DesertRat

Some links you might find interesting

C&D - 2006 Civic Si vs. 2006 VW GTI

R&T VW GTI verdict - 2nd place

R&T Civic Si verdict - 3rd place

g60racer

I have to laugh at the people who say a Civic is the better track choice. Better in one respect only: it's got a ton of cheaply made aftermarket parts available that you can throw at it and make it look like a track monster. How many civics have won any SCCA championships in the past 10 years? Zero.

You can make a civic go fast and handle well, just like any car, if you throw enough money into replacing parts. But out of the box it's just not all that.

This past weekend I was racing my R32 up at Willow Springs (Streets track and HorseThief Mile), and I had the chance to take both a bone stock 07 GTI DSG on each track, as well as a lightly modified one (it had chip, intake, coilovers, exhaust). The modified one did really nicely pulling hard on the straights on Streets of Willow, but honestly the suspension was so good on the stock one that I was pulling times within 1 second of the modified one on each track.


Now all that being said, if you're a track guy, you want the manual tranny, not the DSG. It's really smooth and it shifts at all the right places, but it takes away the fun and challenge of driving a manual. I had way more fun shifting my manual R32 than I did driving the new DSG R32 or DSG GTi, because with those, it's basically like driving an automatic go-kart.

Mark_is300

I'd go with the GTI, but also check out the new 07' Mini Cooper S. The turbo engine is really nice, and the car handles great with optional LSD and sport suspension.

BPUKiller

Haven't been in a Civic, but I'm highly impressed with my brother's GTi. The DSG is excellent and the torque is awesome. All you need are some shocks and tires to make is a decent track car.

Sam

TheDonEffect

Wow, that's not a bad dilemma to be in. If I were to buy a GTI, I'd get it with the cloth interior and manual transmission, what can I say I'm a traditional purist. Equipped like that and it should be around the same price as the Civic.
This may sound fickle but it really comes down to your style. Both cars are going to perform well on the track, and both cars have enough a/m support that you can make it to whatever you want it to be, question is do you like the European style of the GTI or the JDM boy racer feel of the Civic? Different strokes for different folks, with me I like both so it would really come down to which dealer will give me a better deal. Also, I'd imagine they give two different driving feels. I mean time wise a differne in driver skill can make all the difference, but the feel is going to suit different people's tastes. Some people love the feel of a heavy clutch, a long throw shifter, and heavy steering (classic muscle car characteristics), some people love light, slick feel like our cars. Some like it with a little more of a refined, less abrasive feel like a Z.
My vote, probably the Civic: proven reliability with the K series engines, tight fit and finish, it fits me personally like a glove, and will probably cost less. Resale values are negligible for this comparison (look up GTI resale values). Plus I look the look of the coupe, the GTI seems bloated to me, and I got used to driving Hondas with Macphersons in the front.

S2K4ever

I would recommend the GTI. I used to have an S2000 and I traded it in for an Audi A3 which has the same engine as the GTI. I almost bought the GTI but a year ago as VW were only selling the two door models. I have a kid so I went for the A3. The car drives great with great mileage and lots of mods available. I used to have the Carbonio intake and APR flash before moving to California from Virginia. Now I only have the APR flash and a filter because of CARB regulations. I have not used the paddles on the DSG that much as I drive in the Sport mode which seems to shift perfectly. On a track you may want the manual if you can not get used to the paddles. A new ECU I3 flash was recently released for the GTI engines which is working very well. I had just about no wheel spin when launching the car from a stop with the new I3 flash. After putting the APR flash back on the wheel spin came back though. I would recommend checking out the GTI videos on YouTube.com There are some cool VW ads can be found by doing a search for "GTI Fast." I came across these two videos last night while searching for an exhaust.

GTI DSG vs Manual video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmMNRQ1GJ3o


Hip GTI video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzeXkG4Rq70

PilotKD

I may find myself cross-shopping these two vehicles in the near future. My S2k's lease is up later this year and with a now longer commute and a family in the works, I need a more practical daily driver. Unfortunately, "a more practical daily driver" and a "roadster" don't belong in the same sentence, so I've shifted my interest to sport coupes. I don't want a 4-door, but need more cargo space and better fuel economy. The options I've found are the Civic Si, GTI, Volvo C30 (when it arrives), and the Mini Cooper S. I've test driven a manual tranny GTI and Civic Si so far and IMO the GTI wins. I've always been skeptical of VW's quality, but the GTI has changed my opinion. Fit and finish of this car is excellent and materials used for the interior is much better than the Civic. I have not driven a DSG GTI yet, but will as I get closer to my lease return. I'm even considering returning the S2k early or having a dealer buy me out of the lease. Performance-wise, the GTI felt significantly quicker than the Civic in a straight line. I wasn't able to push either of them through twisties, but from what I felt from the test drives, I liked the GTI better. I've been a nothing-but-manual tranny guy ever since I started driving, but I may consider the DSG tranny. My wife doesn't know how to drive a manual and after a few "lessons" I think we've both given up (ok, me more than her), so the DSG would give me the best of both worlds.