The Volkswagen Golf and Honda Civic are two of the best-selling compact worldwide. Therefore, there is no doubt that the premiere of the tenth-generation Honda Civic and the seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf will be a major event in 2017. Which car will be better? What should the market buy? This spectacular duel between the two will help anyone decide.
If we analyze the sales charts around the world, we will see the impact of these two compacts quickly. The Volkswagen Golf is the undisputed king of sales in Europe. It is considered one of the top-selling compacts in the whole world, with over 30 million units sold, just trailing in second behind the Toyota Corolla. The Honda Civic, meanwhile, occupies the top six global position with 20 million cars sold, achieved mainly by its large sales in the United States and the Asian market.
Already announced to start shipping in March, the 2017 Honda Civic that will officially be presented at the upcoming Paris Motor Show will have a renewed image that is larger than before. It is 13 centimeters bigger than its predecessor to reach 4.50 meters. With this, the new Honda Civic will give more leg and more trunk space. The Honda Civic offers more as its interior also had a redesign, now with a deeper and more capable center console that will feature the latest in connectivity and even a new instrumentation that consists of three digital TFT panels.
Meanwhile, the 2017 Volkswagen Golf will not get that much update in space. Its length will be as demure again at 4.25 meters but it still has one of the largest trunks in its category with over 400 liters worth of space. Huge interior development will be made, though, as the new design will feature a mounted large touch screen on the dashboard that will have cutting-edge functions and driver recognition systems.
With all the controversy about diesel, the Volkswagen Golf and Honda Civic will undergo a lot of changes. The new Honda Civic will now have a turbo engine 1.0 3-cylinder that boasts 129hp while the Volkswagen Golf will sport a 1.0 TSI 3-cylinder that outputs 115hp, performing behind the Civic but consuming far less fuel.
The Civic will also debut a 1.5 VTEC Turbo engine with 182 hp that promises to delight speed, smoothness, comfort and performance but Volkswagen Golf also has something to compete with, as an electric version of the compact is announced which will be 100% electric and will have 600km battery range.
Last but not the least are the cars' body dynamics. The Honda Civic played new cars when it comes to its dynamic, beating the always balanced and reliable Volkswagen Golf in this aspect. In its new dimensions, the car's body's weight is16 kilos lighter than its predecessor, promising greater rigidity. The new Civic will include an unprecedented adaptive damping developed by Showa. Honda engineers promise with its new Civic aspire to "be a leading model in driveability among compact", aiming to ensure equality with Audi.
Overall, the 2017 Volkswagen Golf and the 2017 Honda Civic are both promising new additions for the year 2017. The Civic got a slight edge but the Golf may still have a few hidden cards at their table as the official announcement is still yet to come. Are you excited for both compact cars? Check out this 2016 battle of the two to keep you company while we wait.
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