The landlord came around yesterday. No, your author was not in trouble for throwing raucous, all-night shindigs, nor was he in need of a hooked wire to unclog a bathroom sink. The purpose of this visit was automotive in nature.
My landlord had just purchased a car, you see, and was understandably feeling pretty damn proud about it. Instantly, his choice of ride fostered an online discussion about visibility.
The car? A Volkswagen Golf R, the quintessential hot hatch.
TTAC’s Managing Editor put it best when he remarked, “The Golf R’s charm lies in how little it shows off.” I couldn’t agree more.
VW’s most potent compact keeps its 288 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque something of a secret to other motorists. All-wheel drive is not telegraphed with graphics, sky-high wings, or body cladding. Nope, just a subtle application of visual sport the less eagle-eyed among us might miss.
While VW put the R on hold for 2020, pending arrival of the eight-generation Golf, it remains a sought-after machine with a clear, polar-opposite rival: the Honda Civic Type R.
The Type R is everything the R isn’t. While the R offers drivers a subdued exterior with which to fly under the radar, the Type R bellows to every kid and cop in town, “Here I am!” Its fascia boasts more inlets and crevasses than a Norwegian fjord. The wing is on loan from the USAF. Front-drive compared to the R’s AWD, and with only a manual transmission on offer, the more powerful Type R (306 hp, 295 lb-ft) is as brash as the R is understated. The only thing the two have in common is bodystyle, segment, and engine displacement.
Which begs the question: If given the choice of one of these two beasts, free of charge, which one would you choose? Why?
[Images: Honda, Volkswagen]
The Golf R because I’m not 16 and don’t want to drive around in something that looks like a 16 year olds dream car.
Amen brother. The kids are going to aftermarket these things anyway, why not make them relatively mature like the Golf, and let the kids add the wings and crap later.
I mean, who has the money for these things (new)? Not kids.
Let me tell you this. 16yo don’t have the $$$ these demand. So, when you drive one, people know that you are not a kid and you have dropped $40K
I’d bet only people in the market for these know how much they cost. I’d bet a lot of car people would be surprised it’s $40k. I think most average people will just assume you put a huge wing on a Civic (if they even recognize it) and chalk it up as a $20k-ish car. One thing I’ve learned over the years talking with random people about cars is how narrow the breadth and how little overall people actually know or care about cars. Even friends that like cars have surprised me with what they are unaware of. People that are up on a very wide and in depth amount of industry information are not a large group. It’s why most of these focused enthusiast cars sell in very small amounts.
Also, I’ve learned that most of the cars i think look atrocious are liked overall by the general population. So people may not notice or even dislike the looks of the Civic. But still, they have no idea how much you’ve spent on it.
SlowMyke,
I can’t disagree. People know nothing in general. Besides their narrow path they are walking. Majority of people.
“So, when you drive one, people know that…” – you have the maturity of a 16 yr old.
Which is why when I was shopping for a hot hatch last year the WRX and Type R were never considered. I really like the stealthiness of the GTI and the Golf R certainly matches that.
For the record, I bought a never again available in the US 2018 Focus ST. In Shadow Black, not Tangerine Scream.
I get the Civic Type-R’s looks. They’re like that for the same reason why someone would drive a Lamborghini compared to an Audi R8. Sometimes you want the in your face, flashy looks. The fake vents and ports are a little much and will sun fade into some kind of putrid primer color a few years from now, but in the right color (like the new blue and that awesome Phoenix Yellow), it’s quite striking.
Cost no object, I think I’d still go with the CTR. I like the AWD in the VW-R, and the look is far more mature, but it still has a basic Golf look and if I’m fronting the repair bills, VW quality issues will rear its ugly head in a few years. I love the Honda shifter, the seats are all day comfortable, and it has a personality, as loud and brash as it might be.
The sweet spot is if Honda would bring that somewhat more usable CTR from Europe to North America with the smaller wing and wheels…maybe for 2021 (fingers crossed.)
Subaru WRX… Oh, wait ;-)
Let’s talk the new WRX STi…mmm…
The Civic is so ugly this is an easy choice – get the R. My big complaint with the Civic’s look is 90% of the stuff on it doesn’t even help aero wise, its all window dressing.
My brother has a Golf R that started life as daily driver and became a track car. With mild upgrades (APR Stage II, coil overs) it runs the same times as his Boxster GTS on slicks. The Porsche is easier to drive at the limit but the R’s grocery getting appearance catches everyone by surprise as it rockets past. My brother calls it the “toaster” due to its boxy and appliance like appearance, especially since as his is painted in plain fleet-truck white. Under the radar indeed.
Living in Michigan, I’d have to opt for the AWD Golf R.
Working for an American OEM, I’d have to sell it and use the proceeds to purchase something that doesn’t banish me to Competitive Parking.
Having worked for each of the Big 3, I can guess which one you work for based upon that comment!
Truth be told I’m in competitive parking now, because my employer doesn’t see fit to bring either of the car-based 6- or 7-seaters they sell in Europe to our shores. In the meantime I’m driving my Mazda5 straight into the ground.
Once it dies (I’m at 194k miles right now) I’ll bite the bullet and use our corporate lease program.
Understated Golf R for me. As someone else said, i get that some people want flashy and aggressive styling, but certainly there has to be a way to achieve this that isn’t so awful looking. Nothing about those giant fake vents/intakes on all corners of the Civic look remotely cohesive with the design. It just looks like someone went to pepboys and bought a bunch of stick-on junk. It all just reaks of a corporate attempt to look cool and edgy to attract the well-heeled it-kids to the brand.
It’s not like the basic Civic they’re plastered onto has any design coherence either. The “gratuitous wedges, slashes, and angles” design language refuses to die. The Type R just ladles more helpings of crap onto the existing awkward mess.
Golf R for the available automatic.
boooooooo
A friend had the last iteration of the GolfeR with the six-speed. He’s a decent driver but could not get the thing to launch without being scared of the clutch and the AWD system. Once moving it was a hoot, he said. The auto cog might be the better option, depending on wants and needs. He traded it in on a 2006 M5 with the silly SMGIII or whatever it’s called – another car saddled with the wrong transmission for what he wanted.
The follow-up logical question for ajla then is, R or S3?
Golf R against the S3 because the R had 40 color options.
Golf R for me, but I may prefer the Audi S3 just for the little snob in me. ;)
All things being equal, I would generally go with the better looking vehicle despite brand.
Here, AWD will make the VW easier to live with and easier for the average driver to wring out all the power and put it to pavement, although I cant think of a FWD car I have driven with an LSD to compare to AWD, I have to believe all those horses are better handled by AWD.
I dont mind a few bold styling decisions, they can sometimes be very striking. The Civic though, overshoots good taste by an order of magnitude, even the standard Civic hatch is a bit too busy.
Golf it is, easily better looking, better daily driver.
Whichever one would give me a better trade in toward a Camaro SS.
*chuckle*
Both of these are rather boyracer to me, if that’s the world I’m going to exist in, I agree give me the 7 speed SS.
The Honda is so hideous as to need no further mention, but if the Golf was made by anyone but VW I wouldn’t have a problem owning it.
However I have more confidence in Land Rover’s quality than VW’s based on my experiences.
People will say that the Mk IV debacle was years in the past, and that’s true, but somehow its still acceptable to swear off buying GM for the V8-6-4, the Cimmarron, or the 350 diesel as if they are any more relevant to current production. No VWs for me ever.
Give me a Veloster N if I must buy in this class.
“The Honda is so hideous as to need no further mention, but if the Golf was made by anyone but VW I wouldn’t have a problem owning it.”
Saved me the trouble of typing exactly the same thing.
I’d consider the Type R just for its seats, if I could hire someone to blindfold me and install me in the driver’s seat any time I wanted to drive it.
But if I could afford the car or the attendant, I could afford to just buy a set of the seats and have them installed in a car which did not make me want to vomit.
Hummer
If you’re going to classify the two as “boy racer” type of cars then you have to concede the Camaro SS (and Challenger, and, to some extent, the Mustang) as “redneck” cars.
I don’t see any issue with using redneck as the describing factor, not exactly a negative connotation outside of a few of the stuck up type.
Only issue with that describing these cars is that I don’t see the current gen Camaro or Mustang attracting that group, the cars have gotten much too expensive for the “good” options. Both the Camaro and Mustang have lost the plot and are chasing euros, a less than stellar group to be associated with.
Anyone with the work ethics to be considered red neck are likely savvy enough to spend $40k on a V8 pickup that will have more work related uses, hold value better, and be more serviceable than a $40k one trick car.
Hey my ex-wife liked to call me an “Educated Redneck” – probably because I was first in the family to go to college in my extended family on both paternal and maternal sides.
I’ve always argued that people in the same socio-economic classes have more in common even cutting across racial divides. (Whatever pejorative might be thrown around.)
Integra Tyoe R. Though I live in the upper midwest I don’t need no stinking AWD. :)
The Honda.
I’ve had a VW before and it was great… when it wasn’t in the shop. Which it was. A lot.
We have patronized the same independent foreign car shop for forty years because of their honesty and the quality of their work. When I suggested that a Golf R would combine the performance of my Infiniti G37 with the practicality of our Ford Focus, they firmly discouraged the idea because it was a VW.
They’re both too expensive.
But the Golf is more mature and feels nicely made. You can take it to a nice restaurant and not be embarrassed. You can get more places and use the power better with AWD. And you can enjoy the benefits of an automatic transmission, which are many.
Easy choice.
Yes. They. Are. Subtract $5,000 from each and it gets a little more realistic of what they are worth and how much they will be worth 4-5 years down the road.
To FrankAtlanta – I’m 45 and in the same boat. I was at a Honda dealer in Louisville ready to sign the papers on a leftover 2019 (I don’t want the junk they add in the 2020) at MSRP, but they wouldn’t budge on the add-on junk that added $2000 extra. And then, they started treating the car like (in their words) a Hellcat by doing some funny stuff with the numbers at the very end. Long story short, walked away and won’t do business with them.
I’d buy the car for the blazing performance and day-to-day drive (and keep money stashed for a wheel/tire fund), not the looks. But until the dealers get off of their high horses and stop treating it like it’s something ultra-rare (this dealer’s 2019 CTRs have sat a LONG time), they won’t move any metal.
That was exactly my take and feeling. Unfortunately, the experience left a bad taste in my mouth and it isn’t my first time around the block with dealerships.
It’s unfortunate – I was ready to write the check, but…the experience turned me off.
Gun to my head, I’d take the Golf. However, I’d rather pick up a leftover 2019 Jetta GLI and pocket the $15,000-$20,000 difference. AWD is nice to have in the midwest, but considering I’ve spent most of my life driving 2WD vehicles, it’s not an absolute must-have feature.
Ok – I was almost closed on a Type R at Thanksgiving – and I’m over 50.
The looks are, at best, polarizing…even my 15 yr-old son thought it was over the top and thought it was ugly. I wasn’t going to buy it for the looks, but rather a fun daily driver. While I didn’t *like* the looks, I could get past them and would have purchased but for the pants-on-head silliness at the dealer. Putting aside my lukewarm feelings about the looks, the thing I found quirky was the faux-carbon fiber. The aero bits are already over the top, no need to make some of it look like fake CF.
The car I passed on is still at that dealer – and the floor plan costs since then have eaten-up the price difference I was seeking. I’m seeing more of these on dealer lots now, esp. with the refreshed 2020s forthcoming – folks got a bit greedy with the ADMs.
For less real world dollars, an Accord 2.0t is a better car in every way than the CTR besides track performance. And to close that distance some, there are already owners swapping the LSD from the CTR into their 6MT-equipped Accords.
The Type R is more amusing to drive day to day, has great storage for people and bags, and if the track is your thing, much better there. The Accord is a very nice car. For me though, if I was looking for the engagement that I feel most Type R buyers are, I’d go with the R hands down.
Putting all the sensible arguments aside…like cost and reliability (I just don’t trust VWs), I’d choose the Golf R. Like many people have commented, my boy-racer days are far behind me.
I do not need AWD in metro NY and I would like a sunroof which I think the Golf R does not have but even so I would choose the Golf R everyday, it just looks right as opposed to look at me , again and again. I saw a guy last week with a new Golf R, he said there were a decent amounts of leftovers and the VW dealers were willing to come off list, which surprised me. Truth be told I would just go for the GTI as no need for AWD.
Being an older, current driver of a Honda and fond of VWs, according to the parameters of the discussion, I would have to go with the VW. I just can’t stomach the looks of the CTR.
I see several comments about not needing the AWD option but, if I’m not mistaken, the AWD offered here is not really for driving in the snowbelt but for increased track performance rather like an STI.
Would it be faster on a track with the extra weight and traction of AWD? I’m not sure it would. The 2018 Civic Type R lapped VIR in 3:03.9 in Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap event. The 2015 Golf R took 3:12.3 to do the same; 8.4 seconds slower. With 292 hp, I doubt that Golf R was that much slower than the current version. The 2015 Subaru WRX STI took 3:10.5 and even the 2018 WRX STI Type RA was still a second slower than the Type R, at 3:04.9. The Civic Type R seems to have enough traction.
I’ve got a 2011 Mazdaspeed3 and the Torsen-type diff gives it far more traction than any open-diff FWD I’ve driven. It really does feel like it has double the grip coming out of corners; the difference between 2WD and 1WD. If I were buying a new FWD car, I wouldn’t even think twice about paying an extra $3000 for a Torsen if that’s what the option cost. It’s sad that they could make every FWD so much better for about $500. Even for those who aren’t into performance driving, it makes a massive difference in winter conditions.
Regardless, AWD is still more fun in winter and the Golf is much easier on the eyes so I’d go with the VW. I think I’d be embarrassed driving something as flashy as that Civic. I even installed a base model spoiler on my MS3 to tone that down.
Per my brother the problem the R’s AWD is it spends too much time in FWD basis mode leading to understeer. However like all things VeeDub an aftermarket chip corrects this behavior forcing the AWD to do a 50/50 power split. As any Miata owner will tell you fun on the track is not directly related to lap time.
Now my neighbor traded his Scion FRS for a Civic Type R because in everyday driving a quicker car is better then a well handling car since your often just bolting between traffic lights.
@JMII: easy fix for that that doesn’t require a chip: press the “nanny systems off” switch (not sure what it’s called on the Golf), and keep it pressed until “ESC OFF” appears in the instrument display. At that point, the center diff locks, and aside from ABS, the nanny systems are all disengaged. The car’s pretty much “all yours.”
My A3 has this setup, and it makes a very noticeable difference. You can even get the tail to come out a bit if you work at it.
“And with a helical-gear limited-slip differential giving it an almost magical ability to put torque down while cornering, it endears itself to throttle-hungry drivers.”
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a23132568/2018-honda-civic-type-r-lightning-lap-2018/
In my dream world, every automotive differential – including the center diff on AWD vehicles – would be one of those.
Where all wheel drive really shines is high torque and good but not perfect traction. That is, full throttle at low speed. Two wheels aren’t enough to transfer full power to the road. It takes four.
Yeah, the streets rarely have as much grip as a track. AWD is a necessity to be seriously quick at city speeds.
Other than the fact that I can’t afford one, I would pick the Golf R for subtle appearance any day. The Civic type R looks like the design department still thinks The Fast and the Furious 1 still rules the sport compact market.
I’d really love to see the return of the Spektrum program to the Golf R, and would gladly order and wait as long as I could be at MSRP or below.
I’ll take the VW. There’s 3 seats in the back of the R but only 2 in the back of the Type-R Civic. No one probably wants to sit in the middle for that long in the back of a Golf but at least it’s possible when needed.
I’d have no problems owning and driving either one. The Golf looks better, the Type R drives better. Neither is as engaging a drive as a Miata. I like moonroofs. The fact that neither car offers one is a shame especially considering the panoramic roof is an option on the Dub in other markets. I also prefer cloth over leather. To me, it’s more comfortable and just all around more pleasant to plant my arse on. The Golf R should have a cloth option.
I’d probably just get a GTI, WRX, or maybe a SI.
I voted for the Golf R with my wallet in 2015. Nothing has ever broken on it. It’s only been to the dealer once, and that was because some neighborhood rodents decided to nest in the engine compartment and gnawed on a couple of wires.
Performance is fun, and extra performance from a mild tune is way fun! Winter driving with snows is great. The R is also, literally, my grocery getter. You can also fit 8 ft lumber in it.
Worth every penny of its price.
I had a ’16 R for 50k trouble-free miles. Loved it so much I traded it for. a ’19 and the 6/72 warranty. That car has been flawless too thus far.
The Mk7/7.5 Golf has been around since 2013, so it’s had plenty of time to shake the bugs out of it. Sure, VW has a spotty reliability reputation, but there are many of us who have owned a bunch of them and not had much, if any, trouble with them.
The original GTI was marketed 38 years ago with the slogan “A wolf in sheep’s clothing”. That description describes current R to a tee. Golf R all the way for me. Plus it’s far more pratcical as a daily transportation appliance when that’s all you want it to be than the Type R is.
Neither one has much appeal to me. I’ve had several Civics which have served well and based on numerous examples from friends/relatives, wouldn’t own a VW. Their rep for expensive ownership and dealer-induced rage wasn’t unfounded (hopefully they’ve improved).
Between the two, it would be the Golf on a lease. It’s a competent hot hatch that delivers on it’s promise and doesn’t scream “the owner is an immature idiot”. The Civic Type-R styling is a stunning embarrassment and the local dealer heard my opinion. What a hot mashup of childish incoherent design elements. I’d sooner walk.
The Golf R drivetrain in an Areton.
Daddy likes a little Q-ship/Sleeper status.
I’d say the Golf R would be a far better sleeper than an Arteon. You have to have a pretty sharp eye to tell it from a standard GTI.
How ’bout a Golf R drivetrain in a Jetta or a Tiguan? Now THAT would be a sleeper.
Nobody pays attention to sedans anymore unless they have some purposeful something to call attention to them (like racing stripes.)
Definitely the Golf R. I have given shopping consideration to the regular Golf/GTI, Civic, Corolla Hatch, etc. I *want* to like the Civic hatch, and so much of it is ok on paper, but I just can’t stomach it. I love the restraint of the Golf, everything is simple and purposeful, and the look won’t age like a 90’s Pontiac or Hyundai. I’m an oddball, but my fantasy Golf would be a late Mk7 with 1.8t, plaid seats from a Volvo V60, and built by Toyota.
The Type R no question….just for the resale value..
If I was being forced to drive it….the Golf R then.
The Golf R. The latest Civic is too large for the segment (I’m in the UK) as well as much too brash, even in base form. In Type-R form it is just horrific to look at.
Landlord?
Nice of you to build equity for him month after month.
Anyway I’d choose the VW.
Less concerned with image but purely based on aesthetics, the Civic (Type R or not) is about as ugly as they come, with some heavy cost cutting and subpar fit/finish thrown in on top. Test drove a 6spd Golf Alltrack last weekend, enjoyed sitting in a normal looking interior for once. The Japanese have completely lost me in this regard.
“Test drove a [VW]…”
WHAT?!? UNPOSSIBLE. (Just teasing you).
The ease with which the R obliterated CTR in this thread is inspiring.
Yeah I’m noodling a bit on what to potentially replace our 2012 Camry with in a year or so. I really miss the feel of my short-lived B5, but am realizing that nothing modern, be it German or stick shift Mazda, etc, can replicate the feel of an older car with hydraulic power steering. Was left completely cold by a BMW 328xi as well as an Infiniti Q50 3.0t, the Mazda3 (2.5+stick) was a bit better but still very “meh.” Golf Alltrack? Kind of a neat package, but also the drive left me fairly cold. All these newer cars feel closer to the 2012 Camry than the old Audi. My friend and I were discussing this, much anymore, you look at truly enjoying a fun analog car as keeping a horse around as a hobby. Daily driver? May as well climb into an electric self driving pod at this point.
If AWD isn’t a necessity , I’d look into a 4cyl 2.0T manual ATS. You’ll have to drive a bit to find one, but depreciation on a dead model is brutal, especially a domestic.
Lots of luxury , great mod potential as well.
You’re handy, I’m sure you can handle any GM quality control issues. It’s a common powertrain so parts aren’t ridiculous.
I’d recommend a G37 S manual. Hard to find a sedan , but righteous steering feel and brake pedal feel in a fairly bullet proof platform. Problem is all the sedans are fairly high mile now.I’ve been looking for one again.
This is an easy one. The Golf R, because I like to look at my cars.
I’d take a free 2019 Golf R with the 6/72 warranty.
The Civic looks ridiculous as a Type-R. It looks bad enough as a base model. The Type-R stuff just adds to the gaudiness.
if this was free and no other strings attached – Golf R
The cabin. No, Type R is more roomy. But the instrument cluster, the clutch and shifter action can’t even compare. I was at the car show and tried all clutches/shifters that were there, VW by far ahead. Kia/Hyundai, the worst. Hondas/Mustang in the middle. Mazda had none of these, so comparing against my own, I would say, VW shifting feels noticeably better. While I know that Mazda clutch is perfect.
I’d go for the Golf R over the Civic type R which is just too overwrought Fast and furious for me. The euro version with the more subdued rear spoiler is more tasteful. Better yet get a nice Civic Si for under $30k. They’re manual only and the trapezoidal center exhaust is quite attractive.
Disclaimer: I just bought a CTR 2 months ago.
From the standpoint of this article, I’d prefer the Golf. I’m no fan of the CTR’s ricer looks, or, as I’ve discovered, how much of a PITA it is to wash because of it. But I’ve known too many people who’ve owned/worked on/etc. VWs over the past 20+ yrs to ever want to own and rely on one. The freebie Golf better come with a guaranteed-running hot-spare 2nd car and a place to park it, etc.
An R with GTi wheels.
If it HAS to be one of these, it would be the Golf, but no R badging at all. But really, if you must get a VAG vehicle and a hatch, might as well get an just off lease SQ5 for less money than a new Golf R.
EDIT: Ohhh…@Principal Dan’s idea of dropping the Golf R engine into a Arteon sounds awesome.
Neither of them. Not the Honda because dear God, I’d be embarrassed to be seen in that thing. Not the R because I already have a ’17 GTI Sport, and it is perfect for my needs. I need AWD like I need an ex-wife (and the Sport has the VAQ diff), 220hp is already way more than enough, and when I drove them back-to-back in ’17, I found the Sport to be a LOT more fun. The R feels heavy and tied down. And the Sport has plaid cloth seats, not slippery leather.
The looks are the only thing that even makes this difficult. If there were a “Type R Touring” that looked like a Si hatch would, it would be the Civic in a walk. The Civic feels joyous and like something born out of passion, while the Golf R feels like it takes itself way too seriously in that way that only Germans can.
Golf R all the way, if only because I really don’t like the looks of the Civic hatch.
If money were no object, I’d have to go VW. I don’t want to have to be seen in a Civic of any sort from the current generation and with few exceptions have generally had an affinity for VW’s recent styling decisions.
With the VW you could fly under the radar and not be hectored by yabbos who think they have something to prove. If the badges are capable of being removed all the better. When driving in traffic it would be easy to blend in, find an opening, and be gone.
CTR. I’m in my 50s and would prefer the VW’s understated approach and AWD. But I’ve owned a VW, which was unreliable and largely disintegrated. My Acura, on the other hand, is over 10 years old and has 121,000 miles, and yet is basically rock solid. I know Honda’s reliability has slipped and VW’s has improved, but over the long haul I’ll go with Honda.
For this reason alone, I’d take the CTR, but I also think I’d prefer the driving experience, just as I prefer the Civic Si over the GTI. I prefer the feel of Hondas generally. The agility, ergonomics, short gearing–it all just works for me.
I’ll take my CTR in Polished Metal Metallic, please.