In August of last year, Volkswagen revealed its refreshed 2022 Jetta GLI. Two months later, Honda's response arrived in the form of the Civic Si, another front-wheel-driven, turbocharged sports sedan. We compared the two on paper once before, but for the sake of refreshing memories, here are the important details.

The Civic Si is equipped with a 1.5-liter turbo-four that produces 200 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque. This is directed to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox, which the Jetta GLI is also equipped with as standard. However, the VW can be had with a seven-speed DSG (dual-clutch) automatic and its 2.0-liter turbo four-pot produces 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Does that make drag races a foregone conclusion? Let's see.

The Jetta GLI you see here is equipped with the optional dual-clutch setup, giving it the advantage. Keep in mind though, that the Civic Si is around 200 pounds lighter and that a manual is often easier to launch aggressively. Moreover, the Civic Si seems to be hiding more power than Honda says it is, with real-world evaluations revealing as much as 222 hp. And that's not even on the crank; it's at the wheels! Sadly, whether the race is from a dig or while rolling, the Civic Si can only pull a short lead before the might of the GLI brings it storming past.

Does this really matter? After all, the Civic Si is engineered to provide affordable fun, hence its manual gearbox and enhanced torsional rigidity for the new generation. Well, yes and no. These cars are built to appeal to the practical person who wants a little pep in their step, with the Civic gravitating towards enthusiasts slightly more than the Jetta.

Both are meant to be cheap to buy (each costs around $30,000), affordable to insure, low on maintenance, and economical. They tick all those boxes, and owners will race each other at the traffic lights. So yes, this comparison matters, but as those who have experienced these cars will attest, it also doesn't because they're so brilliant at so many other things and are a hoot to drive in the corners, particularly in the case of the Civic Si.

By the way, even though it lost, it's still the one we'd have.