Honda is very proud of its new 1.6-liter diesel engine that’s more in tune with the times than their traditional 2.2-liter unit that was often shunned in markets that taxed cars on displacement.
The smaller unit now equips the Civic, Civic Tourer and CRV, and even in the latter, which is noticeably bigger than the first two, it still achieves excellent economy figures in real world conditions.
Recently, it was put through a “rigorous independent test,” the MPG Marathon, in the UK, which took it on a 509-mile (819 km) drive in mixed conditions with the aim of achieving the best possible economy. By the end of the run, the car’s trip computer was displaying a figure of 77.86 mpg UK (3.6 l/100km or 64.8 mpg US). It noticeably exceeds the manufacturer claimed figure of 62.8 mpg UK (4.5 l/100km).
Keep in mind though that, while Honda doesn’t explicitly mention this in their official release in regards to the achievement, the vehicle used was front-wheel drive, not all-wheel drive and used a manual gearbox.
In a similar test conducted not long ago, the British-built Civic powered by the same small diesel hit 84.87 mpg UK or 3.4 l/100km (70.6mpg US), finishing third overall in the aforementioned test – the manufacturer-claimed figure is 78.5 mpg UK or 3.6 l/100km.
By Andrei Nedelea
PHOTO GALLERY
