New Honda Civic gets Diesel technology.

 The Civic is a core model for Honda in Europe and has been at the heart of the Japanese brand’s strong sales and manufacturing heritage for well over four decades. For many European customers, the Civic is synonymous with the Honda brand and the development team at Honda targeted a dynamic rejuvenation of the Civic family car to place it in a league of its own.

Now in its 10^th generation, the new Honda Civic has been completely re-designed and re-engineered in order to fulfill Honda’s quest for technical excellence and to keep Honda’s innovative spirit alive and well. As a result, Honda has created a car with a unique personality and sporty soul, which is truly exciting to drive, refined, comfortable and sophisticated. Honda have produced the sportiest Civic ever and it sets new benchmarks for the compact family car class in terms of dynamic performance, fuel efficiency, spaciousness, safety and interior quality.

The new Civic is longer, lower and wider than the ninth-generation car it replaces and has a more advanced suspension, too – a combination Honda hopes will help the Civic outgun rivals such as the Skoda Octavia, Ford Focus, Toyota Auris and VW Golf.

With a competitive starting price of just €25,550 in new diesel engine guise, the new Civic Diesel is available in four different trim levels – Smart, Smart Plus, Premium & Premium Plus. Honda’s all-new Civic Diesel exhibits best-ever driving dynamics, refinement and sophistication, while its sporty and distinctive exterior design is sure to set pulses racing.

My test car was a Civic 1.6-litre, i-DTEC (Diesel), Smart Plus model finished in stunning Brilliant Sporty Blue metallic paint and was mated to a slick 6-speed manual gearbox. Fuel economy from Honda’s wonderful diesel engine is terrific, with consumption as low as 3.5l/100km possible on an extra-urban driving cycle. Thanks to a low emission figure of 93g/km, annual road tax is just €180. With 120bhp and 320Nm of torque under the bonnet, the new Civic Diesel can sprint from 0-100km/h in just 10.1-seconds on its way to a top speed (where permitted) of 201km/h.

The new Civic is adorned with tightly tuned aerodynamics, which stick you to the road and, with cutting-edge technology such as Agile Handling Assist, the car immediately responds to your every touch. Completely re-designed and re-engineered, the new Civic i-DTEC (Diesel) range epitomises Honda’s innovative spirit and quest for technical excellence. The result is a car created with a unique personality and sporty soul, ensuring it is exciting to drive, refined, comfortable and sophisticated.

Standard specification across the new Civic range is very impressive and includes such items as Collision Mitigation Braking System, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Keep Assist System, Lane Departure Warning, Road Departure Mitigation, Intelligent Speed Limiter with Adaptive Cruise Control, Traffic Sign Recognition System, Bluetooth, Parking Sensors (Front & Rear), 5” Audio Monitor, Multi-Function Steering Wheel, Automatic Climate Control, 16” Alloys and an 8-Speaker Sound System with USB Port. The Smart Plus model I drove also included Honda Connect with Garmin Navigation, Rear Camera, Dual Climate Control, 17” Alloys, Privacy Glass, Front Fog Lights, Electric Lumbar Support on Drivers Seat, Alarm, Leather Steering Wheel and Gear Knob, Alloy Pedals, Auto Wipers, Power Folding Mirrors and Body-Coloured Door Mirrors with Integrated Indicator.

Boot capacity in the new Civic is a healthy 478-litres with the rear seats in place and rises to 1,267-litres with the rear seats folded. Access to the boot is more than adequate for most bulky items and instead of a rigid boot cover (that can be difficult to store when you fold the seats), there’s a roller blind that brilliantly goes side to side. Rolled up, it’s little more than the size of a compact umbrella and the unit can be removed completely if necessary. Class-leading interior space and improved usability are key ergonomic features of the new Civic and excellent head and legroom will be much appreciated by all occupants. Next-generation ‘Honda Connect’ delivers enhanced, more intuitive connected infotainment, while standard ‘Honda SENSING’ across the range makes the new Civic one of the safest cars in its class.

While the original Honda Civic (launched in 1972) was little more than a small super-mini, it has grown to become a compact family hatch that can genuinely challenge the class leaders for practicality, economy and performance. Having spent a week with the new Civic Diesel, I can genuinely say that Honda has created a car that is built around one vital component – the driver.

Check out www.honda.ie for further information on the new Honda Civic range