Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR vs. Honda Civic Type-R Drag Race Deserves a Rematch

But don't think you're losing too much power by settling for the TCR. The equivalent Golf R only has ten horsepower over this special GTI (though the new R adds ten more), so the 290 of the TCR should feel more than adequate, especially since they'll all be channeled strictly toward those two front wheels.

Volkswagen has been in the business of making FWD hot hatches for a long time now and, even though the Ford Focus ST, the Renault Megane RS, or even the Honda Civic Type-R we're about to get into shortly have all arguably offered better choices at some point, most people still regard the GTI as this segment's benchmark. That means the fact the front axle has to deal with both steering the vehicle and the onslaught of 290 hp and 380 Nm (280 lb-ft) at the same time shouldn't be considered a problem.

The GTI TCR has one other major advantage over its opponent for the day. With 320 hp, the Honda Civic Type-R has enough power to shame a Golf R, but like the GTI TCR, it's only front-wheel-drive. However, what sets it apart from the German hot hatch is the six-speed manual transmission - a joy on an empty road twisting through the mountains, but not so much in a drag race where every fraction of a second counts.

Well, maybe the Golf GTI TCR (by the way, that acronym stands for Touring Car Racing) driver got a bit overconfident in his double-clutch automatic transmission - can't blame him, we would have too if our counterpart used air quotes when saying "clutch" as though it were some abstract concept.

The race would have been a lot closer - and maybe would have even had a different winner - if the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR actually started the run at the same time as the Type-R. Instead, the faulty VAG launch system struck again (something we've seen it do with Audis as well), so the Golf lost valuable time standing still on the line, allowing the Honda to get in front.

We're not saying the Honda Civic Type-R can't win the race, we're just pointing out to the facts and suggesting this particular result may not be as rock-solid as you would like it before making a judgment. Give the video a look for yourself and see how you feel about it.