Yeah for sure, gets a lot of hate (probably heavily influenced by the top gear review) mainly because people compare it to the other type R's. But if you forget the other generations, this is still a fantastic car with lots of good features!
It was only underrated by Jeremy Clarkson because he's big ass didn't fit in the seat properly it didn't fit in the GTI but that was slower 😂 Plus Vicki Butler-Henderson loves them and it was Top Gear hot hatch of the year in 2007 so just says it all doesn't it.
@@crunchtimeasmr67 i test drove the EP3 and the fn2 before I bought an fn2 GT. Yes the EP3 is a good car with a slightly different rear axle It made absolutely no difference on the British back roads and country lanes, the ep3 interior was dull as dishwater and the looks have dated a lot. What Mr Clarkson didn't focus on properly what's the complete fn2 new generation design the shape is still looking good now and was an absolute revelation when it came out in 2006. Yes it was heavier that's because it had tons more kit than the EP3 my GT version has far more superior space age interior ,cruise control Bluetooth, traction control that even has voice control activated stereo and dual zone air conditioning. VTech also kicks in earlier than the EP3 making it much more fun at lower revs. Also had a much bigger loading capacity the boot is huge.👍
@@realSTYLISHx They seem to be holding their value since I bought mine nearly 2 years ago now. Its worth buying a well looked after one. Check for roof rust as it's common and 3rd gear crunches. Overall its been a good car so far. The ride is harsh for every day driving I'd say, but I don't do many miles. Just replaced both my anti roll bars at the front as they were absolutely battered. Knocking like mad.
@@andysmith8031 thanks for the advice. I’ve noticed the price is holding out and will probably start going up in the next few years, especially for the decent ones.
Picking up an FN2 this weekend. I cannot wait! I’ve owned an EK9 and an EP3 too. Nothing comes close to the sound of a VTEC engine in full song! Leaves you grinning from ear to ear for sure.
The VTEC sound of the FN2 is actually the best of the Type R's, but not the best feel in the transition. It feels very smooth so it can be hardly distinguishable from the lower revs.
@@filopride619 Yeah, the FN2 engine is quite smooth because it has balance shafts fitted unlike all the other K20 engines (the balance shafts are adapted from the Accord (Euro) K24 engine I presume).
Awesome video, love my FN2 it’s like you say in the video it’s the perfect balance of old school VTEC and driving feel coupled with a modern interior and practicality, it really is a phenomenal car
This is all you need from a review! Tell you about the car then tell you how it drives and how it makes you feel. I love my FN2 I bought it after I test drove my friends for 15 minutes. I had to have one. Honda did make it more livable but that's what the market wanted and it was a sales success. If you want the car to be more hardcore it doesn't take much tinkering to make it lighter and more powerful It just depends what you want from a car but the base is a fantastic car as it is. So nice to see someone being honest about the handling which is sublime and what you said about the car being stable is one of the main things for me. It feels very planted and gives you such confidence in what it's doing. You can feel everything. The only negative to me with these cars is the build quality is garbage because it was made in the UK where I live instead of Japan. But I don't think there's a better value sports car out there.
fn2 is a better car than ep3 for sure... ive driven both. ep3 feels more raw and nimble however fn2 has more feauters, its safer, much better interior, exterior still looks very modern, has stiffer chasie,better steering, shorter gears, and it feels more stable at higher speeds.
Yeah from what I've heard of the EP3 that sounds like an accurate description. I liked this car for those exact reasons - it's much more liveable and nicer to drive than the EP3 but still has 90% of the performance.
@@jimes69 Renault Megane RSes have rear beams as well... EP3 & DC5 suspension isn't anything special and has a lot of geometry problems front and rear TBH: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3s1MuqCfPXQ.html If EP3s & DC5s had Honda Accord (Euro) suspension, they would handle like a dream -- that's why Realtime racing switched from DC5s to CL7s in American touring car racing, the Accord was a better platform... it still has the traditional Honda double wishbone front and it has a much better IRS setup! :)
I’ve bought my first fn2 last year jan 2021. N use it everyday from A-B. Enjoy every moment of it. When I bought it the vtec was very quite and couldn’t hardly hear the vtec kicking in. The clutch n gearbox were very smooth. N later after the month change pipercross induction kit. N a Ramair pipe. Now the vtec is very loud n puts a smile 😃 on face very time when the vtec kicks in.
Great car sold my first one last year got a golf gti but i missed the vtec and handling of the FN2 so ive got another one again now and done a few things to it bushes exhaust remap etc and I absolutely love it what a great car.. and the are slowly going up in price
You can pick one of these up for as little as 2 grand here in the UK. I bought a very tidy one in bronze colour for £3200 with 96k on the clock full service history. I honestly think it's the best hot hatch you can buy for this kind of money.
KiwiCarLife yes the second hand car market is pretty amazing in the UK. Check out autotrader.co.uk and see for yourself. I prefer Japanese cars myself just for the reliability of them.
@@KiwiCarLife unfortunately they are not holding their value these days because many people put them down for shit prices just to sell them.That's stupid from my view .Nevertheless I dont want to sell mine,I am garaging it and using it mainy on longer trips rather than abusing it in the city.
@@dg115 unfortunately many parts aren't japanese and car is built in Swindon.Still love the car though,and with good maintenance it's more reliable than 95% of today's cars
@@KiwiCarLife 6K - 10K versions can't be had anymore, and were pretty rough examples to begin with. A facelifted FN2 in good condition was around the mid-high teens and they're creeping into the low 20's now due to "Covid tax". That being said, EP3/DC5 prices have also skyrocketed and are generally above FN2's still (Bearing in mind our DC5R's are 99% AUDM spec). How are NZ car prices since Covid? Solid review btw, really enjoyed it :)
@@KiwiCarLife It's stock, apart from the Honda Official GP Kit Rear Splitter. I replaced the GP front splitter with the original is the stock one looks better. Everything else is stock 😎👍
I suppose, but here in NZ we only get the JDM EP3 and as far as I'm aware the JDM and EDM fn2's are the same so to us it's a step backwards in terms of power. In my mind though it's not even meant to replace anything, it was built alongside the FD2 as a more affordable, yet more feature packed alternative
@@NjoyMoney the fn2 is a euro car. You can buy it in Japan as a type r euro but its exactly the same as the UK one just with a euro badge. So there is no official jdm fn2....basically there is no fn2 with the jdm k20 in
Godd review, I've had one of these in the UK for a long time now I have the GT spec as everything you could want was way advanced for it's time the Handling the drive but a HKS on this and the sound is amazing anyone that slates it compared to the EP3 hasn't owned or driven any of them together I've driven all the time passes and as you said this one is the one that's more grown up has the nicer interior and it still has that VTec buzz a great little all rounder.👍
Such a great review of an underrated gem and here's a sub! I've been looking for one of these for my second car to replace the '08 Mazda 2 I had for a while since I wanted a sportier yet just as practical and reliable of a car and I can't own more than one car at the moment. Also, did this 2009 model you tested come with an LSD?
@@KiwiCarLife Thanks and you're welcome! The car seems to handle well even without an LSD so that's good to know. Are you still planning to own an FN2 in the future?
Actually I thought the Fn2 type R had 1bhp more than the ep3 type R? Slightly less torque, but better torque delivery in mid range revs to compensate for extra weight. So performance wise it's a match for the ep3 if less of a spirited drive. It's basically the same engine just a few tweaks. it's still the same quality K20. But is wrapped up in a package that has longevity and was years ahead of itself interior wise.
Compared with the ukdm ep3 yes, it had 1 more hp and better torque delivery. But when compared with the jdm ep3 we get, it's a step backwards. Ukdm uses 200hp k20a2, jdm uses 215hp k20a. But I agree (and said in the video) that this has a much better interior and is nicer to drive.
Cl7 is in my opinion better looking, more practical and has a similar level of spec. Not to mention they're both about the same money now, and it has the k20a rather than the z4. So to me its a no brainer. But the FN2 is certainly unique- don't see too many around, and I prefer the engine sound tbh (sounds a little less shrill)
The K20Z4 in the FN2 is actually better than the K20A2 in the EP3 for the euro markets. Only the JDM EP3 got the extra power and even at that, I'm fairly sure the K20Z4 has a better potential for boost due to the head design and flow
Yeah we don't get the k20a2 engine here, only the jdm import ep3 and fn2, so in that regard the ep3 engine is better. I do happen to think the fn2 engine sounds better though
People say the fn2 sounds nicer and some even better than the ep3. Its same engine just more linear. They are a great car and I've just added ecutec on mine 4 switchable maps including pop and bang lol. Now at 225bhp NA
Ahh very cool. Yeah it was a pretty epic car, haven't driven the EP3, but after the review on top gear, a man from the crowd who'd just bought an FN2 said it sounded nicer, and the EP3 sounded like you were just thrashing it. Certainly from my experience, the engine in this sounded awesome - never driven a car with such an obvious VTEC sound haha
Got a fairly modded one in AUS - full exhaust with tegiwa headers, RRC inlet manifold, tuned with a Hondata flashpro and it screams. revs out to 8600 and makes about the same (220hp) not sure where the idea that the ep3 makes more power than the k20az4? The power is 201 on that and the ep3 made like 5hp less ?
@@andrew260z yes I have a exhaust manifold and changes the car completely the map converts the car. Vtec kicks in earlier 3.5 and revs over 8500. I went from a s4 4.2v8 and this 4 pot is well more fun nimble
To this day my sisters Honda Civic type r was the most comfortable. I love the seat. I learnt in that car. Everything after has been pretty uncomfortable. Only the gas pedal i dislike, that kills my ankle after a while. Would prefer a pedal like the clutch as opposed to the wedge of cheese tyle gas pedal 🧀. Hope one day i might have a nice civic.
I believe only the cars built after 2010 had it as standard - otherwise drive different ones and find out. You'll know pretty quickly when you put your foot down out of a corner
@@KiwiCarLife hey mate, ended up buying a 2009 FN2 in milano red. It turns out the facelifted models of late 2008 as well as 2009 onwards were fitted with a few extras. The LSD was one of these, as well as parking sensors, a slot for the aux cord and a few other enhancements. Luckily I scored a 2009. Mine has an LSD. My friend bought an 08 without the LSD and the difference is quiet clear. The LSD offers so much confidence when taking corners quickly. Either way, they're phenomenal cars.
On got a FD2 Sport which I planned on spending over 6k on the engine but only thing was it has a k20z2 which is the shittiest K series, am planning on getting a FN2R purely for the engine and aftermarket support
yea ive bought one its one of the best kept secrets out there this little money for the last of the naturally asperated vtec great engined cars !! all the bad talk about the torsion rear suspension renault cleo an megan rs have been using torsion suspension for years and they handle great so it never was a problem !!
the fn2 is 1267kgs and the ep3 is 1204kgs so its only 63kgs heaver but with all the tec and much better inertia and being 90 to 100kgs lighter than the golf gti - focus st and renault r sport of the same era !! so its actually pretty light !
If the fn2 was tweeted to 220/240 bhp then it would have been awesome. But unfortunately it’s just underpowered and heavier than it needed to be. Don’t get me wrong still a great car but can’t help feeling it could have been so much better
Yeah definitely agree now I've driven a dc5 the fn2 feels a little slow. That said, the noise is still awesome, and it's easily the nicest to drive of all the type r hondas, apart from maybe the latest two
I didn't find it too terrible - I'm dailying my DC5 Type R and I would say the ride is pretty similar in both. The ride is definitely firm, but the seats are quite comfortable so it kindof makes up for it. Getting in and out of the seats is the uncomfortable part but once you're in they're great.
Ive had the diesel version for over a year now. I bought it used with 235k km and goes without issues. The only thing needed changing was the clutch. I payed 700€ for that. But i got the car cheap ;) engine is reliable and it always starts in first go even in winter
Definitely underrated and possibly a future classic because of its unique shape and lower sales numbers...my missus had a jazz and it wasn't bad thru the Twisties when pushed ....also could smoke standard cars to 100kph because of high revving i-vtec and was super nimble for what it was ....it's top end was pretty dog shit though as to be expected from a 1.5L
I actually thought it was pretty alright. I'm 6 foot and could fit fine. Because of the hatchback shape, it definitely has more head room and similar leg room to my dc5
Ep3 and FN2 has the same engine. European Ep3 didnt get the K20A wich is the Japanese 220hp verion of the engine, they had the K20A2 just like the FN2. Yikes when you say you rather have the Fn2 suspension setup because lift-off oversteer is dangerous.....
FN2 and EP3 do not have the same engine. We don't get the EDM market models over here so for us it's a 150kW K20Z4 for the FN2 and 158kW K20A for the EP3. I've since driven both and tbh even though it's lacking 8kW and weighs a bit more, I still prefer the FN2 just because it's a lot more liveable and the engine sounds nicer, ep3 just sounds like you're thrashing it. Also when you say "yikes" is that a good or a bad thing I don't like the lift-off oversteer of the EP3?
I guess, but I do personally quite like having a few features, mainly stuff like cruise control and a good trip computer. Just personal preference I guess
But if you just want a 'racecar', you are better off with an EK or EG or DC2/DC4 (with a K-swap or H-swap or B18/B16) as they have dramatically better suspension geometry than a EP3/DC5... I do mean dramatically better, EG handles so much better than DC5 IMO, it's a night and day difference. I was disappointed with the DC5 TBH, that wacky steering geometry is a big problem IMO (torque steer and bump steer with a K24/K20 was horrendous, you never knew how much throttle would suddenly make the car try to veer clean off the road... it would go from fine to turning hard left or right rather rapidly... I fitted the SHG Delrin rack slider and tried to get the alignment right, but it didn't make much improvement). Yes, the FN2 is a bigger and heavier car again than the DC5, but the handling is a lot more predictable and confidence-inspiring IMO... quite adequate for a road car IMO.
I know how to shift with heel toe haha watch my latest video in my dc5r. Because this was a car I wasn't too familiar with I might have just blipped downshifts normally I can't remember
