Obviously the test drive went well since I'm picking it up on Tuesday.
Anyhow my review of the FN2...
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I went to an independent "Sports and Prestige" dealer who just gave me the keys and the trade plates and said there was a tenner in the tank...
Mixed emotions coming from the EP3. A lot of people have said the FN2 isn't a real Type R but a lot of people said the same about the EP3 when it was released.
Personally and rationally I think I've grown up, good thing or bad thing but I think the FN2 fits my needs. I will however dispell one myth right now. The FN2 is every bit as quick in a straight line as the UKDM EP3. Fair enough I didn't go side by side with an EP3 but I drove it on roads that I drive every day in my EP3 and the speedo gave the same figures point to point.
The seat height is a little higher on the FN2 than the EP3, which I can imagine gives the impression of the EP3 being faster, but there really isn't a lot in it.
I don't know about the rest of the country but it's been freezing up here recently, so I couldn't get the FN2 on it's door handles so to speak. It certainly gripped where it needed to and seemed a lot happier at high speeds than the EP3, less bounce and less twitchy. Saying that the steering at low speeds is properly weighted and very direct. Nice grippy wheel material as well compared to the EP3.
The engine note on a standard FN2 is great. Induction noise is much more noticeable than the EP3. I came out of an EP3 with a Spoon cat back and was instantly greeted with a lovely roar from under the bonnet. I couldn't hear much exhaust burbles or pops but I'm sure I'll cure that with an aftermarket in no time.
The gear box is every bit as good as in the EP3. Short lever and short throw and you just know when pushing on that it'll just drop into the next gear time and time again.
It's not really worth comparing the EP3 and FN2 on kit because with a FN2 in GT spec you get so many more toys over the EP3, I really did feel like I'd stepped back 4 years (literally) getting back in my EP3.
Don't get me wrong. The above sounds like I've been completely taken by the FN2. However I know for a fact that in a few months time I'll be thinking, "Should I have kept the EP3 and spent the money on mods?" and I think that's the question.
The EP3 is not and will never be an EK9, but what you get is an every day driver with the soul of a racer. It begs you to give it the beans and fling it into bends. Spend some money on it and it can become a stripped out track car, but in standard form it feels alive, it's got soul...
The FN2 IMO carries enough of this over to make it a brilliant car that is much more involving and committed than a Focus or Golf, while it still shares the every day comforts of those cars. However you can forget all that when you hit a piece of tarmac that you know well and plant your right foot. It might be a bit heavier and have bits you don't need in a street racer, but IMO it's still a every bit a Type R...
