According to many on the internet, the 8th generation Civic hatch based, 2007 to 2011 FN2 Type R is the worst sibling of the Type R family.

Carrying over a lightly revised version of the hard revving K20 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine from the previous EP3 Civic Type R, the real controversy surrounds Honda ditching its fabulous fully independent rear suspension setup for, heaven forbid, an apparently inferior torsion beam/trailing arm rear arrangement.

Although some of the other hot hatches that feature torsion beam rear ends include the iconic Peugeot 205 GTI, the critically acclaimed and Top Gear car of the year winning Ford Fiesta ST and the multiple Nurburgring front wheel drive lap record holder Renault Megane RS Trophy R.

So maybe this revised rear suspension setup isn’t the disaster many would lead you to believe.

Aside from the powertrain and wrongly criticised rear suspension arrangement, the FN2 features a host of Type R specific enhancements from Recaro style seats, aggressive bodykit, performance brakes and suspension and so much more (all listed below).

In terms of updates, a very minor facelift in 2008 included extra features and equipment and depending on the market, cars built after March 2010 came with an LSD as standard.

Depending on location and market, various special editions have been available like the GT, Race, Heritage and Mugen.

Also, interestingly, if you’re thinking of buying an FN2 Type R due to its precision Japanese engineering, these Civic models were actually manufactured in Swindon in the UK.

What goes wrong with a used Honda Civic Type R (FN2R)?

Exterior:

here are reports that the paint is can be soft, more specifically around the door handles. In some cases owners have complained about the paint marking incredibly easily.

There are some sporadic reports of the funky door handles coming off.

The mirrors can be plagued with a few issues as well, mainly the motors to fold them over time will either get slower or in some cases just not fold anymore at all. Although it’s not a difficult fix.

Interior:

There are reports of interior rattles from various pieces of trim. More specifically a few cases of rattles being more apparent when the driver’s side window is half way down.

There are reports of Creaking noises coming from the front end mainly around the front quarter panels/guards, this is usually due to dirt and nature getting between the subframe.

The tweeters on the adjacent side of the door mirrors tend to just fall off and hang by the wire. Very easily fixed by gluing back into place.

Mechanically:

The K20 engine is widely considered as extremely reliable and they are a popular choice for motorsport applications because when built well and tuned properly, are capable of huge and reliable horsepower.

In road-going form as a daily driver, a well serviced example will give very few problems.

You might see a few oil leaks and occasionally a VTEC solenoid complication but basically no one big serious problem that causes any sort of catastrophic failure.

In higher mileage or poorly serviced engines you may sometimes see high oil consumption and on occasions some timing chain and valve train issues. K series engines have been fitted to a vast array of different Hondas for years so parts are easy to acquire and fairly affordable.

There are some sporadic reports of transmission failures, but when you look these reports, the majority of them had very questionable operator mechanical sympathy. The vast majority of them have virtually no serious common problems.

Recalls:

• 9 November 2011 – The wire harness was not routed in the correct location. 2,137 Type Rs were affected, built from 2008 to 2010.
• 22 April 2008 – There was a malfunction with the handbrake meaning it may not latch properly. This affected 840 units.

Should you buy a used Honda Civic Type R (FN2R)?

We say yes, but it comes with a condition.

We’d be avoiding any examples that are modified unless the modifications are of the highest possible quality and have been clearly professionally installed, avoid a Type R that’s lacking a service or maintenance history unless you’re happy to buy a project car and we’d be very skeptical of any Type R that are showing any signs of abuse.

Finally, if you do buy one and make it a good one, please don’t drive it like a dickhead or modify to look like it’s fresh off the set of fast and the furious, you’ll ruin both your image and the car itself.