The little sports cars are a dream for young people… and the not so young. Alongside the Civic Si are the Mazda3 GT, Subaru WRX and Volkswagen Jetta GLi.
Posted at 5:45 p.m.
Mazda3 GT
Price: $30,600
PHOTO ANDREW HOLLIDAY, PROVIDED BY MAZDA
Mazda3 GT
Perhaps less extroverted, Mazda’s compact sedan, like the Civic Si, gives pride of place to dynamic qualities and provides great driving pleasure. Its perfectly balanced power steering and overall balance make it a pleasant car to drive. If its manual gearbox is just as exquisite to handle as that of the Civic Si, the atmospheric engine with which it is associated lacks liveliness. Still compared to the Civic Si, the 3 offers a more rewarding interior (texture, materials), but more cramped rear seats and trunk.
Subaru WRX
Price: $31,033 (2021)
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SUBARU
Subaru WRX
Subaru’s WRX gets a makeover this year and promises a lot. On paper at least, since its media launch has not yet taken place. Faced with the Civic Si, the Subaru promises to be much faster (271 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque) and also more technically sophisticated. Its constant-mesh all-wheel drive gives the WRX better traction on low-grip roads than the Si. It’s hard to imagine, however, that the WRX’s manual transmission will provide as much pleasure as that of the Si.
Volkswagen Jetta GLi
Price: $31,595
PHOTO DANIEL BYRNE, PROVIDED BY VOLKSWAGEN
Volkswagen Jetta GLi
Partially renovated for 2022, the Jetta GLi still retains the services of a 2 L turbocharged (228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque). This is faster than the 1.5 L of the Civic Si, if not as expressive. The VW’s six-speed manual transmission suffers from a rubbery control and a slightly less “soft” clutch than that of the Civic Si. On the other hand, the Jetta GLi is more spacious and more functional (the passage between the trunk and the passenger compartment is larger). On the other hand, the presentation of the cabin is rather austere.