Compare the2025 Honda Civic SiVS 2025 Volkswagen Golf R

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Civic Si are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Golf R doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Honda Civic Si has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Golf R doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic Si deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic Si’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Golf R’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Civic Si and the Golf R have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Honda Civic Si achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Golf R has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Civic Si 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Golf R. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Golf R ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Civic Si’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Golf R’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 65 percent more Honda dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Civic Si’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Civic Si’s reliability 20 points higher than the Golf R.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 60 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 61 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Honda higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda fourth in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 18th.

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Si gets better fuel mileage than the Golf R DSG (27 city/37 hwy vs. 22 city/31 hwy).

The Civic Si has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Golf R doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Civic Si stops shorter than the Golf R:

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic Si’s wheelbase is 4.1 inches longer than on the Golf R (107.7 inches vs. 103.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Civic Si is 2.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Golf R.

The Civic Si handles at .97 G’s, while the Golf R pulls only .95 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Honda Civic Si may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 500 pounds less than the Volkswagen Golf R.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Civic Si has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Golf R uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic Si a Mid-size car, while the Golf R is rated a Compact.

The Civic Si has 4.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Golf R (96.6 vs. 91.9).

The Civic Si has 1.1 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear legroom, 2.6 inches more rear hip room and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Golf R.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Honda service is better than Volkswagen. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 52% lower rating, Volkswagen is ranked 31st.

On a hot day the Civic Si’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Golf R can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Civic Si’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Golf R’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Civic Si will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Civic Si will retain 60.14% of its original price after five years, while the Golf R only retains 55.53% to 55.93%.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Civic Si, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2025 and 10 more times in the last 41 years. The Golf R hasn’t been picked since 2021.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic as the 2025 North American Car of the Year. The Golf was last chosen in 2015.

The Honda Civic outsold the Volkswagen Golf R by almost 58 to one during 2024.