We don’t need to remind you that one of the reasons why Honda didn’t sell too many of the new shape Civic hatchbacks in Europe was the lack of a small capacity diesel engine. Now, it’s here, and according to first impressions, it lives up to the hype that was created around it, and is at least on par with what the European manufacturers are doing, bar Renault’s 1.6 DCi that is both more powerful and has more torque.
Now, it has taken part in a UK efficiency competition called the MPG Marathon, a corporate-sponsored event aiming to find out which car is Britain’s most efficient new model. The Civic, powered by the 1.6 i-DTEC diesel was one of the highlights, and after completing the 367-mile (588 km) drive, it averaged 84.87 mpg UK (70.6 mpg US or 3.32 l/100km) – it surpassed its official claimed figure of 78.5 mpg UK (65.4 mpg US or 3.6 l/100km).
This put it in third place overall, lagging just 4 mpg UK behind the winner, the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, which itself was followed by the also very efficient Renault Clio.
Both cars are from one class below, so the Civic’s performance is definitely a highly commendable one – CO2 emissions were kept low too, at 94 g/km.
Moreover, even with the small displacement, reviews have said it’s by no means a slouch on the move, with 118 hp on tap and 300 Nm. There’s an acceleration run video posted below, illustrating its spritely nature.
By Andrei Nedelea
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