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EP3 FN2 test drive thread

Very nice review Mikey :D

You not the first person to say about the back-end going light under heavy braking:confused: Which is slightly worrying, I didn't experience it on my test drive. I hope its not something I experience too much when I get the car. Its a trait the EP3 can show but only when you really have left the braking far too late.
 
I found it stable and planted....noobs. :D



Still I rarely go over 30 mph in the bends, just call my Dappa ;), you know me :D :D
 
MikeyG said:
Novice drivers the lot of us!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Apparently the Stig found it too! He reported as much in Top Gear magazine. Seem's you really have to be caining it along to get it to happen. I guess that makes us hooligans then! :lol:
 
I had a test drive today, had to see what it was like in comparison to my modded EP3. To cut a long story short I liked it, it might not be as raw as the EP3, but I'm not as young as I was when I bough the EP3, I'm older and now I like a bit of refinement and comfort along with power and speed. The seats are excellent, made the EP3 seats feel pretty lame by comparison.

I wont be swapping for an FN2 but if I was in the market for a new car, given the choice between EP3 or FN2 I would go for the FN2 I think, purely because it still has the power to please but also the comfort needed to make journeys pass easily when you aren't in the mood for a white knuckle ride.

Ar$e end is still not as good as it could be IMO.
 
I had a test drive in the new CTR GT on Saturday. I must admit I was biased against it before I got in. I think it is fat/round on the outside and feels closed in on the inside. There is too much plastic on the dashboard, etc. I prefer the dashboard, etc on the EP3. My EP3 feels more airy/roomy than the CTR GT. However, the driver's seat adjustment is really good. The seats were comfortable and felt more fitting and supportive than my EP3 seats. The foot pedals look really sporty.

I found the actual drive very smooth. It was very easy to accelerate quickly and the noise when doing so was good. I didn’t use any of the buttons on the steering wheel although I went on a dual carriageway. I don’t like the digital speedo. I had a digital speedo on my last CBR600 motorbike and didn't like it at all. I prefer the clock type of speedo, it doesn't feel so much in your face. I don't want the speed I am doing shouted at me, except when I am near a speedcamera which is what my Origin B2 does.

The suspension felt better in the CTR GT, and didn't feel as hard as my EP3. I have become used to the gear stick and handbrake position in my EP3 and wasn't as enthusiastic about these changes to the new CTR GT. It reminded me of the gearstick and handbrake positions in the S2000. The biggest thing that I disliked was the position of the spoiler!! It restricted my view out the back too much. However, the salesman from the dealer's told me it was good for diverting headlights from behind in the dark.

I don't think I will be putting myself out to find the money for the new CTR. My present one isn't perfect but I feel more comfortable in it and as I have only done 18,000 miles is only just loosening up. I feel more in control of the drive of my EP3 and it does feel more fun than the new CTR and, finally, I prefer the sportier looks of the EP3.:)

Karen
 
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Well finally got round to driving an FN2 today.:D :D

Managed a mix of dual carriageway and country lanes and although i didn't reach silly speeds (salesman in the back:eek: ) i managed to give it a bit of stick and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Nice and planted on the country roads........never felt i needed to give the car the 100% concentration i would have had to do in the EP3.

Wasn't to sure about the rear visibility......had a bike appear behind me which i hadn't noticed coming up but that may have been because i had only just left the garage and was still fussing over what was what on the dual zone dash.

A different experience to the EP3 without a doubt but not a bad one.

The interior and exterior styling is fantastic although as others have said the rear still leaves me a little cold but i think i could overlook that for what the rest of the car has to offer.

Nothing else to add really that hasn't been said before.

You either like it or you don't........i think i could live with it once i had got used to the rear visibility issue so may well be putting in an order soon.

But then again they did have a lovely 55 plate Cosmic Premier on the forecourt.:cool:
 
havin a test drive sunday at brinley honda, cannock, so we'll se eh! have a dc2 at mo, also just found out my jrsc'd ctr was wrote off by the new owner after a week!
 
Well I haven't changed my mind about the new CTR. I had another test drive a couple of weeks ago and was allowed to take it out by myself. Although the drive is very smooth, it is spoilt by the position of the accelerator, my leg was really uncomfortable when I was driving on the dual carriageway (A38 ). The spoiler did spoil the back view. Having an S2000, I found the handbrake a little too close.

Yes, it does have lots of toys but I am happy being in control of the car rather than using cruise control!!

I know lots of people like it but I definitely won't be buying one, I much preferred driving the pre and facelift CTRs and I still don't like the shape of the new CTR.

Karen
 
If you don't like cruise control Karen then don't use it.;)

Same goes for traction control - switch it off and it makes a huge difference to power delivery.
 
CT said:
If you don't like cruise control Karen then don't use it.;)

Same goes for traction control - switch it off and it makes a huge difference to power delivery.
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I'll stick with the S2000. It's much more of a driver's car. I only went out in the CTR because the S was getting a service and the dealership thought it would take ages to do!!:D

Karen
 
I don't know what to say really. I've ordered a CTR GT and not driven a Honda Civic (any type, although my brother had the old shape and loved it). *so* many people recommended it, and the deals they are giving for them made it irresistible.

But as I'll be coming from a (perfectly fine) '07 Yaris 3 door 1.3 VVTi (Zinc), I expect my facial expression to be something like :woot:
 
Hey there people.

This is my first post and I do not own a CTR as of yet, but I did take a test drive of one on Sunday.

I drove a 57 plate GT for about fifteen minutes along motorway and a few B roads. The car is pretty impressive to drive, but I did find one slight problem. I am 6'2 and always have the seat at the furthest away position. I didn't find either the rev counter or the speedo obscured (which I've noticed a few people have said) but I did have a bit of an issue with the gearstick. Because my elbow was raised by the arm rest, it made it slightly akward to change gear.

Has anyone else found this an issue or am I just a freak of nature?
 
Going for a test drive in the morning. I'm pretty much hoping it's a mixture of my wife's '08 Civic EX (very precise steering and turn in, responsive ride + toys) and my current facelift EP3 (everyone knows what these drive like).

I'm going to be a stickler and I'm only going to have one with a LSD so either the stealer will be fitting one from a Champ White or I'll be bothering TDI-North for an 'up-grade'. I don't like the idea of a Champ White one as it is, that colour is too high maintenance...
 
Hope you enjoy it John, they're alot better than people who have never driven one will tell you. ;) Good choice staying away from the White. 8)
 
Obviously the test drive went well since I'm picking it up on Tuesday.

Anyhow my review of the FN2...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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...
 
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Nice write up John. IMO the FN2 has a much better/louder engine noise than the EP3. 8)

Loxy said:
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
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Exactly. When the EP3 came out every DC2 owner in the land said it wasn't a proper Type-R blah blah blah. Where are those people now.... driving around in EP3s saying the FN2 isn't a proper Type-R. :roll:
 
I have owned my FN2 now for three months. Over the years I have had loads of hot hatches including 205 GTI, 5 Turbo, XR3i, Astra GTE etc. IMO the FN2 is as much a real drivers car as any of them. Obviously cars have moved on and with every new model they are improved in all areas. Honda have made a real gem with the FN2 giving A1 performance with all the mod cons. I think you have made a good choice. It will definitely be on the hot hatch greats in the years to come. Hope you enjoy bud.
 
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