# Educate me, civic type R FD2 v FK2



## horico (Jul 17, 2010)

For some reason, today has seen me looking at new civic type r's. Not sure why but they do something for me. Today, anyway. The browsing inevitably meant looking at past civic type R's which meant including the FD2 as well.

From what I can gather, the FD2 is the one to have (unless you can find a Mugen RR) from the older models but i can't find anywhere that has directly compared the FD2 with the new boy.

Is the new one worth double the money of the fd2? After 4 years, the new one will be worth mid teens and a well kept FD2 will no doubt still maintain its value over the same period, give or take.

I wonder how much faster the new one is over the older one? Has anyone got any insight or information to compare the two? What would you do with your money?

FD2



FK2


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

My money ? Ek9 if you want a type r :thumb:


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## turbosnoop (Apr 14, 2015)

I'd be happy with either, who cares if ones slightly better in one respect to the other, there both great cars, but that's my view. So is the fn2, but its cool to slag the fn2 off, despite being more involving and exciting than a lot of non-honda hot hatches


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## RD55 DUN (Dec 30, 2008)

Having had a couple of type r's and still having my ek9, id go for the FK.

The FK is incredibly fast (from a test drive, couldn't hammer it on a back road), in a straight line it would destroy the FN2/FD2.

Never been a huge fan of the FD2, theres something that dosent do it for me, I'm not sure if its the saloon shape, although it is a special car.

Yes the FD will hold its value, so perhaps a more economical choice, and will be rarer too.

:car:


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

New type R for me, 306 bhp from the front wheels, oh yes :thumb:


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

Fk by a mile for me

The mugen fd2 model would be epic but fk is much better

Wouldn't agree with ek9 being the best, yes its iconic and handles epically but they're really not that fast


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## RD55 DUN (Dec 30, 2008)

Yup, ek9 aint fast by todays standards.

Still quick cars and handling is sublime...also a very raw car.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Neither of them are lookers. 

I'd go for the new one as it's suppose to be a good drive. Old school high revving cars aren't the best real world driving cars. Fun when you're in the mood, but not as easy and pleasant as modern cars with torque.


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## turbosnoop (Apr 14, 2015)

Kerr said:


> Neither of them are lookers.
> 
> I'd go for the new one as it's suppose to be a good drive. Old school high revving cars aren't the best real world driving cars. Fun when you're in the mood, but not as easy and pleasant as modern cars with torque.


Unfortunately this is true, the effortless acceleration in my 03 astra gsi was quite fun at times


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## -Jamie- (Nov 6, 2012)

Soul boy 68 said:


> New type R for me, 306 bhp from the front wheels, oh yes :thumb:


Lol, please dont start that again.

To the OP, depends what you want. The FD is a high revving screamer that needs worked, the FK is a lot lazier in terms of having power and torque available throughout the rev range.

Personally I would find the older N/A engined one a lot more rewarding on a proper drive although it would get a bit tedious in daily driving having to keep it on the boil to make any decent progress


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## Stuartph (Apr 21, 2015)

The Fd2 gets my vote, but I've not driven the new one yet


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

I do have a very large soft spot for an FD2


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## horico (Jul 17, 2010)

danwel said:


> I do have a very large soft spot for an FD2


So do I, it seems not many have a bad word to say.

I'm tempted to go and have a drive of the new one. It would be good to compare it to our Golf R which is brilliant but is so good at everything, it doesn't warrant any special pampering or cosseting. Maybe as it's mainly used by the Mrs that makes me think that way?


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

horico said:


> So do I, it seems not many have a bad word to say.
> 
> I'm tempted to go and have a drive of the new one. It would be good to compare it to our Golf R which is brilliant but is so good at everything, it doesn't warrant any special pampering or cosseting. Maybe as it's mainly used by the Mrs that makes me think that way?


I´ve always liked to be a bit different and have cars that aren´t quite as common. Now don´t get me wrong the Golf R is a great car but when it comes to uniqueness or rareness it just isn´t in the same league as the FD2


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## horico (Jul 17, 2010)

So. We popped to the shops earlier and on the way home, stopped at the honda dealership next door on the off chance we could get a snoop at the new one. I couldn't see one anywhere but when asked, it transpired they only have one this weekend and it was out on a test drive. It rolled back in just after we got there. Even though I was only after a quick snoop round, I was offered a test drive and the Mrs convinced me so off I went!

It was only brief but I can say it felt very different to the golf immediately, like you know you're in a hot hatch while in the golf, that's just another layer of ability to discover. It had two modes I could ascertain, normal and +R. +R sharpened things up and stiffened the suspension quite a lot, harder than the golf in RACE mode. The turbo dominated things once lit and it went down the road like a rocket. It 'felt' faster than the golf but I'm not sure if it is or by how much (296 vs 310 BHP) as there's a bit of wrestling through the steering and definatley a better noise than the golf. It all adds to the sensation. The 4WD in the golf just gets on with throwing you down the road. It sounds better from the outside when maneuvering v the golf, although I love the farts the golf makes on upshifts.

One thing I thought was impressive is how it found grip on roundabouts in the wet - you could feel it dragging the front round in the tighter ones which was nice to experience. Again, in the golf, you just put your foot down and it sorts things out without much drama, but feeling pretty good too.

The driving position is pretty good in the civic as well, like you're in it and lower than you are. The seats are very hugging although the squab bolsters are pretty hard when getting in or out. I'd need more time with the car to comment more on the steering as it felt like it had wide wheels (they're only 235's).

An opportunity to drive one for a bit longer in the dry would be awesome to compare more vs the golf. Apologies for the rambling comparison, here are some pics:


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## horico (Jul 17, 2010)

Just checked the power and torque outputs of both cars and they're as follows:

Car BHP Nm
Golf R 297 280
Type R 310 295

The kick of the turbo in the Type R can definitely be felt as mentioned above but there is a bit more lag than in the golf.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

The Civic is comfortably faster than the Golf in a straight line and on the track. 

The grey suits the Civic better than some colours, but the blue I seen was probably better still.

You can get a 20% discount off a M135i if that's of any interest to you? It's an absolute bargain of a hot hatch.


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## horico (Jul 17, 2010)

Kerr said:


> The Civic is comfortably faster than the Golf in a straight line and on the track.
> 
> The grey suits the Civic better than some colours, but the blue I seen was probably better still.
> 
> You can get a 20% discount off a M135i if that's of any interest to you? It's an absolute bargain of a hot hatch.


Have you seen any figures for the comparison in straight line speeds? I'll never track a 30k motor so while its nice to know its quick, its not what's going to clinch it.

I'm opposite In that I prefer the red or white. Type R's have been championship white for years so its not even 'white fad' choice.

As for the m135i - yes, I like them - test drove a pre lci model over a year ago. The discount available makes them a very strong choice given the ability of them. Same goes for the Leon sub 8. £7500 discount on them which is well over 20%. Golf r discount is circa 15% too.

Its just the civic and ford RS where there hardly any movement.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

The new one is improved and a bit quicker again. The M235i drives better than the M135i with stiffer suspension and wider track. The M235i is pricier and has less discounts and a coupe doesn't suit all.

Top Gear tested a few hot hatches around Knockhill. You'll see laptimes and maximum speed achieved down the main straight after exiting a tight hairpin. The Civic is 4mph up, which is more of a margin than people think. That's walking away which is a big gap and noticeable through your bum.

The Audi S1 is 70bhp down on the Golf, but the gap between the Golf and the S1 is less than the Golf to the Civic. It's a big gap.


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

Looks very nice in grey


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