Honda to Debut More Frugal Diesel Civic in Europe

Next year Honda Motor Co. will replace the current 2.2-liter diesel option for its European Civic hatchback with a 1.6-liter design that is 17% more fuel efficient.

Honda announced the new engine at the Paris auto show in September. The company says an aluminum "open deck" block helps make the 1.6-liter powerplant 128 lb lighter than the old engine.

The new diesel produces 118 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque compared with 148 hp and 258 lb-ft for the 2.2-liter unit. The engine delivers nearly 79 mpg and emits only 94 g/km of carbon dioxide on the European test cycle, according to the carmaker. That compares with about 67 mpg and 110 g/km of CO₂ for the old engine.

Car reports that a six-speed manual gearbox will be the only transmission offered with the 1.6-liter diesel in the Civic. The British enthusiast magazine says the car's base price will be $31,100 in the U.K.

The new diesel was developed in the U.K. for the European market. The mill is being produced at Honda's engine plant in Swindon, England. Honda plans to expand availability of the new powerplant in Europe to the redesigned CR-V small crossover next September.