FN2 AutoCar 0-100 & lap times
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CTR
Ain't nothin' but a peanut
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I read this article yesterday.
I too thought that 0-100 time for the FN2 was a misprint.
Both Renaults were highly praised, which IMO is no surprise at the moment.
For me, they are creating driver focused cars and doing it with purpose. They might be French but credit where credit is due in my book.
I too thought that 0-100 time for the FN2 was a misprint.
Both Renaults were highly praised, which IMO is no surprise at the moment.
For me, they are creating driver focused cars and doing it with purpose. They might be French but credit where credit is due in my book.
CTR
Ain't nothin' but a peanut
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SpaceMonkey
Midget Wannabe
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Not very Type R at all from those figures huh? 
spoon
Gimme a Bunny Boiler
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Not very Type R at all from those figures huh?
Think the Type R badge is now offically dead mate. Marketing men have killed it in this country at least. Anyone wanting a proper Type R now is gonna have to get onto the importers.
G
A veritable chap
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Think the Type R badge is now offically dead mate. Marketing men have killed it in this country at least. Anyone wanting a proper Type R now is gonna have to get onto the importers.
They said that about the EP3 as well. Times move on whether we like it or not. As I keep repeating (till my fingers ache) its about the drive, not whether a car is a few seconds quicker here or there. Of course Mr VXR can tell you in the magazine test his car was quicker on such a day by a second or so, you can nod sagely and climb into your R an have a fun time blatting around the twisties, safe in the knowledge that your N/A motor, without the aid of any blowers, is responsive to your inputs, great fun to drive, and wont self distruct after five minutes (not thinking of any car in particular here).
Besides the car is a great base to work on tuning wise, with a proven reliable motor that most of us will tweek anyway. I am sure it will take Doug five mins to sort the ECU out and most of your 'R's ' will not remain standerd for long.
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While the EP3 was slated by the Type R enthusiast it beat everything in its class when it came out. It was the fastest, baddest, meanest and most menacing hatch around in 2001 bar none but the Focus RS, which was limited and too harsh for some. It redefined the term "hot hatch", Honda stunned the market and created a beast that made all the other manufacturers go back to the drawing board with their tail in between their legs.
While the FN2 may be a nice drive, you need to ask yourself if Honda could have done more? Has it stunned the market like the EP3 did? Has it made Renault, Ford, Audi, VW, Vauxhall look like they release sub standard cars? Will it win the same amount of awards that the EP3 did? For many of these the reverse is probably true. I think that Honda are relying on the success of the EP3 to sell the FN2.
I'll test drive it, and I may be amazed. If I am I'll eat my hat and will have to drive the others in the market. I just hope none stun me like the first drive of my DC5.
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You have to ask yourself... did Honda want to do more with the Type-R? No. It's all about the masses and catering for the mainstream these days. We (the 'harcore' if you like) are in a minority. It's a shame in many ways for those who see Type-R has the real enthusiast's racing label but then again those real enthusiasts aren't likely to keep their R's as standard anyway. Times change and, as far as I see it, the new Civic Type-R is far from a bad car.
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I'm not saying it's a bad car mate, and I never viewed the EP3 as more hardcore then the others on the market at the time. Sure the engine and road noise is louder then the old LCR, MCS etc, but it was civilised as well. That's why I made the plunge originally. It was the only car that I drove and that made me go "wow" after the drive. I've only gone down the more hardcore line because I've now got into track days, something I'd never contemplated before. I just wanted a cheap, fast and fun hatchback, that could take me on trips of over 600 miles with a boot full of luggage in relative comfort. The CTR met that criteria. But if the same situation had arisen now, judging from the write ups I'd probably go for the S3, GTI or the Megane.
The mass majority of people didn't buy the EP3 because it was hardcore mate, they bought it because of the good press and the fact that it was the king of its sector for three years on the trot. It's only us people who like spending our spare time talking to other owners on-line and making the car better that bought it because of the character. I think Honda have jacked on the new car by hoping to take the existing fan base from the EP3 to the new CTR.
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when i test drove the fn2 i did think that the performance was pants ,but thats coz me ep3 is loud.
but i still purchased one based on the emphasis it has a great base to modify on if ineed to the only reason i really went for the fn2 is.....
the missus didnt want me to bolt the jackson on the ep3 "you'll kill yourself" and the funds went towards that,i need a more refind car?! i dont know until a few months down the line but hey.
it defo has potential if anyone wants to tweek it.
and that includes me.
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I think you've been spoiled mate... :lol: I wasn't insinuating that you thought the new Civic (FN2) was a bad car, I know you don't think it is. I think people who do dismiss it as such (especially without firsthand experience of it) are doing themselves a disservice... Sure, the competition have caught up and surpassed 'us' (arguably) with their latest hot-hatches but I don't think Honda are too worried about that. Why? Because I think they are trying to attract a whole new demographic to the Type-R rather than relying on EP3 owners to sell-up and move to their new model. If Honda were trying to appeal to us (the hardcore) I think we would have seen a lot more aggressive stance and resulting model from them. The inclusion of the GT version suggests to me they are trying to cater for a wider range of people, too... those who like their luxuries yet also like to feel as if they are in a performance car, too.
To me reading through the threads on the FN2 is akin to reading about the new gaming consoles and/or PC's. People put too much emphasis on figures and numbers rather than the issues that count - i.e. is it fun to drive, etc. If the difference between a car being fun to drive and a car not being fun to drive is measured in tenths of a second (or a few seconds over miles of race circuit) then I think it's a crying shame...
To me reading through the threads on the FN2 is akin to reading about the new gaming consoles and/or PC's. People put too much emphasis on figures and numbers rather than the issues that count - i.e. is it fun to drive, etc. If the difference between a car being fun to drive and a car not being fun to drive is measured in tenths of a second (or a few seconds over miles of race circuit) then I think it's a crying shame...
spoon
Gimme a Bunny Boiler
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Absolutely spot on mate. G my friend, I freely admit I havent driven the FN2 yet. But its not magazine articles that Im basing my views on as you suggest. No mate, my opinion and I guess gripe with the FN2 is that Type R stands for "Racing". A Type R should be a road going car based on the racing theme, rather like the Renault Megane R26 and Ford Focus RS. Both are based on the normal car, but tuned and aimed to appeal to the guy who wants to enjoy his car at trackdays. The original NSX-R was built as a trackday version of the NSX creating the whole Type R ethos, and passed the torch to the DC2 Teg and EK Civic that followed. Sure the EP3 CTR was slightly more user friendly due to the practicality of the base car. But make no mistake the car was as basic as they come, a heater, a single CD player and basic speakers, electric windows and mirrors and thats it. And as Milanochris has pointed out, it tore the competition a new one in terms of performance.
The FN2 in contrast rocks up to the party boasting a dashboard nicked off the set of Star Trek, complete with Max Power VTEC logo's that glow up to tell you when the cam swaps (Mind you it has too now, as thats the only way you'll know now they've engineered that bit out), big heavy chunky door builds with massive fat speakers so you can pump out yer phat tunes cruising through the high street, and a body design that wont allow you to see properly out of the rear. Annoying for parking, downright dangerous on the track. Add to the mix that its heavier than the EP3 yet no more powerfull, despite the same engine being capable of pushing out around 220bhp in the DC5 and JDM EP3 and it just leaves you thinking what could have been. The Honda adverts boast "More forward please", whats forward about taking a car with independant suspension all round and replacing it with one with torsion beam? Infact for me the FN2 represents a step backwards from the EP3 in every respect bar one. Bootspace. And whats bootspace got to do with something that claims to be the racing version? Maybe Im just biased towards motorsport. But to me something that is badged as a road going motorsport version should be just that. The FN2 just doent cut it.
If people want a big boot, supple ride, powerfull stereo, aircon, Sat nav, dual zone climate control and all those features you normally associate with luxury cars, then they should go buy a luxury car. Not buy a car with a trackday special badge just for the kudos, and then moan it could do with being a little more user friendly. As I have said many times, Honda missed a great opportunity to make the Type S the car to fill this role. Now they have a Type S that is about as sporty as an asthmatic snail, and a Type R that will desperately blink VTEC lights on its Starship Enterprise dashboard as you painfully watch a Fisher Price dashed Mini Cooper drive off into the distance.
I dont doubt that once Ive driven it I will agree with you that it is a better car than the EP3. But only in the respect that its a better day to day proposition. If it were my money now, I'd buy the DC2 or DC5 and know Ive got the more fun car for less money, and to hell with comfort. We just gonna have to agree to disagree on that one mate
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Well said Chris. I will get my first drive next weekend but i am not looking forward to it. When I first wanted a Type-R I couldn't afford one, when I could they had just brought out a new one which according to the hype was .2 of a second faster to 60
. Now when I fancy a change the new one is 2 secs off the pace on a lap. I really can't see it lighting my fires and to be honest I am guessing the VXR CORSA will be faster. So will be beaten by a piece of ****
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