2022 Honda Civic vs 2021 Volkswagen Jetta

The 2021 Volkswagen Jetta presented a more upscale presence compared to its predecessor, with a slightly longer and wider body, maintaining the same height. Its design featured a wide, angular grille inspired by the VW Arteon sport sedan, offering a more dramatic look than the previous generation's staid appearance. Inside, the Jetta continued the angular design language, creating a cabin that was both spacious and attractive, with a premium feel thanks to a mix of soft-touch surfaces and functional elements. The Jetta's trim levels—Comfortline, Highline, and Execline—offered a range of features, with the base Comfortline trim surprisingly well-equipped, including 16-inch alloy wheels, LED lights, and a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

In contrast, the 2022 Honda Civic adopted a more conservative and plain appearance, resembling the larger Accord sedan. This 11th-generation Civic aimed for a more tailored and mature look, appealing to those who found the previous model's styling too bold. Inside, Honda returned to simplicity with a minimalistic approach, featuring a metal honeycomb mesh across the dashboard to hide air vents. The Touring trim offered improved interior materials, reflecting a maturity absent in the previous Civic. The Civic's interior redesign included a new centre console with less storage space but more accessible cupholders, and the trunk volume remained generous, with a split-folding backseat adding utility.

The 2021 Volkswagen Jetta was powered by a 1.4-litre turbo inline four-cylinder engine, producing 147 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. Despite having 3 fewer horsepower than its predecessor, the engine felt more responsive, thanks to its tuning and the new 8-speed automatic transmission, which replaced the previous six-speed. This transmission managed power efficiently, allowing the Jetta to perform well in both city and highway driving. The Jetta's steering was well-weighted and precise, offering a smooth and sporty feel akin to an entry-level BMW 3 Series. The ride quality was refined yet soft, handling rough roads with ease. Fuel efficiency was impressive, with the manual transmission using 6.9 litres per 100 kilometres combined, and the automatic burning 7.1 L/100 km.

The 2022 Honda Civic offered two engine options: a 2.0-litre DOHC four-cylinder with 158 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque for the LX, EX, and Sport trims, and a turbocharged 1.5-litre DOHC four-cylinder with 180 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque for the Touring trim. Both engines paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT), featuring new Step Shift programming for a more traditional automatic feel. The Civic's handling was enjoyable, with improved structural rigidity and suspension tuning, providing a fun driving experience. However, the Civic Touring's fuel efficiency fell short of expectations, returning 7.7 litres per 100 kilometres on a 150-kilometre loop, compared to the estimated 6.9 L/100 km combined.

The 2021 Volkswagen Jetta offered comfortable front seats suitable for long trips, with adequate rear-seat legroom and headroom. The trunk space was 399 litres, average for the class. The Jetta's interior layout focused on practicality, with a touchscreen positioned above the climate vents for easy access, and a larger centre tray for storage. The blend of touchscreen functions with real buttons and dials emphasized functionality, making the Jetta one of the most practical options in its class.

The 2022 Honda Civic continued its tradition of comfort with redesigned front seats offering better support. The Touring trim featured a power driver's seat with excellent adjustability, though the front passenger seat lacked a height adjuster. The Civic's low seating position made entry and exit challenging for some, but the rear seat provided ample legroom. The Civic's trunk volume was generous at 419 litres, or 408 litres with the Touring trim, due to the premium sound system components. The interior redesign included a new centre console with less storage space but more accessible cupholders.

The 2021 Volkswagen Jetta came equipped with a 6.5-inch touchscreen display featuring Volkswagen’s Car-Net App-Connect, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto as standard. The Execline trim offered Volkswagen’s Digital Cockpit, a full-colour digital display that replaced the conventional instrument panel, allowing for personalization and navigation display projection.

The 2022 Honda Civic featured digital instrumentation across all trims, with the Touring trim offering a 10-inch display panel with greater customization and a Vehicle Activity display. The standard infotainment setup included a 7-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The Touring trim upgraded to a 9-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, and a 12-speaker Bose premium audio system. The system performed well, with excellent voice recognition technology, though it had a relatively slow load time.

The 2021 Volkswagen Jetta included a full array of safety features, such as front and side airbags, a reversing camera, and a tire pressure monitoring system. The Highline grade added blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, while the Execline included additional driver-assistance features like automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. The Jetta received a Good rating in all IIHS crash tests but did not earn a Top Safety Pick due to its headlights. The NHTSA awarded the Jetta a five-star safety rating.

The 2022 Honda Civic boasted an upgraded Honda Sensing suite, including Traffic Jam Assist, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and Lane Keeping Assist. The Civic replaced its LaneWatch system with a proper blind-spot warning system with rear cross-traffic alert. The Civic's architecture was stronger, with new airbag designs and rear side-impact airbags. A standard rear-seat reminder system was also included.