I was scrolling through all the images I had in my hard disk over this past weekend, just reminiscing how far we have came along. While doing so I came across a couple photoshoots that we never released, some very impressive and some should just stay hidden. While there is no chance of me releasing images of some of the curvaceous beauties, I did however come across this particular shoot we did earlier this year.
A that time, our friends over at Vision Motorsports had just imported the beastly Honda Civic Mugen RR as well as the subdued but space craft like Honda Civic Type R FN2R, so we thought why not pit them against our own screaming favorite, the Civic Type R FD2R.
So we got the hook up, got the equipment ready, showed up on time, only to realize the FN2R was out on a track day at Sepang. The fact that it was already late afternoon, with some rain clouds moving in and light quickly diminishing didn’t help us one bit.
After over an hour of waiting, the car arrived, and so did the rain. So with no chance of us gunning the cars to make this article interesting, we took a slow drive to Putrajaya to see if the rain had moved on from that area, and to our luck it did, leaving behind massive wet spots that threatened to swallow the cars and aquaplan them into the barriers. We were ordered to drive carefully, so here we were in cars millions lust over but subdued by the rain.
So with light fading fast, we decided to get some photography done and the shots you see here were done in about 45 minutes, a total rush against time, hence the lack of pictures and basic quality.
45 minutes later and it was completely dark, the roads wet and the our personal fuel tanks and those of the cars running dry, we had to stop for a refill, and to discuss what we were going to do. The guys from Vision Motorsport advised us against putting the cars through the usual test phase due to the road conditions, so we did the next best thing, straight lining it all. And in the Putrajaya/Cyberjaya area, there’s no lack of long straight dead ends.
So this was it then, now behind the wheel of the Mugen RR, I was ready to take on this red beast and find out what all the craze was about and why all 300 examples of the Mugen RR sold out in just 10 minutes!
Inside it’s the typically Honda sports car bare interior. It is somewhat similar to the interior of the FD2R, but with a few more carbon fiber bits, a three meter panel, additional buttons for the front and rear fog lights, and a shorter stalkier gear knob, bigger than that of the FD2R’s but so much smoother in its shifts.
The Recaro seats in the Mugen RR are full bucket seats compared to the semi’s in the standard FD2R, they look good but are a little too small for my oversized frame.
A lot of work has been done to shed weight, the front and rear bumpers as well as the rear wing are made of carbon fiber, the bonnet is all aluminium, even the shell of the seats are made of carbon fiber. The Mugen RR is so special that if it weren’t for the copycats that make moulds of the Mugen RR’s bodywork and sold them en masse, it would be entirely impossible for you to buy anything Mugen. Break something like the wheel and you would have to prove that you own a Mugen RR before the company actually ships you replacement parts.
However, despite all the weight shedding diet, the Mugen RR is only 10kg’s lighter than the FD2R. This stands testament to the level of extremity that the engineers at Honda have gone to in the development of the FD2R, it simply won’t get any lighter than this.
As you pull away, it doesn’t feel any more different than the FD2R, it is at higher speeds you realize that it’s stiffer and the front end feels everything, like a no nonsense pure bred race car. Above 6000rpm, the usual magic happens but in the RR (that’s Double R, and not R – R) it’s a whole lot louder and faster.
Thanks to some new lightweight cams, a custom-made 4-3-1 exhaust with high-flow catalysts, and fat tail-pipes either side of the impressive rear diffuser, the RR boasts 15 extra horses bringing the total figure up to 237hp available at 8000rpm and 217Nm of torque at 7000rpm. The figures prove just one thing, the engine is an absolute screamer, think pornstars are great? Wait till you hear this howl in the video below.
In a straight line the RR may not be that much faster than the FD2R as the drag battle in the video shows, but Mugens idea behind the RR was to make it faster around a track, and so it is by a few seconds; around the famed Tsukuba circuit, the RR is up to a second faster than the FD2R.
Something very much worth mentioning here are the brakes. Upgraded by Mugen, the standard Brembo discs have been replaced for high-performance grooved discs with braided hoses. The stopping power was completely phenomenal even when compared to those of the FD2R, pity we didn’t get a chance to test for brake fade.
The Mugen RR is truly a very special machine, something you won’t see on the road everyday because there aren’t many brave enough to drive it. There’s no doubt that this car is more suited to the track, but no one ever said that you can’t look good while doing so, and that definitely scores points on the streets. With only 300 ever made, there are already those in Japan asking higher than the initial price of it. And while the FD2R is limited to just 180km/h, the Mugen RR will ‘brainfuck’ you all the way to 250km/h, a claim we didn’t get to test on the slippery surfaces.
So, after whipping some FD2R ass in the RR, it was time to take the controls to the spaceship that is the Honda Civic Type R FN2R.
The FN2R is a completely different machine compared to the FD2R and the Mugen RR. It’s not as good looking, it’s slower, it’s got a lot of noisy dings and bells that makes the entire package feel expensive, it’s so much more comfortable, and it feels like it was built for everyday commute rather than hardcore track utility. I would say it’s a girls car, but that wouldn’t be fair because it really feels worlds apart, it really feels like being seated in a Golf GTI made by Honda. And that’s not a bad thing.
In full Euro spec and with all the option boxes ticked, the FN2R comes with such luxuries as dual zone climate control, rain sensing windscreen wipers, refrigerated glove box, automatic headlights with dusk sensor, front fog lights, power folding door mirrors, cruise control, front and rear curtain airbags and it can go on and on.
Our car didn’t come with all those items thankfully and yet it hardly shared anything in common with its more aggressive siblings. It was more comfortable, easier to drive at slower speeds, silent, just completely drama free. What it did share though was the same lightweight clutch pedal, the smooth mechanical click when shifting, the somewhat subdued V-TEC growl, and the same nimbleness at the front end. It even has the same shift lights that light up as the revs climb and a fancy i-VTEC light that pops up when an upshift is due. It truly is fancy and more likely to impress a girl than a FD2R, as long as you don’t run into an FD going up Genting or someplace else.
So while you’re cocooned in the oxymoronic chamber of comfort in a Type R, the engine is the other factor that will help put a smile on your face. Running the same K20 engine as the other two, the engine tune in the FN only allows for 198hp and 193Nm of torque. This allows for a century sprint of 6.8 seconds, while the FD2R does it in 6.3 seconds and the Mugen RR does it in 6 flat. Not much of a difference there but enough to cause an embarrassment as the video shows.
I can’t tell you how either of these cars handle around corners or how well balanced they are, because in all honesty we never got the chance to do that thanks to the weather and the semi-slick Bridgestone RE070 the cars were running on would guarantee some very expensive metal bending. But I can tell you that each Honda Civic Type R there was blisteringly fast and each was unique to its very own purpose. I am totally in love with the Mugen RR and now completely understand how Mugen sold 300 cars in just 10 minutes.
The FD2R has always had a very special place in my heart, and it still does just because there is nothing else quite like it. The FN2R I have to say I approached with some skepticism after hearing all those comments about it being soft, but no one ever mentioned anything about it being a complete all-rounder and completely worth the money if you’re looking for something unique, fast and engaging.
Head on down to Vision Motorsport to check out the Mugen RR and the Civic Type R FN2R for yourselves. They are located at Lot 922, Kg Sg Kayu Ara, Damansara 47400, Petaling Jaya, Selangor and can be contacted at 03-77271308. Or visit their website at www.visionmotorsports.com.my.
