Cleaner diesel for new Civic 12 | 08 | 2011

HONDA HAS CONFIRMED its ninth generation Civic range (pictured here heavily disguised) will feature a cleaner, more powerful and economical 2.2-litre diesel engine which will emit 110g/km of CO2 while still producing 148bhp. That's the same power output as the more polluting unit in the Accord, and 10bhp more than the current Civic’s older 2.2 CDTi.

Significantly, this new lower CO2 figure signals a drop of 29g/km over the outgoing model and will enable customers to benefit from free road tax for the first year and £20 per year from then on.

In addition to the adoption of stop-start technology contributing to 5g/km reduction, the balance of 22g/km has been achieved through revised oil channels to cut friction and aerodynamic refinements to the body.

“To achieve a good CO2 figure, you need to optimise every aspect of the car,” Honda engineer Katushi Watanabe explained. “But we haven’t compromised the performance character of the engine.”

The new engine in the new Civic — due to be unveiled in Frankfurt next month and which will go on sale in the Scotland early next year —is more competitive with the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf, boasting similar emissions to their 1.6-litre diesels but more power than their 2.0-litre oil-burners.

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Craig James