Do you have more than two children? If so, you have at least one middle child somewhere around your house. Don’t worry, if you forget about them or don’t make them feel special; they’re used to it. Of course, I’m joking, but when you’re looking at the automotive industry, often the middle of the trims you can choose from is overlooked because it’s not the least expensive and most efficient model, nor is the sportiest and most powerful that you’ll find. This means the middle trims have to work harder to garner the same attention as their bookended siblings.

A Pair of Middle Children

The Volkswagen GTI and Honda Civic Si should create a middle child support group. They would probably have a large gathering of models that we don’t seem to care much about. With that said, both of these cars are ready to offer you the qualities and performance you’ll love to balance efficiency and power, capability and reliability and be the cars you should shop from to find the model you’re going to want to drive. These two have matured to become what we want to see from a variety of aspects.

Styling

While the pair were around thirty years ago, most of us don’t remember them well at all. The Volkswagen GTI is a car that continues to offer a wide stance in a low profile that is ready to grab the road and allow you to carve up the corners with ease. The Honda Civic Si is a striking car that offers a long and lean profile that’s raked and ready to be a sports sedan that makes driving engaging on the road to give you a great way to enjoy the driving experience you want to have out on the road.

Specs

While both of these cars offer similar power plants under the hood, the Volkswagen GTI brings you 210 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque while using a six-speed dual clutch automatic or manual transmission. This allows you to have 25 city/34 hwy mpg to have an efficient but active car you can enjoy driving. The Honda Civic Si shows up with 205 horsepower and 192 lb.-ft. of torque while only offering you the six-speed manual transmission. This car can provide you with 28 city/33 hwy mpg. Overall, the GTI appears to have an advantage in regards to the performance numbers.

On the Road

When you take these two cars out on the road, you’ll experience a difference in the feeling and the active personality they both offer. The Volkswagen GTI is tuned up and able to offer a smooth transition between shifts while in normal mode. These qualities are further enhanced to give you an engaging ride in Sport mode. The Honda Civic Si takes a different approach, allowing you to have the ability to create your own driving feeling with the smooth shifting manual transmission which makes you the proprietor of your own experience from behind the wheel.

Verdict

With these two middle children vying for the attention desired, you’ll have to decide which one you want to love more than the other. The Volkswagen GTI offers you a classic style, the hatchback practicality you want and the driving dynamics you’ll love. The Honda Civic Si brings in a collection of impressive driving dynamics, is the more affordable of the two and can be considered the value player. Not sure if you like it or love it enough to keep around forever?  You’re in luck Volkswagen and Honda Lease Specials make it so you can return your ride every 3 years for an ugraded version if you choose.  It’s up to you to decide which one of these two is right for you on the road, but they both have the positive qualities you’re looking for to have the drive you want on the road and at the track.