Euro Honda Civic Equipped With 1.6 i-DTEC Diesel Impresses in UK Efficiency Competition

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

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO

Honda to Debut Facelifted 2014 Civic Coupe at SEMA Show

It's only been a year since Honda hastily facelifted the ninth generation Civic compact after 18 months in the market, yet the Japanese carmaker has just announced "new enhancements" to the lineup for 2014. Honda said it will debut the first 2014 Civic in the form of the Coupe model that will make its world premiere at the SEMA aftermarket show on November 5.

Honda pointed out that "details and technical changes will be announced in the coming weeks", but it did share a single photo of the 2014 Civic Si Coupe showing the car's revised rear end.

Apart from a new boot mounted spoiler, the car also features a reworked trunk lip, new tail light fixtures, and a redesigned rear bumper that incorporates a small diffuser.

It is possible that Honda made some minor changes to the front end as well, since the coupe remained largely untouched from last year's facelift. Honda did not say if we should expect any upgrades to the current Civic Si's 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 201HP and 170 lb-ft of torque.

Note: Grey car in the pictures is the revised 2014 Civic Coupe Si, while the red-colored model is the 2013MY

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Wacky Race Features Honda Civic BTCC Racer and Honda's 130MPH Mean Mower

You’ve seen The Stig driving Honda’s crazy 130 mph (209 km/h) lawnmower on track, but now it’s time to see how this mean machine stacks up against a real racing car.

Powered by a 109hp 1.0-liter Honda VTR Firestorm motorcycle engine, the Mean Mower hits 60 mph (96km/h) from standstill in 4 seconds, so the folks from Auto Express thought it would be interesting to see how it would perform on track against the Honda Yuasa Racing Civic BTCC car.

Powered by a 2.0-liter engine with over 300 horsepower, the Civic reaches a top speed of 160 mph (257 km/h). It’s obviously faster than the lawnmower, that’s why the latter had a 40-second head start.

Without further ado, let’s watch BTCC drivers Matt Neal in the Civic and Gordon Shedden on the lawnmower battling it out on Rockingham circuit.

By Dan Mihalascu

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Honda Teases New Civic Station Wagon and Shows New Civic 1.6L Diesel in Paris

Honda appears to be full of surprises these days. Just last week, the Japanese automaker's CEO confirmed the development of several cars including a Civic Type R hot hatch for Europe, a new Jazz / Fit supermini that will also spawn an SUV derivative, and a 'sporty' roadster.
Today, Honda's European President Manabu Nishimae revealed plans to add a new model to the carmaker's range during his Paris Motor Show press conference.
The vehicle announced today is a new derivative of Honda's European Civic in the form of a station wagon model. Honda went one step further and released a teaser image of the pre-production concept that will be shown next year, most likely at the Geneva Salon in March or the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Woman Wins $10K in Spat with Honda over Civic Hybrid's Fuel Economy, Carmaker Says it will Appeal

Lately, fuel economy figures are becoming something of a hot issue in the U.S. After the Consumer Watchdog-Hyundai Elantra debacle we told you about earlier today, we have another case of a car manufacturer accused of misleading customers about one of its model’s fuel economy claims.
Heather Peters, a former lawyer who lives in Southern California, took Honda to a small-claims court. She accused the carmaker of lying about her 2006 Civic Hybrid's fuel efficiency as she never managed to reach the estimates advertised by Honda.
And guess what? Peters won the case and the court awarded her US$9,867. LA Superior Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan wrote a 26-page decision, which included a long list of misleading statements made by Honda and identified by Peters, such as “amazingly little fuel” and “save plenty of money of fuel with up to 50 mpg during city driving.”

Honda to Race New European Civic Hatch with 1.6-liter Turbo in the WTCC

Honda is getting ready to put on its racing suit for the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), in which it will participate with the new European Civic hatchback.
“We have made a decision to enter into the WTCC with the European Civic," said Honda CEO, Takanobu Ito, on the announcement. "We will develop a totally new engine for this project and we are all excited about starting this new challenge."
The Japanese automaker revealed that its Research and Development division will design a bespoke 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder racing engine with direct-injection in accordance with FIA’s Super 2000 regulations.

Honda UK Dealers Offer Factory-Backed MUGEN Tuning Bits

Honda fans in Britain can now trick out their cars with original Mugen performance parts backed by a factory-warranty straight from their dealer. The Japanese automaker said that a total of eight Honda dealers across the UK have launched the MUGEN Original Parts Programme offering a range of tuning parts, accessories and merchandise from the company's semi-official tuning partner.

Consumer Reports Gives the Honda Civic Si a “Recommended” Rating

Just when Honda announced it is developing a revised Civic for the 2013MY that will be launched in the U.S. in late 2012, Consumer Reports, the publication that started the storm of negative publicity on Honda’s compact model, has awarded the Si version with a “Recommended” on its latest report.
CR still stands by its original verdict on the base 2012 Civic when it stated, “while other models like the Hyundai Elantra have gotten better after being redesigned, the Honda Civic has dropped so much that now it ranks near the bottom of its category.”
The difference is that the model tested this time is the sportier Si version fitted with the more powerful 2.4-liter engine. According to the test results, it earned a notably better score than the basic model and as a result, CR says it now recommends the Si.