Volkswagen new GTI vs. Civic SI

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R

rcy

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Latest Car and Driver picked the GTI as the winner. I saw one of these today at the stealership and it was love at first sight (drive).

This one had the DSG transmission (like the one Car and Driver tested). In a nutshell, this transmission has two clutches and the gear above and below the one you are currently in is always engaged. When it's time to shift (either in auto mode, or with the steering wheel mounted paddles) there is no clutch to use and the tranny shifts in 2/10ths of a second. Sweet, fast and efficient - loved by all.

It will be available this summer in a 4 door version for those of us with kids. Now if only VWs were as dependable as Hondas..
 
Well, this new Golf has been road-tested by consumers in Europe for the past two years, so by now it should be at least as reliable as a 2-year old Kia (no offense to Kia). V-Dub is in da haus...
Speaking of the Civic Si (weren't we?), I popped in to the local Honda dealership to confirm in-person the hideousness of that dash board (It's worse than it appears in photos), and the salesman said there was a $5000 mark-up on every Si. Good for them!
 
sounds like an interesting transmission.. but id still take a regular old stick shift anyday. cant beat it in terms fun to drive, and being connected to the car
 
I guess I could get used to this DSG. You can't shift a manual any faster than that.
smile.gif


When I get old and my left leg goes out, I might consider that.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Tosh:
... and the salesman said there was a $5000 mark-up on every Si. Good for them!
Click to expand...
That's ridiculous.
The Si is already $20-22K, right? Add 5K on top of that, and you might as well get an RSX. Spend a little more, and you have a new TSX.
 
quote:
Originally posted by sxg6:
sounds like an interesting transmission.. but id still take a regular old stick shift anyday. cant beat it in terms fun to drive, and being connected to the car
Click to expand...
Ditto. It's not just about who can shift into the next gear faster, it's about having fun with the shifting. If I really wanted to, I can shave a couple fractions of a second off my shifting when I'm driving, but I like the casual approach in which I can enjoy the scenery and hear the engine hum.
 
I love the new GTI, especially in white. If I were in the market for a new car, I'd definitely give this one a close look.

Then I would buy it & obsess over maintenance items for the next five years.
wink.gif
 
If you buy a GTI now you might get one of those 600 Fast mascots.

*breaks down, sobbing "Please, someone sell me your Fast for under $360 (common ebay price!)*
wink.gif
 
Having not driven a new GTI, my only complaint is the ugly wheels!

I'd likely go for the regular 6-spd manual, but I'd definitely like to test drive a DSG.
 
quote:
Originally posted by JHZR2:
.......

The car doesnt look all that great anyway, though neither does the Si. They should have kept the Si as a coupe, like the previous gen, instead of the silly looking hatch (though the original civic crx Si was good looking, IMO).

JMH
Click to expand...
The new SI is a coupe:
-
 
AHA!!! Thanks for the correction.

Ill have to see one in person to determine if I like the Si... the windshield looks about as big as the one on our previa!

JMH
 
Unpimp my ride commercials are about the best and funniest out there. Hats off to the VW add agency!

I just think the ricers dont like it because the "fast and furious" crowd is being laughed at right now.

Guess Civics are out of fashion now as most of the youger kids thumb there nose at em and would rather have an STI or SRT4. Much better cars for the money.

I do agree that VW would need to step it up a notch since 200HP and 207 FT-lbs is kind of 2nd tier when a stock SRT4 puts 225WHP and 250ft-lbs at the wheels. STI's are up around 300HP at the flywheel and next SRT4 caliber will be 300HP 260Ft-lbs.

quote:
Originally posted by JHZR2:
IMO the GTI doesnt look all that good, and with the TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, STUPID commercials that VW has been putting out lately, I wouldnt touch that car with a 10 ft pole.

Those commercials do nothing good to convery faith in German engineering, the likes of which brought us wonderful BMWs and Mercedes diesels and Porsches. Euro cars have been getting bad enough reports lately for quality, and last I checked VW hasnt been helping that much (despite selling relatively simpler cars than BMW and MB). I suggest they work on basic engineering before making those idiotic commercials.

The car doesnt look all that great anyway, though neither does the Si. They should have kept the Si as a coupe, like the previous gen, instead of the silly looking hatch (though the original civic crx Si was good looking, IMO).

JMH
Click to expand...
 
I'm definitely not a ricer, and do not wish to have anything to do with any of these cars, ownership-wise.

All the same, the commercials are highly annoying to me, and definitely dissuade me from ever considering this or any VW (even, say a passat TDI) as a result. Sorry.

I appreciate real engineering without excessive gimmick. I admire subaru offerings, but even the STi has lost it, merely because of the typical owner demographic.

IMO, Saab is the only company now that offers real engineering in their products (Daimler Benz used to be awesome too, but I cant really say so anymore). Say what you like about shared platforms - Saab is drawing new believers all the time, even on this site!

JMH
 
Your not in their(VW's) demographics then for their marketing. Or maybe your a fan of Pimp My Ride LOL and dont like the commercial poking fun at all these fools with stupid wings and video games in their 17 sec Honda??

Saab and engineering you have to be kidding me??

They are nothing but rebadged Subarus. Err I mean Trailblazers? Common the market is rejecting them big time over here in the US. They sold a measly 38,000 last year of which about 3000 were Saab Trailblazers I mean 9/7's. how does a Saab dealer survive??

Heck they are going to move Saab to an Opal platform and probably close the factory in Sweden and make them in Germany.

I think Jerry York has it right dump Saab.
 
Of the 4 current Saab models, two are rebadges.

Take a look at the vehicle safety discount State Farm gives on all four of them and see if you can figure out which ones are rebadges. (Hint: They're the ones that don't get a 30% or 40% discount).
 
lol, youre darn right Im not in any of those demographics... I cant stand that pimp my ride junk, and I dont really 'appreciate' the 'performance' of a cr like ther GTI, as there isnt really much performance for me to see in any stock configuration... and even if it had 300+ HP, there are too many other equivalent cars that Id prefer to buy before even a group leader like an STi.

As far as saabs being rebadged subarus... that may be the case in some lines, but you havent driven a real saab... you havent driven a 9-3, have you? What other car can get almost 40 MPG if you drive it right, tow 3500 lbs, give you double best record safety performance, stop from highway speeds in distances similar to what real performance cars stop in, and I could go on and on... One doesnt even need to look at the sensor systems for controls, safety, entry, theft prevention, etc., etc., the state of the art fiber optics that are in there, the totally different suspensions (compared to the supposed 'shared' platform members, the advanced aerodynamics, blah, blah, blah... Just a short talk with an engineer who designed the engine controls or the turbo system for the car will show how much their engineering outshines most anything else - definitely not copied stuff. Do you think that just because the car has an ecotec block, that it is similar in ANY way to any other 'ecotec-based' offerings?

I wonder how critical you really are... I suppose you'd say the corvette Z06 is a product of junk engineering because it has a GM/Chevy nameplate??? After all, a souped up NOS'd civic, or high boost STi can probably beat it in every way, right?

To each their own... Ill keep praising my saabs and Mercedes turbodiesels, for the excellent performance, longevity and economy they give; you can praise whatever cars you like...

JMH
 
You'd have to be driving that Saab 40 mph in last gear to get 40 mpg. Who in their right mind is going to buy a Saab and drive it like that?
smile.gif
 
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