The Thrill of the Track: A Honda Civic and Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Showdown

As I stood in front of the sleek, aerodynamic cars, my excitement was palpable. The Honda Civic Type R and the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR were about to face off on the track, each vying for supremacy in a battle of speed, agility, and raw performance. The question on everyone's mind: which car would reign supreme?

For me, the Civic is all about the raw, unadulterated fun of driving. Its front-wheel drive layout, combined with a limited slip differential, creates a thrilling experience that's both exhilarating and addictive. The steering may not be as precise as some might expect, but it's certainly rewarding – especially when you're pushing the car to its limits. And push it hard I did, as I slipped into "Sport" mode and felt the Civic come alive.

The Civic's performance is nothing short of stunning. With a 2-liter turbocharged engine producing over 280 horsepower, it rockets down the track with ease, setting a lap time of 4:06 seconds on the 5-corner Landau circuit. Its apex speed through the fastest corner? A respectable 106 miles per hour. Not bad for a front-wheel drive car, if I do say so myself.

But could the Golf GTI TCR, wearing its Touring Car Racing (TCR) badge with pride, give the Civic a run for its money? The answer was a resounding yes – but only just. With a more nuanced suspension setup and slightly less aggressive steering, the Golf felt like it was meant to be driven on the road, rather than hauled around the track at breakneck speeds.

The TCR's body roll was noticeable, particularly in corners where the car leaned onto its rear end and bounced over the surface. It may not have been as planted as the Civic, but there was still a sense of engagement and connection to the road that I found appealing. And let's be honest – who needs precise handling when you've got a badge that screams "I'm a real racing car"?

But where the TCR truly fell short was in its straight-line speed. With a peak speed of 104 miles per hour, it trailed behind the Civic by a full two miles per hour. Not a huge gap, perhaps – but one that would be felt on any decent-sized circuit.

And then there's the engine. The Golf GTI TCR's 2-liter turbocharged powerplant produces more horsepower than its Civic counterpart, with a whoppin' 280 horses to the Civic's 310. But I couldn't help but feel that the Civic's engine was more urgent, more eager to get stuck into first gear and launch itself down the track.

But how would the TCR hold up in a battle of cornering speed? The answer was clear: it didn't quite keep pace with the Civic. By 0.5 seconds (yes, you read that right – 0.5 seconds!), the Golf trailed behind its front-wheel drive rival as we hurtled through the corners. It may not have been faster in a straight line, but when it came to agility and turn-in, the Civic was simply more aggressive.

In the end, I think it's fair to say that both cars had their strengths and weaknesses. The Honda Civic Type R is a thrilling, adrenaline-fueled experience that's all about raw performance – while the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR is a more refined, nuanced drive that's better suited for the road. And yet, when it comes down to it, I think the TCR holds its own – even if it doesn't quite reach the same heights as its front-wheel drive rival.

But let's not forget – this is a car that wears the badge "TTC", and that means it has to be good enough for the track. And on that count, I'd say the Golf GTI TCR is more than adequate. It may not be the most exciting car in terms of pure, unadulterated speed – but when you're pushing the limits of what's possible, it's a car that will reward your every move.

So if you're looking for a real racing experience, without the hefty price tag and the need for a separate TCR program, then the Golf GTI is certainly worth considering. And who knows? Maybe one day we'll see more cars like this – ones that take the best of both worlds and create something truly special.

The battle may be over, but I'm sure it won't be long before we're back on the track, pushing these incredible cars to their limits once again.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso for a little while the Honda Civic type-r to my left your right has been Auto cars favored a big hot hatch at the moment but there was a little while when Volkswagen released a golf called the club sport s that we thought was absolutely fantastic well now there's a new limited edition golf it's called the TCR the Touring Car Racing inspired so let's have a go and see if it has what it takes to beat the Civic at its own game if you like the rest of this video please don't forget to Like subscribe and if you turn on notifications you will know miss way so the Golf GTI TCR has its power increased to 286 a brake horsepower that's up from the 242 of the GTI performance it drives the front wheels through a 7-speed DSG twin clutch gearbox only there is no manual option but there is a standard a limited-slip electronic differential now the graphics pack you see on the side costs 500 pounds as an option you do not have to have it the 18-inch wheels you get as standard and that's what we have here now if you upgrade to a performance pack you get 19-inch rims with a 20 millimeter ride height drop you can even have Michelin Cup 2 tires as an option on those but we do not have those here either more on the Gulf in a moment because first things first the Civic which is the car that all of my colleagues think is the four and a half star doyen of modern and hot hatchery I like it a bit less than some of them but I do think it's deeply deeply impressive if not deeply deeply exciting and not necessarily always a hundred percent rewarding but what is is massively fast and really really capable so what do we have well it's a modern proper Drive hot hatchback so it gets a big turbocharged engine 2-liter turbo making 316 of your Queens brake horsepower and I could put it into anything from comfort or sport or plus our Type R mode I suspect they call that and that firms up dampers and engine response and also steering weight and it does give it a very heavy steering system when you're in full-on mode the engines oversquare so it does rev out pretty well I mean all these turbocharged engines make quite a lot of talk from low down but because it's a Honda it's a relatively Revie engine and it is worth taking it out all the way backed into his lifter a seven it really gets off pretty fast body controls really tight it turns in and to be fair really credibly well and then it just hangs on but here's the thing it feels more not more it feels as much of say a super salutant for a hot hatch it grips loads at the front the crips loads at the back as well but there's not a lot of sort of meat corner adjustability if I if I get into a bend and lift it just slows slightly in its line brings in but it doesn't do any of that sort of pinching stuff that you get in a renegade or a Ford Fiesta ST or you typically get in a Ford Focus ST as well has a proper limited slip differential at the front so it puts its power down exceptionally well there is a little bit of torque steer but with getting on for three hundred foot-pounds of torque and being front-wheel drive only and having a limited slip differential all of those things can corrupt the steering quite a lot if you're not careful so while there's quite a lot of weight in the steering and a little bit of corruption to steering I'm not sure that getting genuine Road feel in a huge amount but it feels to me quite exciting incredibly fast the brakes are superb by the way it does feel like a car that was developed to go very very quickly on a road and all on a race track so let's find out exactly how quick it is around what is quite short circuit here at Landau any sort of five corners also most of the same direction and so the Civic is about as fast as any front-wheel drive Road car around this small Landau circuit setting a lap time of four to six point six seconds it reaches a hundred and six miles an hour down the backstraight in its apex speed the lowest speed through the fastest corner is fifty six point eight miles an hour and this is the Gulf and I've had a lot of time for the Golf GTI I've got a real soft spot for it because it feels like the car that's rewarding where you want but actually if you have to drive it every day and most people do drive their hot hatchbacks every day it's the better riding sweeter steering just as responsive most of the time it's for hatch less hot maybe and maybe that's okay that's certainly where a Volkswagen pitches the GTI whether it's really appropriate for the TCR which is of course inspired by cheaper touring car racing program TCR Tour car racing for those of you who are my age you will remember TCR being total control racing for those of you who are not my age you could google it in youtube it's like slot cars but they could change lanes so when Scalextric was one lane at a time in septic crossovers TCR could swap late not sure how well it worked how much it took on so anyway is golf eNOS appropriate to touring car racing badging well there are suspension tweaks what there are not are the same suspension tweaks as was on the club sport s even though perhaps that would have made sense but the club sport s was apparently designed to set a Nurburgring lap record this car is not and is therefore tuned a bit more for the road you will note we're on a circuit so although I mean angry mode I've gone into motor humming sport you can put it in individual so I can have stiff Springs and lights doing if I want there's more noticeable body roll in here it is quicker to start squealing and under steering at the front leans onto its body and bounces on it more body control in corners is worse but I prefer the steering I don't mind either engine it's a 2 liter turbo doesn't make as much power as the Honda it makes just over 280 horsepower which is a lot for a golf or not as much as the older club sport s and not as much by a fair distance as the Civic is giving away 30 break to the Civic you do feel that actually in a straight line I think you know the Civic feels more urgent all the time I also think the Civic field a keener to turn in the first place you turn in on this aggressively and it pushes at the front although my Civic it is a car that is less happy in these conditions I'm pretty sure it's going to be slower too the Gulf then sets a lap time of 48 points six seconds that's a full two seconds slower than the Civic now parley that is down to the fact that it is not as fast down the Straits it reaches a peak speed of 104 miles an hour that's about two miles an hour off of the Civic and its apex speed through the fastest corner is fifty-four point eight miles an hour that full two miles an hour slower than the Civic so it is slower everywhere the key differences really are the lesser body control in this the fact that it washes out more and it's not so fast in a straight line is not really here in or there this is not a lot less exciting than the sevinc but it's enough in these conditions given it wears the badge TCR its demeanor is totally appropriate for a Golf GTI I mean it's it's a terrific GTI but I think if you are putting a race inspired badge on it and charging more money for it I mean it probably has to get a bit more exciting and hardcore the golf TCR is straight twin test on circuit on this day the Honda is better if you've enjoyed this print test do not forget we are here all the time with new car reviews comparisons drag races features and so on so if you subscribe like and if you turn on notifications you'll never miss a thing thank you for watching we'll see you next timeso for a little while the Honda Civic type-r to my left your right has been Auto cars favored a big hot hatch at the moment but there was a little while when Volkswagen released a golf called the club sport s that we thought was absolutely fantastic well now there's a new limited edition golf it's called the TCR the Touring Car Racing inspired so let's have a go and see if it has what it takes to beat the Civic at its own game if you like the rest of this video please don't forget to Like subscribe and if you turn on notifications you will know miss way so the Golf GTI TCR has its power increased to 286 a brake horsepower that's up from the 242 of the GTI performance it drives the front wheels through a 7-speed DSG twin clutch gearbox only there is no manual option but there is a standard a limited-slip electronic differential now the graphics pack you see on the side costs 500 pounds as an option you do not have to have it the 18-inch wheels you get as standard and that's what we have here now if you upgrade to a performance pack you get 19-inch rims with a 20 millimeter ride height drop you can even have Michelin Cup 2 tires as an option on those but we do not have those here either more on the Gulf in a moment because first things first the Civic which is the car that all of my colleagues think is the four and a half star doyen of modern and hot hatchery I like it a bit less than some of them but I do think it's deeply deeply impressive if not deeply deeply exciting and not necessarily always a hundred percent rewarding but what is is massively fast and really really capable so what do we have well it's a modern proper Drive hot hatchback so it gets a big turbocharged engine 2-liter turbo making 316 of your Queens brake horsepower and I could put it into anything from comfort or sport or plus our Type R mode I suspect they call that and that firms up dampers and engine response and also steering weight and it does give it a very heavy steering system when you're in full-on mode the engines oversquare so it does rev out pretty well I mean all these turbocharged engines make quite a lot of talk from low down but because it's a Honda it's a relatively Revie engine and it is worth taking it out all the way backed into his lifter a seven it really gets off pretty fast body controls really tight it turns in and to be fair really credibly well and then it just hangs on but here's the thing it feels more not more it feels as much of say a super salutant for a hot hatch it grips loads at the front the crips loads at the back as well but there's not a lot of sort of meat corner adjustability if I if I get into a bend and lift it just slows slightly in its line brings in but it doesn't do any of that sort of pinching stuff that you get in a renegade or a Ford Fiesta ST or you typically get in a Ford Focus ST as well has a proper limited slip differential at the front so it puts its power down exceptionally well there is a little bit of torque steer but with getting on for three hundred foot-pounds of torque and being front-wheel drive only and having a limited slip differential all of those things can corrupt the steering quite a lot if you're not careful so while there's quite a lot of weight in the steering and a little bit of corruption to steering I'm not sure that getting genuine Road feel in a huge amount but it feels to me quite exciting incredibly fast the brakes are superb by the way it does feel like a car that was developed to go very very quickly on a road and all on a race track so let's find out exactly how quick it is around what is quite short circuit here at Landau any sort of five corners also most of the same direction and so the Civic is about as fast as any front-wheel drive Road car around this small Landau circuit setting a lap time of four to six point six seconds it reaches a hundred and six miles an hour down the backstraight in its apex speed the lowest speed through the fastest corner is fifty six point eight miles an hour and this is the Gulf and I've had a lot of time for the Golf GTI I've got a real soft spot for it because it feels like the car that's rewarding where you want but actually if you have to drive it every day and most people do drive their hot hatchbacks every day it's the better riding sweeter steering just as responsive most of the time it's for hatch less hot maybe and maybe that's okay that's certainly where a Volkswagen pitches the GTI whether it's really appropriate for the TCR which is of course inspired by cheaper touring car racing program TCR Tour car racing for those of you who are my age you will remember TCR being total control racing for those of you who are not my age you could google it in youtube it's like slot cars but they could change lanes so when Scalextric was one lane at a time in septic crossovers TCR could swap late not sure how well it worked how much it took on so anyway is golf eNOS appropriate to touring car racing badging well there are suspension tweaks what there are not are the same suspension tweaks as was on the club sport s even though perhaps that would have made sense but the club sport s was apparently designed to set a Nurburgring lap record this car is not and is therefore tuned a bit more for the road you will note we're on a circuit so although I mean angry mode I've gone into motor humming sport you can put it in individual so I can have stiff Springs and lights doing if I want there's more noticeable body roll in here it is quicker to start squealing and under steering at the front leans onto its body and bounces on it more body control in corners is worse but I prefer the steering I don't mind either engine it's a 2 liter turbo doesn't make as much power as the Honda it makes just over 280 horsepower which is a lot for a golf or not as much as the older club sport s and not as much by a fair distance as the Civic is giving away 30 break to the Civic you do feel that actually in a straight line I think you know the Civic feels more urgent all the time I also think the Civic field a keener to turn in the first place you turn in on this aggressively and it pushes at the front although my Civic it is a car that is less happy in these conditions I'm pretty sure it's going to be slower too the Gulf then sets a lap time of 48 points six seconds that's a full two seconds slower than the Civic now parley that is down to the fact that it is not as fast down the Straits it reaches a peak speed of 104 miles an hour that's about two miles an hour off of the Civic and its apex speed through the fastest corner is fifty-four point eight miles an hour that full two miles an hour slower than the Civic so it is slower everywhere the key differences really are the lesser body control in this the fact that it washes out more and it's not so fast in a straight line is not really here in or there this is not a lot less exciting than the sevinc but it's enough in these conditions given it wears the badge TCR its demeanor is totally appropriate for a Golf GTI I mean it's it's a terrific GTI but I think if you are putting a race inspired badge on it and charging more money for it I mean it probably has to get a bit more exciting and hardcore the golf TCR is straight twin test on circuit on this day the Honda is better if you've enjoyed this print test do not forget we are here all the time with new car reviews comparisons drag races features and so on so if you subscribe like and if you turn on notifications you'll never miss a thing thank you for watching we'll see you next time\n"