It took Honda an awful long time to get enthusiastic about the idea of diesel power.
In fact, the 1.6-litre i-DTEC unit we’re going to look at here powering this 10th-generation Civic is actually only the second diesel the company has ever designed for the European market.
It’s been significantly improved for use in this Civic model. The enhancements include a reduction in cylinder friction, thanks to ‘super plateau honing’ of the bores to enable smoother piston movement.
The 1,597cc engine uses the same advanced Bosch fuel injection system as before, and features a small, high-efficiency turbocharger, a low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation system and a high-intake flow, high-swirl cylinder head port.
A high-strength, lightweight slender crankshaft and all-aluminium, open-deck, high-pressure, die-cast engine block minimise the engine’s weight.
For the new i-DTEC, additional cast ribs have been added to the cylinder block to increase structural rigidity and, consequently, improve the management of noise, vibration and harshness.
It all sounds quite promising doesn’t it?
This 1.6-litre diesel has been designed to offer high performance and low emissions and goes about its job in a very Honda way.
For a start, it’s extremely small and light for a diesel lump. It makes 118bhp at 4,000rpm, which is impressive enough, but perhaps more interesting is the 221lb/ft of torque it can develop at just 2,000rpm.
The engine’s built in Swindon and designed for the European market.
As with the petrol Civic variants, this model gets a properly sophisticated suspension package – it cruises over potholes its direct predecessors would have crashed through and does so with the demeanour of a much larger, more luxurious model.
Of equal importance are the changes made to the structure of this Mk10 model, all enabled by a significantly larger platform that’s a full 52% stiffer than the previous generation chassis and positioned 10mm lower to the ground to improve the centre of gravity.
All that’s simply got to make a significant difference and sure enough, the grip and body control you get with this Civic is a significant improvement over what was served up before, further contributing to the ‘big car’ feel we referenced earlier.
There’s a sleek and swept-back shape to this 10th-generation Civic, with larger, wider wheels emphasising a lower-set, sportier stance.
And the sharp lines are complemented by the most comprehensive aerodynamic packing in the segment, including complete under-body panelling.
More importantly, this model is bigger than before, in hatchback form 30mm wider and 130mm longer than its predecessor.
All of this sits on a more advanced unibody platform that Honda says is 16kg lighter than before.
Inside, the previously rather confusing cabin has been completely redesigned with higher quality materials and a simpler, more sophisticated design theme that includes a new digital instrument binnacle.
At the top of the centre console, there’s a seven-inch Honda Connect 2 colour touchscreen display.
The driving position is lower and buyers should certainly notice the extra cabin space facilitated by the larger body.
Passengers on the rear seat get 95mm more legroom as well as 45mm more knee clearance.
Out back, luggage space remains class-leading, with 478 litres on offer in the hatch version.
Prices for this 1.6-litre diesel Civic variant have been kept quite competitive, starting at just over £20,000 for the base S model, rising to around £25,000 for a plusher EX-trimmed car with the six-speed manual gearbox.
Trim levels mirror those of the 1.0 VTEC Turbo petrol model and across the range, S, SE, SR and EX trims are available.
The top EX trim is also available with an optional Tech Pack for £600 which adds LED headlights with washers, LED fog lights, wireless phone charging and heated rear seats.
All models include the usual equipment features in this class – and Honda is particularly proud of this car’s infotainment capabilities.
The latest Honda Connect 2 connectivity system allows full smartphone integration via both AppleCarPlay and Android Auto so you can duplicate the functionality of your handset on the centre-dash touchscreen display.
Safety provision comes via Honda’s suite of SENSING technologies. These include a Collision Mitigating Braking System that brakes the car to avoid an accident, plus a Forward Collision set-up that warns you of oncoming hazards. There is also lane departure warning, road departure warning and lane keeping assist features that’ll keep you from veering away from where you should be on the road.
There’s not much to complain about in terms of the efficiency figures – 76.3mpg on the combined cycle and 99g/km of CO2.
Of course, when it comes to day-to-day running costs, there’s plenty else to consider. The extent of expected depreciation for example. The good news here is this 10th-generation Civic model hangs on to 9% more of its value than its predecessor, which was already quite a decent performer in this area.
As a result, the Honda is among the best in this sector with a residual value of 37% after three years and 60,000 miles for a typical version of this variant.
That’s around 8% better than most of its rivals and the other petrol and diesel versions are similarly good at holding on to your cash.
On to the warranty, a three-year/90,000-mile deal, which is a bit better than most rivals who tend to offer guarantees limited to 60,000 miles.
There’s also a fixed-price comprehensive aftercare package called Five which includes five years’ servicing, five years’ warranty and five years’ roadside assist.
Residual values of the old Civic held up pretty well, so there’s no reason to think that those of this improved variant will be any different.
The belief that variable valve-timed petrol engines and then petrol/electric hybrids would satisfy customer needs better than diesel engines was one of Honda’s rare 20th-century engineering mistakes.
It took the company a long time to buy into the black pump philosophy but in recent years, it’s fully bought into the understanding that if it’s to do well in Europe, it needs a diesel engine and a good one at that.
A powerplant in fact, like this car’s 1.6-litre i-DTEC unit.
What it all boils down to is that these days, Honda’s become a bit more mainstream, a little more expedient.
And, as this Civic 1.6 i-DTEC shows, sometimes there’s genius in exactly that.
Model: Honda Civic
Cost: From around £20,000
Engine: 1.6-litre i-DTEC producing 118bhp and 221lb/ft of torque
Economy: 76.3mpg
CO2 emissions: 99g/km