Civic FN2: How Good is the ‘worst’ Honda Type R?! 

I've had an FN2 for over 10 years and I still use it 50/50 with my GR Yaris. Highly underrated car.

It is just as fast as the ep3 and is a much better daily driver. Had mine for 16months and I’ll never sell it, great car

Ep3 "feels" quicker but in reality the ukdm ep3 acceleration is pretty much identical because fn2 shorter gearing. Also Fn2 has much better steering and the chassis is more stiff. People don't mention it was faster than ep3 on top gear track !

Back in 2013, I was a honda car salesman. At that time, there was no new Type R's, so it was pretty boring. After a couple of months, someone traded in a FN2 Type R. Up until this point, I'd never driven one. As soon as I had the chance I took it for a drive. Bought it the same day. Still have it now. Absolutely love it ❤

I like the point you made about having to make the car work. I went from a boring VAG 2.0 litre turbo diesel, to a fn2, and to begin with the fn2 felt lacking in power even with a map and exhaust. But, I soon realised the problem wasn’t the car it was my driving. The Honda wants you to smash the gears, it wants you to rev, it wants you to drop a gear, it wants you to rev match. It’s just such a pure driving experience. And someone with a 1.6 turbo dsg will never understand… See the channel Initial B for some of my fn2 driving on track and my japspeed exhaust fit 👍🏻

The FN2 is just the car that was let down massively by being launched without a LSD. It makes a world of difference to the car, but everyone just has a downer on it since all the reviews were done before they corrected it with a factory fitted LSD. :)

I'm happy to hear that you feel Clarkson's review misinformed you. I hated him for that review (and I still don't like him... While I very much like James May and Richard Hammond), he literally pissed on this car. I'm riding one daily since 2008 and there's no way I'm letting it go ! 😁 In my country, most people look down on Honda cars (saying that they're no more than lawn mowers), but as you said at the end : I'm having fun, and it's all that matters 🙂👌 Great review ! 💯🔥

If you crash in an fn2 you have a better chance of survival than you would in a ep3..

It’s a great car, magical engine, gearshift and grip - with a ton of practicality and bullet proof reliability thrown in. Decent coilovers are needed to sort the ride comfort - but once that’s done it’s brilliant fun.

Brilliant video. Although, In most cases in the real world the ep3 isn't any quicker. Both great cars. Love my fn2 though.

I my opinion still the best looking post 2000 Honda. Better looking then anything they offer today.

Ep3 was the worst type R. Duff steering and looked like a breadvan. Fk2 type r had a torsion beam and so does the Megan and there both on another level to the ep3. The ep3 was overated

Josh if ya reading the comments get in touch.

Mines 230bhp, LSD, Eibach springs, 9000 red line and Mugen spoiler. 5 things Honda should have done off the bat and this debate would have never happened.

This car is currently undergoing some pretty nice upgrades to make it more track-focused. Watch out for the update.

i bought my FN2 type R in dec 18 first honda ive ever owned all my previous cars were bmw’s a cosworth an Impreza type RA golf GTI,s ..you get the picture..but now in early 22 after 3 years of ownership its still one of my favourite cars ive ever owned its docile and easy to drive anywhere especially in jersey Channel Islands where i live where your lucky to hit 30 mph most of the time but when the chance arises and you can sneakinly hit the throttle on an empty road its then that i remember why i keep this car..fun factor is a big smile on ya face when i vtec kicks in! and im 54 years old btw! hehe

I own the actual car that Clarkson drove on Top Gear! The FN2s are great cars! Yes the ride can be a bit bumpy on crappy roads but you just can’t get anything as reliable and offering so much smiles for the money! 👌

This car was meant to be released with 230bhp. European emissions regulations killed the Type R.

Brilliant video. Subscribed

Fantastic review, thank you very much! I've had an FN2 for 5.5 years, and it was a blast. The suspension was a bit too hard for my taste and it struggled with grip, but I mounted a set of 17x7.5 inch Volk CE28N, and it drove beautifully. Miss the car, but still have the wheels XD It is a more mature car, and the car itself is much bigger then the ep3, with a huge boot (478L) and a much roomier interior, and the recaro seats are just epic.

Chris - QUALITY VIDEO. Superb, excellent cinematic, very well balanced review. Subscribed!

The FN2 is a awesome hot hatch 👍🏼

Stop telling everyone. let them think there crap..... While we enjoy them xD

Excellent review - I've had one for 2 years and feel pretty much the same way. The only negative is the ride quality in my mind but you do get used to it!

Is any car as good as the last ? Is the serria cosworth as good as the focus st Is the Ferrari f40 as good as modern day Ferrari. Its stupidity to slate this car just because previous models where better ...change with the times ..have u seen the size of the new civic type r like a bllody boat

These are a great cars i had mine 8-9 months now with 69k on the clock found out it has an upgraded exhaust scorpion? And ecu remap? It pulls like a train entering motorways and will just keep going!! It does take some time adjusting to the driving position and it spins in the wet! But clarkson was majorly wrong about this type R and I’m a clarkson fan!!

i've been using a Honda Civic Type R FN2 for 1 year. It is my daily car since then and i can tell that this is a hell of a car. For me the car isn't that beautiful, neither super fast, but alows me to have fun when i want and drive it all day long. i drive 1400km per month with this car and it is very confortable. It has a lot of space too. The fuel economy is what i've expected, since im doing around 7.8/8.0 l / 100km. And of course, the honda reliability never disappoints. What makes me love this car, is the main reason everyone loves. The engine. And for me this is one of the best engines ever made. Im very glad to drive this car, and it was very afordable. Even if its ugly, u can do a project to make the car nicer, and thats my next step eheheh

It's crazy how cheap these car can be bought for. You can buy the whole car for the same price as just the engine and transmission. EP3's are worth twice as much.

If you can somehow reduce its weight a little bit, I think you can show its type R true power. Right? You can hear that.

I just stumbled on this review and I must say that you've done a good job. The static shots with the voice-over are very good and gave me the same vibe that I had when watching torqueGT's civic FD2R review. I'm currently looking at something 'new' to thinker with and I never loved the way the FN2 looked on the outside, but I love the interior and can appreciate all the work that has gone into the development of this car.

Put a turbo on in with stock internals goes 500+ had 2 of them great cars.never missed a heart beat!!!

Great review mate owned both the EP3 and FN2. Your review of the FN2 is pretty much spot on.

Too many people hated on these because of top gear. Not a bad car at all but still prefer the ep3

The very best FN2 review I've seen.

my car, i will never sell it! I love her

I had one and deeply regret selling it , the great fault was the impossibly hard ride. But fn2s will still be 100% reliable when it's rivals have long gone

Ashdown forest? Love my fn2 with a few minor mods it's a great handling reliable fwd car. Only bad thing I have to say about them is the typical thin Honda paint and the common roof rust

I drove one for 2 years ... great fun and verry reliable !

Great editing, articulate narration and a fair summary of the car. I’m no Honda fan boy either but I do currently have one of these that was bought as a fun daily and for occasional track use. Clearly you put some time into your edits, Thanks for the video. 🤙🏼

I have an fn2 type r and I hated the look of them when I first saw them. But after I drove it I fell in love. What a great car. Only downside is the fuel economy lol

I bought mine two months ago and I am absolutely loving it so far. The only issue with it is that the bonnet has more chips than fucking McDonalds but aside from that it’s a clean example for its age with only 52,000 miles on the clock. This may be an unpopular opinion but I have always preferred these over the EP3 as I believe that the overall styling of the interior and exterior is more desirable.

Keiichi actually loved it

Ive owned my fn2 for 3 days and i love it, handles well, felt better then my mk7 1.6 civic did on coilovers and the seats are so comfortable and lovely steering also it has enough power

Great vid. I own an FN2 i made some engine mods full bolt-ons (240 HP on Hondata). I had to repair gear box that can be a week spot of that car, but it now have LSD and short shifter. It's not the fastetst car on the road but overall it is such a fun car to drive. Also i think it aged very well.

Love my fn2, definitely recommend the LSD model

Got an ep3 and an rs3 but got my eyes on a fn2 soon to add to the collection, seems like not many people like them due to Jeremy clarkson review on it

Had ep3 and now have fn2 both great fun but fn2 is miles infront for looks will never get rid of mine

still have mine now (14 years, still first driver).. bought it in 2007.. still love it .. still people are looking after it.. now it comes to some repairs (with 180k km). So finally i switched the muffler (the first was still running until this summer, which brought to get me a complete catback exhaust, which is now a lot noisier.. hihihi). Also the clutch is currently switched and thats the reason i get a lighter flywheel :-)

I worked at Honda where we built most of the civics until it closed until recently after 18 years. I own an ep3 which I prefer, slightly modified at 460+hp... I remember the day that clarkson bombed the fn2 as they played it in the morning meetings. Yes it was heavier, suspension was rock solid, my ep is still on standard shocks but hardly softer. But it was more grown up and the interior was something else back in the day, where as the ep3 was more basic, and a lot more track focused. The engines were slightly different - k20a2 in the ep and k20az2 which is why the eps always make more power with standard bolt ons. Both great cars though to thrash about and if looked after lasts for time. Just keep it topped up with good quality oil.

Subbed. But a type r without a LSD wth Honda

Hi i live in new zealand and i had the fastest front wheel drive 1986 nissan pulsar hatch but had long hood,. 1.8 twin cams,. Cr x trueno/levins mazda familias and many more jdms,.

Great review. I had a brand new one of these in 07 and loved it. Your comments are all spot on. Drive it properly and it’s OK

I had a r26 F1 team with a remap and it was good but silly unreliable. I now own a 2010 fn2 with the standard fit lsd. I have put a filter in the airbox and its has its wheels spaced out slightly and i can tell you its every bit as good as my megane. It actually handles really well and if you really work the engine hard its not slow. I would certainly have it over the megane.

The problem is not the car it's the company. Honda is not known for giving models a massive performance upgrade with the exception of the FK2 which it was forced to do because it took too long to release and its competitors like Renault, Vauxhall and Ford releasing the RS Mk 2 with massive BHP hikes.

I dont care what others say, this is currently the most affordable civic with actual comfort, im up in the years, i need comfort more than Go-cart handling

just sold mine this year, after 7 years. but what a 7 years! epic car as standard, but i went 2 town a wee bit........... milltek non res exhaust, tegiwa carbon intake and tegiwa manifold, and a good map using hondata. other than that, standard looking fn2. mine was 226bhp and 176ftib . imo, what his car should have come with as standard. forget the lawnmower tag, or zero torque, if you haven't driven one, shame on you!

Not keen on the music in the background throughout the video but great editing skills and good quality footage, keep it up 👍

Btw one is for sale near me and its funny its cheaper than a nissan note honda jazz

If that’s the ash down Forrest you’re near me, you’re welcome to review my fk2 type r if you like.

Owned one of these for a couple years and had a love hate relationship with the car…Engine was fantastic when revving it out but gutless low down and became tiresome pretty quickly when on motorway commutes. Plus as good as V Tec is you can only really use it in the first 3 gears before being way over the speed limit. I also found the ride atrocious but also one of the best handling cars I’ve owned. Still think it’s a beautiful car and actually miss it to this day some two years after selling.

🇯🇵❤️

Great video buddy. I drove an early doors one many moons ago to which I thought meh, yeah it’s ok. 8 years later I own one, they have really come into fashion looks wise and having an LSD model changes the entire nature of the beast. There’s far more chances to be lairy and the arse end can be ejected in a control manner when that front end grip bites hard removing that old under steer issue with the first batch, making it very fun indeed. Love the EP3 and would take one over a bog standard FN2 in terms of fun. ..But get an FN2 with an LSD in it and it’s easily the better car, totally changed my opinion and I now own a championship white one which I’m restoring and upgrading. I’m putting together my own RU-vid video blog on my progress with it ☝️

Very interesting

I buy this car this year…and,i love it!

The K20a or A2 is 1 of the best 4 cylinders Engines ever Put 15 psi boost pressure on tham 440+ bhp Which I can confirm as I have a Supercharged EP3 Engine internals are Stock And it has been running this power for 2 years and still not blew up

👍🏻😎

Having had both cars for many years and FN2 is way better for me. That refinement you talk about was essential. It needed to get with the times. I got my EP3 in 2007 and it felt really dated even then. As for handling, the FN2 gives you a lot more confidence than an EP3 does. The rear torsion beam is no issue at all, I wish reviewers would stop regurgitating Clarkson.

My FN2 type R, which I bought new is a great daily drive car with some great potential for fun driving. I still have it in 2023! Before this I had the Megan F1R26 and an OG DC2 Integra Type R. All great cars in different ways. This FN2 R will be with me for a long time :)

I recently bought one for 2k that was to replace a ep3 that was starting to get a bit rusty Don't drive them back to back the fn2 does feel slow and heavy in comparison the fn2 does go round corners pretty well but it no where near as fun the ep3 was a lot more playfull through the corners

Worst Type R???! That is only an opinion..... Cause to ALOT... IT is the favorite!!! For me.... It is definitely one of my favorite Hondas'... Ek and Fn2..... The best Civics made... ( obviously modded... No one is referring to stock /oem cars ever)

The FN2 is 50-60kg heavier than its predecessor, not 150kg. 🤥

I thought the FN2 sold a shit load in the uk over its run, compairing to the fk's?

To see all the guages, you need to adjust the steering wheel & driving position. Get the top of steering wheel inbetween the rev dial & speedo

Great comments, I tried one of these b4 getting my recent r26 and completely agree with you. Keep up the good work 👍

Fn2 looks very European and by far the worst looking Civic type R, cracking engine though.

Wtf why worst?

Another 20hp and a lsd it would be a decent car

Hey Chris, is this a pre facelift model or a model with an LSD?

I'm buying 1 next week ! 07 imaculate great mot history and looks amazing, looking forward to getting it as my Sunday driver car just to have that genuine FN2 type r will be a privilege