Been mulling over these two vehicles for quite some time. Drove both, compared and priced out both, and was quite impressed with both. I’m having a hard time making a decision here, most of you know my lack of commitment with cars, and I’m going to buy one of these two brand new, in hopes of not selling it 44 days later. It’s time for a house to dominate my finances, not what car I drive.
Onto my results from two test drives:
GTI:
The GTI is your typical pocket rocket from VW. It’s a huge step up from the MkIV GTI in every way; power, handling, and appearance. The initially clutch work takes a little work, there’s not much room to work with, making concentration a little more essential while driving. It has excellent power through all of the gears, so passing should be no problem in the higher gears. Also felt like there was quite a bit of unused powered bottled up there, and with the APR upgrade, it’s easily available. Shifting gears, it was a very close setup, but all were very easy to find, ie 6 to 4 without looking down was not a problem.
As far as comfort, I felt a few blind spots. The seats were bolstered well, but it was a little difficult to find an initial comfort level in the seating, but there are so many adjustments that I’m sure I could find the sweet spot with a little work.
There were also a lot of nice little features that the car had, standard xenon headlamps, driver info center, and a nice traction control/esp system, and what looked to be like more than enough room for passengers and my set of clubs.
2007 Volkswagen GTI 2DR HB, Tornado Red, Package #1, MSRP $24285/Sale $22348
Si:
Immediately sitting down in the Si felt more comfortable than the GTI. It seemed as though there was much more around me to see, even little windows in front of the side mirrors. I felt like I didn’t need to make any adjustments at all, I was at a perfect height, the seats felt great and were upholstered with a very nice fabric, and I had great visibility.
The drive had it’s ups and downs though. As far as a normal car, the car had decent power, albeit a little tougher to find down low, and for regular daily driving would probably suit just about anyone. But for a sport coupe type of car, it could use a little more. It was also one of the easiest cars to drive though, I stalled the GTI once, this I didn’t even come close to doing.
This car in particular had navi, which I didn’t use at all, but seemed easy enough to if need be, which I doubt. Cool to have though, I suppose. Gauges were laid out well, everything was easy to read, and it was a cool combination of analog and digital.
2007 Honda Civic Si 2 door coupe, Ralleye Red, Navigation System, MSRP $23435
Conclusion:
In terms of driving, I preferred the GTI. It felt like it wouldn’t get as boring as the Si. It was quick and responsive, and handled nicely. The Si, however, had more of a comfort as a daily driver. For the snowy days in Buffalo, it seemed as though the Si might be a wiser choice.
Anyone own either of these cars? Have any input to add? It would be greatly appreciated and may aid in my decision.