Honda Civic Type-R - A Not So Fun Car | Car Review | Top Gear 

"If you're a teenager and are used to sleeping on the floor and being stabbed..." :D

10 years later, this Civic has proven it has one hell of a reliable engine, it still around to be seen, and is quite sought after on the used car market.

Does anyone else watch these old top gear videos all the time?😂

1:59 when the top gear sound editor was put to good use

"What if you're completely wrong" I love that so much. I need a clip of that.

I bought one of these, a 2008 fn2 type r about 4 years ago for 3k second hand. It's done 100k miles now. I abuse it everytime I drive it. It's done track days and Sprint events. I can drive it there, thrash it all day and drive it home again. Never missed a beat. Other than service stuff like oil, filters and tyres it's needed nothing. Also the seats fold totally flat making it into a hilarious van. I had an Ep3 in the past. Maybe older fatter me prefers the creature comforts of the fn2, but if you're looking for a reliable fun to use daily for not much money you cannot go wrong with one of these in my opinion.

Thanks Jeremy, you helped make the mk8 Type R more affordable for the majority of us, I’ve just bought one and I love it! 😄

Ironically I watched this video as a kid and it made me want one because I thought it looked really cool, 15 years later I have one and love it

The weird thing is that at the time, most magazine testers praised the new Type R, though a few did admit it had lost some on-the-limit balance for improvements in other areas. Jeremy seemed to get a bee in his bonnet with this car, rather like he did with the Vauxhall Vectra. One thing we can say 15 years on is that the styling has aged extremely well and the FN/FK Civics have proven themselves to be very well made and reliable cars.

IMO The best Civic ever was and still is the 93-95 coupe, it as one of the cleanest coupes ever and was a perfect canvas for personalizing...

I'd simply pick the old car because it doesn't look like, or want to be, a bus.

Lol "you have become Richard Hammond"

I know Top Gear is mostly humorous but can I just say that montage starting at 2:10 with both the music and shots was absolutely freaking epic? Even when it comes to doing more cliche professional stuff they are still the gold standard.

i like how they legitimately got the guy to talk at the end and he got to put a real opinion out.

2:00 The one time that the sound engineer actually had to play the music too loud

"It assumes you've become Richard Hammond"

The rear spoiler position is actually a brilliant idea. It's positioned right where the headlights of following cars are. He'd have known this if he'd test driven it at night.

In the end the EK9 Type R is still the best of all.

"Even if you're a teenager, even if used to sleeping on the floor at parties and being stabbed" LOOOOOOL 6:46

Nothing I heard on this review can make me dislike the fn2. What a car!!! Still looks better than most new cars and 6.6 seconds is very respectable for a 2.0 made 15plus years ago

Absolutely love this show. Clarkson is hilarious. They've been replaying some episodes of TopGear on the telle recently...man, nowadays, the quality of the editing and some of the angles, effects they use for the reviews are miles ahead of what they were in 2003 or 2004. Not shocking, just cool to see the progression of the show.

I hope this guy gets to do this for as long as he pleases. He's the best reviewer of anything of all time and he's always hilarious.

Watching this now after owning my Fn2 since January. I’d say the review is harsh, but some parts definitely correct. The ride is horrendous for daily driving, and the seat pisses me off that it doesn’t go back to the position I left it. The key alarm is also pointless. But, if you want to thrash it down some B roads it’s great. Sounds absolutely awesome too. I can’t knock it for fun at all.

I love my fn2! Amazing car to drive.

Jeremy - "It's engine spins soooooooo fast, it generates it's own little gravity field. I'm suprised it doesn't come with it's own moooooon !!!" - I think he's definitely referring to 'VTEC just kicked in yo!!!' xD

Sadly the insurance company have just wrote my 2002 Type R off after being in an accident. I'm not a boy racer but a 71year old woman who absolutely loved my car.

yet the stig, who's a professional racing driver voted it the best hot hatch? strange.

6:23 holy shit I lost it.

1:58 when the Sound Editor has finally became useful for once

Every single day I drive my FN2 and I love it. And there's nothing top gear can do about it. Much more fun than those milk floats everyone is driving these days.

Seen no mention of this… says ep3 is quicker etc but fails to mention the k20z4 produces more power across the whole Rev range.. ep3 lap time 1:38.06 FN2 1:35.5 reason being for this is that 5th gear got to review the type r before top gear and given the hype for this car at the time he decided to purposely give it a bad review so in the future they would get the cars before anyone else

I've had my fn2 for 4yrs and not once do I not look back at it when I park it up😍 and when driving, much better place to be than the ep3.

20 years on and the ep3 is still just as epic

I'll take the old one

It’s so annoying when he obviously doesn’t like the car so finally describes it as “absolutely hopeless “ he’s done it with many a good car.

I personally think the ratchet adjuster is way better than the wheel cause you can always find that sweet spot based on how many clicks and it doesn’t take forever to adjust

that fn2 is very well built. It's still going strong to this day depsite jezza hitting 7krpm and the car only done 740 miles at the time. The history on that car is immaculate tbf

That last little bit at the end with the audience member... perfect display of how we can all have different perspectives, and that's okay. Nothing he listed was a statistic or fact, just his personal preference on how it feels and sounds. It's okay to prefer the slower one.

Back in the day when cars were affordable, current type r is 50 grand lol.

I've had both. As well as a s2000. Ep3 great. Fn2 fantastic. S2000 outrageous. All different but all really good

Just one thing I have to defend: when you fold the front sit and put it back, you can decide how far you want to get it back. Yes it does not go back to exactly where it was but it definitely gave you a choice of moving it further or nearer.

So glad the US is finally getting a type r

'Even if you're used to sleeping on the floor and being stabbed'

Best car I've ever owned, The FN2 has aged better than a lot of other cars of this vintage and has picked up a few fans along the way, And I am a Benz Man through and through. The space ship as it's called in some circles becomes part of you once behind the wheel, love the dash ,control layout that's still a practical every day driver that will put a smile on your dial on every drive. Had to disagree with JC on this one.

It looked like he had something personal with the car. No idea what it could be but the model is not as bad as he described it and after all you have to show some respect to the concept and philosophy of HONDA(they know exactly what they do).

Just bought a 2010 type R with low mileage(36.000).Love it...don't let one bad review put anyone off.Puts a smile on my face every time I get in it.If it was all about horsepower I would have bought an EVO.There's not many cars out there with such radical styling and this car hasn't stuck to any of the rules...love it...get one!!!!!

owned an fn2 for over 2 years, going to be difficult to replace, so much fun

that ignition key beep is DEfinitely for me haha I used 2 leave my key like at least once a week, been in huge troubles haha!

Clarkson is always randomly roasting members of the crowd lol

That Civic revs so slowly, that legend says that guy is still waiting for V-Tech to kick in.!

I’ve made a few comments on this video but just want to clarify both the EP3 and FN2 are amazing cars. The FN2 just went in the wrong direction in terms of weight, suspension design and driver involvement. All Type R’s are and will always be pinnacles of the hot hatch world

I own the FN2 AND I LOVE IT. To me looks ahead of its time the interior exterior and all the technology

Honda has balls to run a Honda ad before this video 😅

Entertaining review as always, though I bought a tidy example a few days ago and while I agree with some of the criticisms , others not so much. The ride comfort for one is brilliant for what it is, a great compromise between decent handling and comfortable cruising. Before the FN2 I had a Cooper S R53, Panda 100hp and a Clio 172 Cup; the Honda is by far the most comfortable , yet despite also being heavier than all the others, you can still throw it into a corner at 'lively' speeds and get a solid line with very little body roll. As for the performance, obviously Mr Clarkson is used to much faster cars, but again having had/driven several other lighter hot hatches with similar paper 0-60 times, in my opinion the Honda feels properly quick. It pulls fairly well (if a little 'sedately') at lower rpms considering its lack of torque , while then going nuts when the next cam set kicks in at around 5,600rpm. Therefore if your gear management is good enough, it'll put most average poser BMW, Audi and Merc commuters to shame. Not only that , but these days you can get a low mileage example with very good service and MOT history for under £6,000 , making it a great reliable yet practical and entertaining budget hot hatch. Couple that with how hard it is to get a low mileage EP3 , and the FN2 then becomes a much better choice than it may seem after watching this video. Also read the reviews from Evo, Auto Express etc. who all gave it 4 or 5/5 and seemed to like it much more.

Ive got the 4 Door Civic in this shape and its banging, handles great, feels fast, looks great, loads of space - I think Top Gear reviews generally are how the guy feels on the day, im sure Ive heard them trash cars and then trashothers saying they arent as good as the blah blah they trashed 2 years before!

Had my 2009 fn2, for. 2 years on 106k miles, driven every day hard, 30k+ miles a year absolutely love it, fully poly bushed, lowering springs, rear anti roll bar, front & rear strut braces, lightweight fly wheel, is absolute joy to drive down b roads

music plays at 2:10 - Justin Scott Dixon Chill Pill

Just to note - After April 2010 at the end of the run -the FN2 had the LSD fitted as standard. I owned both the EP3 and 2 FN2's - the FN2 is FAR superior with it's LSD. I like Clarkson - but his review on this is rank.

The way they edited this is so different I love it

Thanks for Jeremy so I bought a fn2 with a very affordable price and have a lot of fun driving it :)

Hm. Almost all of the same generation hot hatches had rear torsion beam suspension. I'd also like to see who was driving the other car in that race. I'm also sceptical how such a seasoned motor journalist can't keep a Honda Civic Type-R on the track after driving numerous 500bhp+ supercars/hypercars.

Agreed, Some fn2's look amazing on youtube. I wasnt sold on the fn2 but when you see it in person and sit inside its so much nicer then the ep3. What Honda have realised is that the other hot hatches offer so much more all round package and this is what most people want. The day's for just owning a engine in a box have now gone.

I was once buy a slower running car, i hate it so much, but when i change the engine oil and proper road breaking in, i never know that 1.6 engine could speed up like a 2.0engine. I cant pass on them but they cant leave me even a meter long. Now i owned FN2 Type R GT, lets see if i could make it up to EP model, Thanx Jeremy for this video, i got a cheaper FN2 with K20engine.

I've had my FN2 for 7 years now. The only thing he is correct about is the ride - it is awful. I'm finally hoping to improve this with fitting some progressive Eibach springs soon (said to make daily driving this car much nicer, as the ride really is the thing that lets it down, whoever could have signed it off as acceptable for road use is beyond me). The handling of the car is brilliant, i never have experienced understeer on the public roads, it is clear he was provoking the car to do this in the video. And my experience was with crappy unbranded tyres I bought the car with. As for the torsion link rear suspension, many journo's favourite hot hatches such as Clios and Meganes all had simple torsion beams so when people complain about that it doesn't really stack up. Engine and gearbox are both sublime. Sounds like a race car and never fails to put a smile on your face. The seat mechanism is so easy to adjust and you soon find the correct position (it becomes instinct). Jeremy just had a bee in his bonnet about this car, like he did from time to time.

The FN2 still looks amazing 15 years after its introduction. I'd say that it doesn't show its age the way the EP3 does simply because it's not shaped like a box (or a tupper, as it's a classic nickname for the "Type-R" nameplate) and its interior doesn't follow the traditional square design patterns. It's a shame Honda followed two different tactics in the FN2 and the FD2 bodies, equipping the first one with a rear torsion beam and the second one with a fully independent rear suspension. Both models of that generation could have the IRS and the FN2 could be as good as the FD2 and its predecessor, the EP3! That move was so, so stupid of Honda!

This is one of the few cars, that proved the "Clarkson effect" wrong.

You don't hear anyone complaining about the Fiesta ST, Polo GTi, i20N, Suzuki Swift Sport or many of the various 90s hot hatches that used "Torsion Beam Suspension" at the rear.

6:16-6:36 most two-door vehicles I've seen are like that, and it drives me crazy. My classic VW Bug has a separate knob on the seat for flipping it forward without changing settings, yet another little touch on that old primitive car that was so well thought out. Thinking of trying to put new seats in it out of something modern (junkyard) but not having this problem is a fundamental requirement that will make finding suitable (acceptable) seats much more difficult.

That man in the audience at the end may be right as he's owned both ? Only 1 more horsepower yes, but a wider VTEC range. The peak power is a point, but the whole usability is another point. And the interior of the FN2 is more enjoyable daily. As for the handling, nobody will drive that hard on a road unless they're willing to crash, and yeah, turning off the VSA would have been a good idea !

Agreed. I loved the Civic EG! Especially the hatch. One of the best looking hatchbacks ever made imho. 20 years old now, and a clean one still looks fresh and modern.

I watched this and just bought one. Glad I ignored the advice lol. Fn2 is still a fun car and a lovely daily

Oh boy imagine if he’d reviewed the FD2 civic type r and the mugen rr variant how he’d love those cars just like the ep3

as a 20 year old- this was my first car, still missed it.

0:19 Hey its Walace!

"im not saying its going to fall over or hit a tree" - and thats exactly what this car never did - because its engineered well, and thats what automotive journalists consistently fail to discuss

This review is really harsh, the FN2 is an amazing car

Guys please drive both cars yourself before you make any opinion on these cars. Almost everyone except clarkson gave the FN2 a good review.

May on the Civic type-r door handle: They're shaped like rocketships! Clarkson on the Civic type-r door handle: fashioned from a 1950's fridge

Thankyou Jeremy for keeping the fn2 at a low price. I've just bought one and i can't believe the amount of car you get for the money. Superb value, and still look fantastic 18 years after release.

Funny because when I first watched this ep. my parents had just bought the fn2 and I just couldnt handle the critisism in the level I quit watching the show completely (I was 14 or something ) .Now in my 26's I drive this car for more than 6 years and I laugh every time because Jeremy was so on point on his review like if he was driving the car for months himself. Everything he said its true 100% BUT I still love this car and I tend to keep it because it is ageing beautifully and its the last /NA civic Type-r.

I cant wait for Jeremy to try the new type R, I wish top gear would try out more JDM cars like this.

The FN2 was definitely improved when they made the Championship white version

I love my FN2. I have experienced understeer but rarely drive like they did on the public roads as there are too many things to hit, like Kerbs, walls, lampposts, parked cars & people! The ride is firm agreed, but cornering is flat and reassuring. I have the Hondata remap too which now means it is dyno certified at 221bhp and road proven by myself to be faster than at least one EP3!

If it had independent rear suspension like the ep3 it would be the best civic type r of them all, it the most underrated hot hat today, a food one for 4k is so cheap for the amount of car you get

2:10 can anyone name the song/beat at this time stamp

Respect to the FN2 owner!

I think that spoiler is useful if you live in the northern hemisphere during slush season. Keeps all the dirt away from the the rear window. Now I'm just looking at this civic and thinking "would a modern Mazda Skyactiv x engine fit in there?"

I never liked the ep3 at first then I liked it when I seen it in person. Same with the fn2 then I stood infront of the car looked inside it and that was it I had to have one. And if you changed the tyres and got the eibach camber adjustment bolts and the correct settings it was a proper car especially the later ones with lsd in champ white.

Fast forward a few years and buy the FK2, fantastic car 🚘

They made up for it when they made the 2018 type R. Cars handling is amazing and for what it is, the speed is really well suited to the vehicle.

Totally agreed, I remember the generation switch, even the Sedan became nicer on the outside and inside.. But once you drove it , it felt like it had reversed to 3 or 4 generations earlier.

The main reason that I don’t like the new civic type r is because they (and a lot of other people) still claim that it’s a hatchback when it’s now just a regular coupe/fastback/saloon unlike the old ones

He drove the fn2 with vsa on. Switch it off and you can get the back end out just like the ep3. I've owned both and the fn2 is far better!

The seats in the new(in this video) type-r have the same mechanism as in the Civic from 1997, the back of the seat is controlled by the same handle, the seat doesn't go back to its last position when the seat is pulled so that someone can sit in the back. I don't know why Honda didn't fix this for such a long time. You have to push it first to the position where you want the seat to be, then push the back of the seat and it locks in..

I brought one couple days ago, Jeremy does have a point about that spoiler and seating positions. However I'm sure he could of picked out more positive points. I'm happy with my purchase atm. ✌️

Im not much of a car guy, but I had the Honda civic sport hatchback from 2006. Yes it was heavy and had a stiff suspension, but it was also such a uniquely designed car with quirky electronics and a ivtec engine that saved fuel while sounding sporty. Loved the car

Buying an FN2 after watching this was sooooo satisfying, unbelievable car

Fn2 are more popular now then they was 10 years ago the ones after April 2010 have limited slip differential better handling but stopped making the fn2 in 2011

the techno music in the EP3, so amusing but true. awesome car still

I still have the old EP2, more for the looks, upgrading to the EP3 soon for the fact it’s my favourite car.