I opened the door and eased myself into the red-black Recaro seat. The contours of the race-inspired design fitted comfortably around me. I closed the door, which shut with a solid sound that was one notch above our stock FD. I looked around at the interior. It was a different feeling, looking at photos in magazines / on the internet vs actually being inside one. Ah Wei started the engine with the push button switch. The car came to life in a rather ordinary way - there was no cues that hinted on the enormous potential of the car. The exhaust note was soft at idle, and idle smoothly it did. Now, we weren't really going through all lengths to squeeze every last ounce of performance from the car, so we left the aircon on all throughout the test drive. If you look at Ah Wei and me, well, let's just say the Type R carries the most weight among all 4 cars as far as occupants are concerned. As we started moving, I honed my senses on the ride comfort and noise. Or should I say, LACK OF noise. The Type R was surprisingly quiet from the inside. The build quality of the dashboard and other bits of the interior were impressive. No creaking or squeaking noises.
As we cleared the first traffic light and turned right towards Alor Gajah, we were in 4th position. The cars started to pick up speed. After tailing the closest FD, I experienced the first unexpected burst of speed as Ah Wei down shifted and slammed the throttle wide open. The shift indicator lamps lit up sequentially, indicating precisely when to up shift. I had thought just a split second ago that everyone was accelerating at maximum rate. Turns out that Ah Wei's Type R was just cruising along behind, waiting for traffic to clear...!
In the span of mere seconds, Hanne and Justin were now behind us, overtaken as easily as though they weren't even trying. All this in spite of missing one gear change. Pressed into the Recaro bucket seat, we were right on Benny's tail. Now, the only reason we were behind is that Ah Wei's not quite sure which way to go at the upcoming traffic light, so we're actually sticking behind Benny for directions....
Ok, the lights turned green, and we're off once again. At the lights, Hanne and Icebear had managed to close the gap, but once we started moving, it was just Benny in front of us. The road was now straight, and quite clear cut, so, Ah Wei dialed in 9000RPM on the rev meter and in a matter of seconds, shot past my FD. I could barely make out Benny's expression as we overtook him and accelerated down the road. Now, the path wasn't exactly a straight line. At these speeds, the gradual right and left bank actually exerted a significant force on my body, threatening to push me either against the side window or into the driver next to me. Surprisingly, the Recaro seats were really firm and I could hold my position without using my hands just by planting my feet into the floor and pressing my body back into the bucket seat!
A bit of bumpy road coming up ahead. A quick glance at the speedometer indicated that we were above PLUS regulation speeds. Now, to be honest, it wasn't really that bad, since if you were driving that fast over the road in a normal FD, I don't think it would be significantly less bumpy. The FD2R was very stable as it negotiated the bends and curves in the road.
Due to a slight misunderstanding, I mistakenly asked Ah Wei to U-turn too early. Benny overtook us, so we realized our mistake. So, we, from a standing start, simply caught up with Benny in a matter of seconds. From inside the FD2R cabin, the lack of external noise made it seem as though Benny wasn't really revving to the max. I'm just amazed at how fast the FD2R really is. We reached the designated U-turn point and proceeded back to Team Cafe. Now, since we knew exactly where we were going, no need to follow Benny for directions anymore. Holding back no reservations, Ah Wei had the Type R bouncing off the JDM stock speed limiter all along the way back to Team Cafe. Even so, I could see Benny receding further and further behind as leaned forward and glanced in the left side mirror.
At the last traffic lights, it was shown again that you need to master the throttle / clutch modulation for perfect launching, as, even with 18" tires, you can induce a wheel spin in 2nd gear if you're not careful...!
Back at Team Cafe, we got out and exchanged our views. For me, my first experience with the Type R was very positive. Performance wise, there is simply no comparison with our FD. They may look the same, and pay the same amount of road tax, but that's where the similarities end. Build wise, the Type R is top notch. No rattling and other funny sounds. Could this be the JDM advantage vs local assembly...? Sound proofing - I thought they said the Type R was not so well soundproofed as the "normal" FD's? So, how come it seems quieter inside than a stock FD? Even the solid sound of the doors as they close - you can only get this after full soundproofing treatment. Knocking the body of the car, doesn't sound hollow and thin. To me, it looks like FD2R (stock) = FD1/2 + Soundproofing + Autofoam. Suspension is definitely harder than normal FD's. However, since we didn't spend much time driving around at "normal" speeds, I can't compare how the FD2R feels like during day-to-day driving conditions. Sigh, maybe next time I will get a chance to sit inside once again?
I was thanking Ah Wei very, very much for the experience. Actually, he's quite adapt at working the manual 6 speed shifter. I used to drive a 1.6 Satria 5 Speed Manual some years ago. In those days, I don't think I have ever managed to change gears as fast and smoothly as Ah Wei on the FD2R. So, even if I had an FD2R myself, I will probably still lose.
Well, that's it for my belated review (better late than never). After riding in such a high performance car, I feel now that my own FD2 is really, really slow and underpowered.
Would I get an FD2R instead of a FD2? Sigh:-
1- Waiting list is more than 6 months, so I hear.
2- What am I going to do with my FD2 once I get a FD2R?
3- Now already become father, my next vehicle will probably be one with 3 rows of seats....
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