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VW Golf 8 GTI Clubsport Track Battles Honda Civic Type R for 2WD Fun Supremacy

It hasn't been long since carwow's Mat Watson took the all-new Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport against the Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition and a Renault Megane RS Trophy for a quarter-mile skirmish. And it looks like he quickly understood that drag racing might be a little superficial (especially on damp tarmac) when playing with a trio of enthusiast corner-carving hot hatchbacks.
VW Golf 8 GTI Clubsport vs Honda Civic Type-R Limited Edition on Mat Watson Cars 27 photos
Photo: Mat Watson Cars / YouTube
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After all, he did call back two of the opponents for a more purposeful track battle. Unfortunately for the French hot hatchback enthusiasts, he only got behind the wheel of the Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI Clubsport and the Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition. Of course, automotive aficionados might say that two out of three isn’t the worst outcome, and the scenario is a lot more permissive this time around.

As such, the German and Japanese contenders will not only be racing against the clock on the racetrack but also perform a series of launches to find out which one has got the upper hand in terms of zero to 60 mph (96 kph) sprints and the quarter-mile ET. But first things first, so let’s start with the corner-carving chapter.

Anyone who’s ever seen one of Mat Watson’s personal blog videos knows he likes to start quick, quite literally, so from the 1:30 mark, we see him manhandle the Golf 8 GTI Clubsport wheel and deliver the presentation pitch all at the same time. He likes that the new generation comes with lots of upgrades and a punchy engine, and even considers the Golf 8 to be quite “playful... for a Volkswagen.

But the verdict comes fast, as the GTI Clubsport wraps up a quick lap with a time of 1:14.6 seconds. Now, with the benchmark set, he jumps inside the limited-edition Civic Type R at the 3:40 mark, and even before the lap is over, he says that it feels more like “a Touring car... and faster and more enjoyable” than the serious Golf.

So, it’s no wonder the Japanese hot hatch continues to reign supreme in his heart, and as far as the lap time of 1:13.0 is concerned, it’s also this encounter’s victor. Interestingly, the GTI Clubsport is about to make amends when performing some feisty launches from the 6:22 mark.

It’s decidedly faster with the best time of 5.02s (zero to 60 mph/96 kph) for the sprint and 13.22s for the traditional quarter-mile. Meanwhile, the manual gearbox-equipped Type-R Limited Edition doesn’t stand a chance even after a trio of attempts and concludes the session with 5.59s and 13.77s times for the sprint and quarter-mile, respectively.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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