Track Battle: Civic Type R vs. Focus RS, WRX STI, and Golf R

The second time Honda stuck a turbo in the CTR, it got a lot more things right, like the sort of ride you can live with every day or the type of toys that young enthusiasts want. This review from Auto Guide also paints a pretty picture when it comes to tracking use, as the Civic rewards even the novice driver.

Its arch-nemesis continues to be a Ford, the Focus RS. It comes with two suspension settings: uncomfortable and ouch. Yes the AWD systems provide something unique in this segment: drift mode. It's an event, to say the least.

We also have a Subaru here, which has been at it for a long time. The STI got a facelift for 2018, but it still makes 305-hp, which is ever so slightly less than the Civic and noticeably less than the Focus RS. This model year has a much better interior, bright neon brakes, and a better damping, but it's still an unrefined caveman.

What's the Golf R doing here? It's certainly not a track car, and at 292-hp, it seems a little underpowered. But as Jodi Lai puts it, this is the most mature car here, and to a regular person, it looks just like an ordinary Golf. It's also the only car in the group that's available with an automatic gearbox, good news for your tired left foot during the commute. The only car in the group without Brembo brakes has its fans, but they usually don't track day enthusiasts.

And with that being said, the Civic Type R is once again crowned king of the performance compacts due to its well-rounded set of skills.