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FN2 After a week of ownership....

MUXY

MUXY

Wiperblade Master
Messages
5,458
I have had the FN2 for a week now so I thought I would write a little review and comparison with my old EP3.

EP3.
This car is a classic…..came out at 16k, blew the opposition away but it was and still is a superb drivers car. However this car has less desire for the passenger who feels every bump and the ‘jerky’ vtec kick is not always appreciated by others even though the driver grins every time the engine is thrashed. Yes they ALL has issues, notchy gear, uneven tyre wear, burning rubber smell, noise at startup, dodgy steering rack, crap paint…the list is endless….but every driver ‘ignored’ these ‘quirks’ and got on with driving the thing. I loved the bloody thing…..but sadly the Mrs felt it was a ‘single persons’ car with a ‘hooligan’ feel to it. I chopped this in for £10750 at the stealers and I was very sad to leave it there….27k on the clock …and loved every mile, but depreciation was a worry so it was decided to get the FN2.

FN2
For all you doubters this car is by far better than the EP3. Yes it has a dodgy looking back end but that is all personal taste. It is much more refined, a softer ride and has toys that would not look out of place in an executive car. Many people think the Type R brand has been diluted…..well yes it has, but all the mods were part of existing customer research and 90% of CTR’s on the road are standard so it is what this majority wanted and not for the true enthusiast. All these mods give a great feel to the car that is easier to live with on the commute than the EP3.

So how does it drive……in a word…Superb! Sounds awesome compared to the standard ep3 but the ‘fun’ factor seems to be missing……the ‘go cart’ feel of the EP3 has gone and it feels like you re being naughty ….a bit like thrashing your dads beamer behind his back. Obviously a lot has been said about the change of vtec point and the introduction of rev lights and a vtec light….believe me the rev lights are handy because you get carried away with the noise…but the vtec light is a gimmick that a lot of ep3 users added anyway. You don't feel the sense of speed as you had with the EP3, the FN2 is just as quick.....but feels so much smoother.The gearbox is notchy compared to the ep3..early days yet though….I hope the 3rd gear fix comes around soon…..

The ICE is MILES better….tweeters added aftermarked audio fitment will be a bastid. Boot space is IMMENSE!!

All in all I am very pleased with it even though it does not encourage you to thrash it at every opportunity……The Type R ethos has changed……quick car to suit the middle aged man and not for the enthusiast. As I am only a couple of years away from 40 you can guess what category I am in.

That’s it for now….I am sure I will add more to this as time goes on…
 
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MUXY said:
The Type R ethos has changed……quick car to suit the middle aged man and not for the enthusiast.
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Good write up mate, but this bit about sums it up for me along with the "Great ice, massive boot" bit. I agree with you 100% that the FN2 is a better car than the EP3 (Even the looks are starting to grow on me now...a bit, and no, not the back end yet!) But I can still see a world where the Type S and Type R are mechanically identical, one boasting all the toys and softer settings, and the other stripped out and hardcore with savage manners. Thats the way it should have been, and the ethos left pure race inspired as it was intended.
 
A good unbiased report, telling it how it is... you would not got that in any magazine.

Thanks..:)
 
Well I've had mine 4 weeks now.

I still miss my EP3 as it holds so many great memories and was an excellent car:twisted: Yes there may be better cars out there but not many for the money.

The FN2 is also a great car, I'm still very much get used to car and how it responds to different situations. The VSA makes it very different, and want to get used to how that responds before I turn it off and have some real fun:twisted:

The noise is fantastic, a lot better than the standard EP3. I like most of the toys except the cruise control which I have yet to turn on, but I could live without most of them except the A/C (hence I ordered the GT)

Its still a fast car but it doesn't have the urgency or feel of speed the EP3 had. You only realise you going so fast when you look at the speedo.

Is it a real Type R, I don't know and don't care really. I only had the EP3 so maybe I don't know what a real Type R is;) But that doesn't ,mean its not a great car.

So in conclusion I miss the EP3 but I know I have found a worthy replacement :twisted:

Can't wait to take it across Europe and the Ring in July:cool:
 
nice report had mine 8 days covered only 300 miles but has developed a rattle in back,hows the mpg im getting 26.3 overall.
black fn2 gt ro 30026
 
owls said:
nice report had mine 8 days covered only 300 miles but has developed a rattle in back,hows the mpg im getting 26.3 overall.
black fn2 gt ro 30026
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1st tank averaged 27mpg.......put Tesco 97 Ron in and I have gone up to 30-31mpg.....not hanging about either....:twisted:
I am sure it will get better..the EP3 was crap to start off when new.

This is normally on a 30 mile commute to work though..not short runs.
 
Nice write-up Neil, can't wait to come and see it in the flesh.

And i see you've still not made the switch to V-Power (tight b45tard!!) which WILL give more power and SHOULD give better economy on those "quiet" commute journeys.

Keep enjoying it. I'm quite envious!!!
 
well neil your veiws are supported here,i'm going to hijack your thread now lol.
i remember collecting my ep3 and driving up the motorway wow the smile on my face was the best since the birth of my daughter,i was in a cocoon of vtec oblivious to the world....collection of the fn2 was a world outside of that....no certain smile factor of vtec just the point of look at me i got an fn2.(outside veiws more important).
as the days have gone by so have my love of the fn2,i am a typical nineties chemical junky fuelled by the power of mind raceing music,and enhancing tropics, and lifestyle in which the ep3 fitted perfect.
dont get me wrong the fn2 does have it all...for the 2007 era and maybe the sales market?.
i do beleive the euro market has defo been let down compared to the japanese type r with that little extra bhp,which would have made the whole difference...trust me.
as it is 2007 the fn2 is top of the tree and that is no doubt what so ever.
but for the retro feel(hooligan)it's got to be the ep3...and i will always miss mine....unless i can get the fn2 just to let go a little bit.
conclusion is for me the fn2 is a superior car in every respect,which it always was going to be ,but old habits die hard ,and i think that is mine and a lot of peoples underlying feelings.
 
Yep, nice write up Neil. Still haven't taken the time to pop up and see it in the flesh, even though your literally 2mins walk from me! :lol:

Will definitely pop up soon though.

I would suggest anyone who thinks they would miss the EP3 to give the FN2 a miss and give Litchfield Imports a ring instead and order a full blooded Jap spec CTR complete with LSD and Brembo four pots :cool:
 
I still don't think this can really be labelled a Type R as it goes against what a Type R should be. It seems Honda have had to compromise too much, thus making it a heavy car with many options it doesn't need.

But to be fair the UK hasn't had a proper Type R car, these are only available in Japan. I drove a DC2 back in 2000 and it was and probably is one of the best car's I have driven, thats why my next car will hopefully be a DC5.
 
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indeed. theres a reason why people even go as far as to say that a DC2-R handles like a rwd car. anyways, nice lil review there. i wonder how a 19 year old like me would feel about the FN2. ill be getting mine around august so we'll have to see... oh, and ill be 20 by then ;)
 
I have had my FN2 since saturday 5th (last week).

I honestly feel the build quality of these are really good. (lets see if it lasts) The doors shut with a porsche like clunk and the smoothness of the clutch/gear changes is equally as good. When pulling away you really feel like you are in a quality car and all my passengers have agreed. (including a friend that owns an m6... and C2s...)

The great thing about the FN2 is that when you want to make progress it really opens up, the speed is very deceptive and you might not feel you are going fast but look at the speedo and you are into 3 figures... you start to realise this car is very very different!

I think the car has moved towards the Golf GTI a bit but it still maintains enough rawness and edge with that amazing engine, you just have to probe a bit deeper to really feel it because it doesnt just jump out and bite your head off!

Overall i am very happy, for those of you that say the FN2 has lost its edge i think you really need to test your FN2 some more because i really think when you start to push the FN2 hard you hopefully will realise this car has alot of potential!

(or buy one and stop judging it based on a short test drive)
 
I was in Honda at the weekend, I told the sales man that I though the FN2 has lost it's edge slightly. He retorted with a comment about the EP3 being rubbish for 3 hour jouneys on the motorway. I took the win with a "thats what the Golf Gti and Focus ST are for".

In all seriousness I like the front end on them it's really agressive and the side profile isn't too bad either. The back end suck though. That said the seats are simply leagues ahead of Ep3 seats.

I wonder what the FD2 or whatever it's called will be like?
 
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