If you put the two vehicles side by side, it is not hard to see that even with the sporty makeover the 2020 VW Jetta has received in GLI guise, it鈥檚 still the more restrained and understated of the two. By contrast, the Civic Si appears to have been designed by a group of overly-excited teens who just wanted to give the car as many vents/intakes and as pronounced a wedge shape as possible (even though it鈥檚 a sedan). My main issue with it is the sheer amount of real estate dedicated to fake vents in the front and rear, and in my mind, it would have been even more successful had it been a bit more restrained. Even if its designers would have tried to stick to only as much vent space as was needed - none of this ridiculous fakery that鈥檚 really visible on the rear bumper where it just looks off. Of course, if they aren鈥檛 an enthusiast, they won鈥檛 really know that you are indeed driving a performance car.
The Honda Civic Si sedan is a fraction shorter overall than the VW Jette GLI, but it has a longer wheelbase - this means its overhangs are shorter and has more of a 鈥榳heel-at-each-corner鈥?look to it. The Honda is also not as tall as the VW and wider at the same time, further reinforcing it as the sportier looking one of the two. Inside the two vehicles, there鈥檚 no question as to which one feels the most premium: it鈥檚 the Jetta GLE. But in terms of materials and perceived quality, there is no contest. The VW is also more advanced inside, with a fully-digital gauge cluster, an infotainment system that is about a decade ahead in terms of look and feel. The Jetta鈥檚 interior, especially the GLI鈥檚 with all the bells and whistles, just looks like an Audi interior, something befitting of an S3. The Jetta also has a ten-color mood lighting setup (that you might as well just leave in red to match the theme of the car) that the Civic doesn鈥檛 have. In terms of design, the Civic is certainly the more daring of the two.
Like the Civic鈥檚 exterior, its interior feels more sporty as do the seats that are probably going to be better than the VW鈥檚 especially in terms of comfort. I really like the basic seats you get in the Si - they look like nice, honest, body-hugging, hot-hatch seats with the subtle Si script hinting that this is indeed no ordinary Civic. When it comes to steering wheel designs, the VW Jetta GLI鈥檚 wheel wins hands down - it鈥檚 got nice subtle metal details, red stitching, buttons for essential functions, and the obligatory flat bottom. Holding onto it is a pleasant tactile experience, very similar to what you might feel in a much more expensive car. The Civic Si鈥檚 wheel certainly looks more futuristic, and it too has plenty of well-integrated buttons and sporty red contrasting stitching, but it just looks and feels cheaper than what you get in the VW. My two main gripes with it in this company are the quality of the plastic airbag cover and the buttons themselves. Not to mention the fact that it isn鈥檛 a flat-bottom steering wheel.
Both cars come with six-speed manual gearboxes, but it鈥檚 the Civic鈥檚 shifter that not only looks better but especially feels better than the Jetta鈥檚. It鈥檚 a short, stubby thing with quite a big knob on top (for its size) and it has to be one of the single most rewarding six-speed sticks to use in the entire industry. It鈥檚 the kind of car in which you want to shift gears just for the sake of it, to experience that slick and pleasantly notchy shift action. In terms of space inside, the Civic translates its extra width into genuinely more shoulder room inside (for both front and rear occupants). Headroom up front is better in the Civic too, but the Jetta has more of it in the rear. Both are tied for rear legroom. The 2020 Jetta GLI has the upper hand when it comes to displacement, power and acceleration time.
The 2019 Civic Si is powered by a 1.5-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder with 205 horsepower that peaks at 5,700 rpm. Torque is rated at 260 Nm or 192 pound-feet, and it makes the car feel quite spritely since it is delivered flat between 2,100 - 5,000 rpm. As standard, the car comes with a six-speed manual gearbox, but a snappy seven-speed dual-clutch DSG is optionally available. Volkswagen hasn鈥檛 quoted the 2020 Jetta GLI鈥檚 sprint time to sixty, but it鈥檚 probably somewhere in the low six-second range. The Honda Civic Si sedan and new VW Jetta GLI offer two quite different answers to the same question and each have plus points and bad marks. On a windy stretch of road, it鈥檚 quite possible that the lighter, more nimble Honda would pull ahead (although this is just pure guesswork at this point) and the more powerful VW would claw its way back on the straights.
