The Death Of Diesel? Honda's New Oil-Burning Civic Begs To Differ

Europe may be looking towards a future without diesel engines, but for now they're a very real part of the market – even for foreign automakers competing there.

Honda, for example, has announced a new 1.6-liter diesel engine for the Civic, built for the European market in Swindon, England. Thanks largely to reduced internal friction, the new “comprehensively revised” i-DTEC engine promises improved fuel economy and emissions without sacrificing on output.

In fact, the new engine is certified to deliver 76.3 miles per gallon and produce just 99 grams of CO2 – and those aren't just Honda's claims. They're among the first to be verified under the new Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) and Real Driving Emission (RDE) standards. All the while, it cranks out 120 metric horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque, enabling a 0-62 time of 10.4 seconds – not exactly Type R performance, but not bad for 70+ mpg.

To get there, Honda crafted the pistons from a chromium-molybdebnum steel alloy and super-plateau-honed the bores to reduce friction. It also uses a small turbocharger, Bosch fuel injection, a low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation system, and a highly efficient cylinder head port.

The engine will be offered (in the UK at least) on both the four-door Civic sedan and the five-door hatchback starting next March. A nine-speed automatic transmission is set to follow sometime in the middle of next year.