2013 Honda Civic DTi-S Diesel Hatch Launch Review
HONDA CIVIC DTI-S DIESEL REVIEW
What's hot: Refined drive, plenty of shove, excellent efficiency
What's not: Manual only, spaceship styling polarising
X-Factor: Bursting with classic Honda engineering prowess
Vehicle Style: Small Hatch
Price: $26,990
Engine/trans: 88kW/300Nm 1.6 litre turbodiesel | six-speed manual
Fuel economy claimed: 4.0l/100km | tested: 5.0l/100km
OVERVIEW
Honda’s new Civic Hatch DTi-S is the first diesel-fuelled model to wear the ‘H’ logo on Australian soil, but it won’t be the last.
Yep - the company renowned for its high-revving, sewing-machine smooth, naturally-aspirated petrol engines has joined the flock of brands with a slower-revving efficient turbodiesel among its small car range.
And it's a good first outing for Honda; the new 1.6 litre i-DTEC engine boasts some pretty impressive numbers.
Sitting between the recently-updated VTi-S and VTi-L 1.8 litre petrol Civic Hatches for specifications, the $26,990 DTi-S is visually identical to the VTi-L and VTi-LN and priced $1500 north of the auto-only VTi-L.
Available in six-speed manual only, the Civic DTi-S joins a growing list of small hatches with sub-2.0 litre diesel options, and its 4.0l/100m combined fuel figure betters all but the 3.8l/100km of Volkswagen’s Golf BlueMotion.
TMR was among the first to sample Honda’s new diesel Civic Hatch at its national press launch in Sydney.
THE ENGINE
Honda's new Earth Dreams Technology sits behind the engineering philiosophy of the new 1.6 litre i-DTEC engine.
By minimising friction and rotational mass (a similar approach to Mazda’s SkyActiv technology), Honda's intent is to address the coarseness inherent in diesel engines. It's also built 'light'; the Civic DTi-S' all-aluminium 1.6 litre i-DTEC diesel tips the scales at just 170kg - claimed to be the lightest diesel currently fitted to any passenger vehicle.