Hey guys,
A few of you might remember me from a few years ago when I owned this
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=158362.0
After selling the Golf I bought a EP3 Civic Type R which was AWESOME! Personally £ for £ I don't think you can get more car for you money with a hot hatch, and from the price I sold it for, it's definitely a buyers market right now!

That said my priorities this year are less about cars and more about travelling, so I needed something that was more economical and comfortable over distance. Which is why I've ended up with a nice GT TDI 150.
Here's a few photos of the car before I picked her up.



It would be hard not to compare it to the Civic which I absolutely loved, so first impressions are:
Interior build quality much better on Golf (to be expected)
Optional extras are nice. Climate control and cruise control are very welcome with the driving I'll be doing in summer.
Looks wise, I find the Mk4 very bland, but definitely don't dislike it. With the amount of Mk4's on the road, it's pretty much an invisible car.
Power wise, once the TDI had warmed up it was surprisingly fast. 0-60 the Civic would leave you standing, but in real world situations when you need that little extra power, the Golf definitely wouldn't disappoint.
Handling wise there is no question, I doubt I'll ever feel confident on B roads in the Golf where as the Civic felt like it was glued down.
I know these car's aren't a direct comparison, but with the TDI being badged as a GTI, and both cars being made within 2 years of each other I thought I'd give my 2 cents.
To summarise, the Golf is a much better all round car for what I need and I'm not as disheartened to see the civic go as I thought I might be, but if I had the option to keep the Civic for weekends, I would have!