East and West collide

GOOGLE up the word hot hatch and the name Volkswagen Golf GTi is bound to turn up.
Many consider the original Golf GTi to be the father of the hot hatch genre, and its subsequent successors the yardstick for any aspiring hot hatch of that generation.
Now in its sixth generation, the Golf GTi picks up the illustrious mantle of its predecessor, the Mark 5, which has been credited for reviving the hot hatch genre.
But is the new version of the Golf GTi good enough to take on the hot hatch icon of the East, the Honda Civic Type-R?
While European hot hatches got heavier and more feature laden with every succession, Japanese hot hatches have always been driven by steady evolution, keeping it simple and focusing on driver thrills.
This time around, the third generation Honda Civic Type-R comes in the form of a sedan rather than the usual hatchback many of us Malaysians are already familiar with, but that doesn’t dilute its street racer credentials.
While the two may share common traits such as four doors, 2-litre four-cylinder powerhouses putting out more than 200bhp through the front wheels via a six-speed transmission, white paint and iconic red identity tags, they are as different as peanut butter and wasabi.

Inside and outside

As it carries over the same platform, roof and wheelbase from its predecessor, the latest Golf GTi can easily be mistaken for its predecessor from its side profile.
Still, the daring new front fascia, sculpted headlamp assembly and tidy rear lights give the new Golf GTi a sharper look.
Inside, the Golf GTi’s interior is a big improvement over the last one, with material and build quality almost matching that of its premium sister brand, Audi.

Park the Golf GTi next to the street racer looking Civic Type-R, with its bench sized rear wing 18-inch rims and lowered springs, the German hot hatch looks almost invisible.
Where the Golf GTi is classy and sedate, the Civic Type-R looks like a take-no-prisoners track weapon.
With its body hugging front seats and red colour scheme dominating the cockpit, you get the impression that this cockpit was designed to keep you focused on the road ahead.

Mechanics of the game

Under the Golf GTi’s hood lies Volkswagen’s latest direct injection turbocharged EA888 engine.
With 280Nm of torque available from 1,700rpm, the Golf GTi has plenty of muscle from low down to keep pushing right up to its max power of 207hp at 6,200rpm.
In comparison, Honda’s tried and tested K20A engine looks "stone age" on paper, but its naturally aspirated, normal fuel injection fed unit pips the German power plant by 15 more hp.
While pundits may point out that the Civic Type-R’s 222hp is only available at a dizzying 8,000rpm, and its 215Nm of torque available at 6,100rpm, how the Civic Type-R accesses that power beggars belief.
Where other engines work their way through the rev range, the engine in the Civic Type-R just flies through the revs without pausing for breath.
As the engine note hardens to mechanical shriek over 6,000rpm, six rev indicator lights on the i-VTEC tachometer will remind you when the engine is fast approaching its limits.
Working the close ratio manual six-speed transmission on the Civic Type-R is an absolute joy, with a positive mechanical feel with every shift.
Where the Civic Type-R’s transmission rewards competence, the dual-clutch transmission in the Golf GTi just eliminates the task of swapping cogs yourself altogether, giving near instantaneous shifts accompanied by a distant pop and burble from the twin exhaust pipes.

Handling/driving experience

Deploying 200hp through the front wheels on a slippery road should give some drivers sweaty palms.
Not so with these two - the Golf GTi employs the latest XDS electronic differential, while the Civic Type-R has a more conventional mechanical limited slip differential, to cull understeer and maximise grip through the corners.
Couple that to some sticky Bridgestones and both cars will stick through the corners, keeping obediently to the driver’s every input.
But corners are where the Civic Type-R will edge ahead of the Golf GTi.
With a kerb weight of 1,270kg, the Civic Type-R is 144kg lighter than the Golf GTi, and in the corners it feels that way.

Carrying little inertia, you can brake as late as you dare (thanks in part to its big 320mm Brembo ventilated front disc brakes), and guide the car as quickly as you can through the corner.
Its steering is accurate and rich in feedback, while its chassis is extremely stiff thanks to rigidity enhancements, allowing you to indulge in its cornering ability.
Get the gears right, and the Civic Type-R catapaults out of any corner with an unrelenting power surge.
That said, the Golf GTi is far from being a lumbering elephant, taking corners with poise and stability thanks in part to its adaptive chassis control (DCC) which adjusts the damping and steering of the car.
The DCC allows Golf GTi drivers to either select Sport, which firms up the damping and ups the steering responsiveness, Comfort which eases the damping and relaxes the steering responses, or leave in Normal which automatically adjusts the damping and steering according to the speed.
Either way, the DCC doesn’t adversely affect the ride comfort or tactile responses of the car, instead the Golf GTi feels stable and comfortable regardless of which setting you leave the DCC on.  
In fact, the Golf GTi feels remarkably agile despite its 1,414kg kerb weight, and drivers can always rely on the readily available torque to easily power itself out of any corner.
For all that weight loss in search of dynamic prowess, the Civic Type-R pays a hefty price.
In their search for weight saving, Honda seems to have left out proper sound proofing from the Civic Type-R.
That isn’t a problem if you enjoy the mechanical hard edge noise the engine makes, but it can get tiresome after a while, and the tyre roar is deafening.
Sometimes we wonder why Honda even bothered installing a sound system which is barely audible above 60km/h.
But the lack of noise insulation is just the start of the Civic Type-R’s practical concerns.
Where the Golf GTi with its DCC can be adjusted between three settings, the Civic Type-R makes do with one setting.
It is good fun when you are in the mood, but the Civic Type-R with its rock-hard suspension, frantic engine and sharp steering is unforgiving when you aren’t.
Driving it in a calm and sedate manner just feels uneasy, and the car’s maximum attack character can become tiring at times.
Even with the rear seats, rear doors and big booth, the Civic Type-R is not quite a sound day-to-day proposition for families.
Raised in the land of continent-crossing highway, the Golf GTi on the other hand is quiet, comfortable and supremely refined.
Passengers would find much to like in the Golf GTI, with its comfy leather interior, ample leg and head room, dual-zone climate control, excellent audio system and space in the booth for their luggage.
Where the Civic Type-R would find itself maxed out and bouncing off an invisible wall of electronic governance at 180km/h, the Golf GTI would leave it behind as it steadily cruises to a top speed of 238km/h with enough road.

Conclusion

Once again, the latest Golf GTi not only defends its crown, but moves it into a different league.
With its capable engine, sublime handling, well made interior, commodious rear seats and refined character, the Golf GTi is the ultimate everyday performance car for the working class - but strangely, it doesn’t make us smile.
Meanwhile, the Civic Type-R is one of the all time great performance cars and offers a furious competence that the Golf GTi cannot match.
While both cars are engineering marvels, the buyer should consider his or her own driving style and practical needs before making a choice. 


specifications

Volkswagen Mk6 Golf GTi

Engine: 1,984cc, 4-cylinder, EA888 direct-injection, turbocharged TSI
Max power: 207hp @ 5,300 - 6,200rpm
Max torque: 280Nm @ 1,700 – 5,200rpm
Transmission: 6-speed dual clutch DSG
Features: 11 airbags, ABS, adaptive chassis control (DCC), electronic stabilisation program (ESP), extended electronic differential lock (XDS), traction control system (TCS), Climatronic 2-zone climate control, electric hill hold control, ParkPilot, rain sensor, heated seats, heated side view mirrors with curb lighting
Price: RM209,888 without registration, road tax and insurance

specifications

Honda Civic Type-R

Engine: 1,998cc, 4-cylinder i-VTEC, K20A
Max power: 222hp @ 8,000rpm
Max torque: 215Nm @ 6,100rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Features: 4 airbags, ABS, electronic brake force distribution (EBD), brake assist (BA)
Price: RM199,800 OTR with insurance



By Daniel Wong