Honda Civic 1.6-litre i-DTEC arrives

A new frugal Honda Civic has been revealed – the Civic 1.6 -DETC – promising official economy of 78.5mpg. Costs from £19,400.

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Honda has revealed the Civic 1.6 i-DETC, fitted with Honda’s new, frugal diesel engine which promises to squeeze every last drop of fuel out of a gallon in a bid to grab  a piece of the market for super-frugal hatchbacks.

Honda revealed the current Civic at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2011 offering an evolution in style but quite a jump in the way the Civic drives, even though it still offers Torsion Beam suspension at the back.

When Honda revealed the new Civic they managed to tweak the 2.2 litre i-DTEC to deliver a few more horses and use a bit less fuel, but they did promise 2012 would see the launch of the more frugal 1.6 9-DTEC. So they’ve made it – but only just.

Trim levels available for the Civic 1.6 i-DTEC will be the SE (£19,400), ES (£20,595) and EX (£23,175) all of which get the same spec as their equivalent 2.2 litre i-DTEC siblings (but with 16″ alloys).

Power on offer is 120PS (a unit Honda calls ‘Pokey’, but they’ve given us no performance figures) and economy is listed as 78.5mpg which means a tax-busting 94g/km emissions – which should work well for Londoners and fleets.

The Honda Civic 1.6 i-DETC is now on sale with first deliveries in January 2013.