The Honda Civic Hatch Diesel will become the first ever diesel-powered vehicle sold in Australia by the Japanese manufacturer when the new UK-built variant arrives in showrooms in April.
The Civic Hatch DTi-S features Honda's new 'Earth Dreams' 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which produces its peak power of 88kW at 4000rpm and peak torque of 300Nm at 2000rpm. It will be available exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission.
An official combined cycle fuel consumption rating of 4.0 litres per 100km makes it the most fuel efficient Civic ever offered in our market – bettering the Civic Hybrid's 4.4L/100km rating – while average CO2 emissions of 105g/km make it one of the cleanest-emitting vehicles in Australia's small-car class. The diesel model features stop-start technology as well as Honda's 'Econ' driving mode option.
Priced from $26,990, the Honda Civic DTi-S slots into the 2013 Civic hatchback line-up between the mid-spec $25,490 VTi-L auto and the range-topping $29,590 VTi-LN auto.
It's sub-$27K price makes it one of the cheapest compact diesels on the market, bettered by the Hyundai i30 Active diesel ($23,590 manual, $25,590 auto), but undercutting the likes of the Mazda3 MZR-CD ($27,360 manual), Renault Megane Dynamique ($27,490 auto), Holden Cruze CD ($27,790 auto), Opel Astra ($27,990 manual), Ford Focus Trend ($28,090 auto) and the Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion ($28,990 manual).
Standard features in the Honda Civic DTi-S hatch include daytime running lights, 17-inch alloy wheels, auto headlights and wipers, dual-zone climate control and a low tyre-pressure indicator.
The confirmation of the diesel model comes two weeks after Honda Australia announced the availability of the enhanced 2013 Civic hatch, which brought pricing and specification adjustments to the line-up.
The Australian division will get its second diesel model when the 2.2-litre diesel-powered Honda CR-V?bolsters the recently released medium SUV's range either later this year or early in 2014.
