Honda Civic Type R Takes On VW Golf R in Hot Hatch Drag Race

When equipped with the DSG gearbox, the R becomes the fastest car ever made by Volkswagen. A mere 300 PS doesn't sound like much these days, but it arrives from low down, and the AWD system makes launching much easier than in the Civic.

Honda never designed the Type R for drag racing. Sure, the 310 horsepower 2-liter turbo engine is one of the most powerful the Japanese company makes. However, the R is front-wheel drive and equipped with a manual gearbox. There's no shame in losing to the Golf when you have set the fastest lap of the Nurburgring. Yet not everybody cares about track action.

But the numbers pretty much speak for themselves. The Golf R reaches 60 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds, and the Civic takes 5.3 seconds, according to Top Gear. By the time they get to the quarter-mile marker, the lead has been stretched to 0.7 of a second and several car lengths. So if this were a race organized by amateurs around town, it wouldn't even be close.

That said, we know there's a huge price gap between these two contenders, especially in Britain, where the Civic Type R is made. You can have the Honda for under 30,000 British pounds, but a Golf R 5-door with DSG is about 3,000 more.

Mind you, 2016 is an exciting time to be a fan of hot hatchbacks. Ford just launched the Focus RS with drift capabilities; the GTI Clubsport pushes 265 PS, and the SEAT Leon Cupra is more exciting than ever.