2017 Honda Civic to get new 1.0 litre 3-cylinder VTEC turbo engine

Honda has revealed that the 2017 Civic will be offered with a new 1.0 litre three-cylinder VTEC engine, and a 1.5 litre four-cylinder VTEC engine too.

The next generation Honda Civic – which will arrive in the UK and Europe in 2017 – will be offered with the choice of two new, lower capacity, VTEC engines as Honda emulates the car industry’s drive to improve economy and emissions with smaller capacity engines.

Perhaps the most interesting of the two is a new 1.0 litre, three-cylinder – Honda’s answer to Ford’s very successful 1.0 litre 3-pot Ecoboost – which is thought to deliver around 125bhp and is part of Honda’s Earth Dreams Technology range, but there’s also a 1.5 litre four-cylinder VTEC too which is thought to deliver around 175bhp.

The new VTEC engines are based on a new structure with variable valve motion to cut friction, piston cooling and a high-efficiency cylinder head. Honda say the new engines “…will deliver a combination of dynamic performance, class-leading output and excellent fuel economy”.

Due to arrive in 2017 – after a debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show – the new Honda Civic will be built at Honda’s Plant in Swindon, which is getting €270 million invested to prepare for the new Civic.