianpascoe6473 1 year ago

The one with 3 pedals should win every time !!

@urbanstrencan 1 year ago

Honda Civic Type R must be for me is simply legendary , and the driving is next level .

@butchmeister80 1 year ago

The club sport on them wheels looks stunning

@alexaparicio12 1 year ago

the simply most exclusive Honda❤

@tomhowroyd 1 year ago

That red on the GTi is gorgeous

@mf1531 1 year ago

CTR

@ADKMRX 1 year ago

Cannot get over how he pronounced Akrapovic

@chrisjohn3008 1 year ago

I like the Paint on the Golf & it does the boring drives better,apart from those; It's the Honda for me.

Coming from an FL5 Type R owner. Take it as what it may sound like;

The Golf GTi for 90% of the time feels like just a golf. With the Honda, you are always aware you are in something much more special & that plus everything it offers is certainly worth the 5 grand gap they mention. These cars maybe hot hatches, but they are for completly different audiences.

@philippebeinaerts 1 year ago

After 2 years and 50k kms of FL5 ownership, the daily usability of the Civic is what surprises me most. Loads of space, reliability, low running costs and genuine driving pleasure in all circumstances. The driving position, the gearchange and the front diff really set😂 it apart from my earlier mk7 GTI. Only the 47 litre fuel tank is a bit of a nuisance.

@jamesbuckingham77 1 year ago

My friend has a GTi Clubsport and I've got an FK8 Type R. When my mate drove my Civic his eyes were opened and he said something like 'this is what the GTi should have been, it's damn near perfect.' He was pretty blown away.

@PeteAnda 1 year ago

Manual and driver engagement for me but I am odd and ride sports bikes.

@ytaccount5895 1 year ago (edited)

"Akra-po-vick", is that how we should pronounce "A-crap-o-vitch" now? 😂 Seriously, power to weight comparisons would be useful to know, please. Quick roll over a weighbridge would have been interesting

@casimirnguyen756 1 year ago

Bought a CTR and never looked back. It's the complete package for me, and the engineering behind the engine. Also, you gotta look cool while driving, and the GTI exterior design is not nice in my eyes. I guess it's all comes down to personal preference.

@grg88888 10 months ago

The suspension is identical to gti dcc suspension. Same part number for shocks,springs bushings and sway bars. Dont know where these reviews all say it feels different.
Difference is engine, diff settings and visuals.
Placebo effect.

@a.pacheco88 10 months ago

I love my MK8.5 Golf R. I was so nervous about liking it not being a manual but that went away fun. Those sayin the VW is boring haven’t driven the new Golf R 🤣a buddy of mine is already selling his Typr R and after being in the Golf is now considering that instead.

@8titanium8 1 year ago

Former Mk 6 GTi and Mark 7 Golf R owner. Have owned an FL5 for 2 years and 20000kms here.
The only things I miss are the larger fuel tank. Other than that the Honda is so much more pure and enjoyable an experience.
I have added the Integra Type S adaptive damping module and this has fixed the aggressive damping issue for only $400 Aussie dollars.
If this is the Type R swan song then it is a brilliant climax.

@malcolmscott4150 1 year ago

Type r is a 4 seat only as just one example of how VW is more practical but love the Honda manual only approach - admirable when earlier DCT was so clunky - now not so sure

@vellymagagula6490 1 year ago

Just add on to the point of the CTR being the last one with an ICE and the difficulty Honda had w.r.t emissions. Them choosing to use the K20C architecture which is a fully open deck design runs hotter than other decks helping with emissions. But as we all know that open deck designs are not as future proof as others w.r.t long term reliability and big power applications. Well look at the mk3 Focus RS