Honda Civic 1.6i DTEC EX 2018 UK first drive

It’s the first diesel Honda Civic of this generation, and simultaneously presents as a warm-ish hatch and a fuel-sipping economy warrior. It could be both, though that would be some trick to pull off.

Honda offered a 1.6-litre turbodiesel in the previous Civic – this same all-aluminium engine, in fact – though ‘comprehensive revisions’ have seen the pistons strengthened and the cylinder head lightened for this application, and there are now lower-friction cylinder bores.

It means while power and torque remain unchanged, at 118bhp and 221lb ft, the claimed fuel economy has risen a fraction to more than 80mpg, with carbon dioxide emissions of 93g/km. Emissions of nitrogen oxides have been reduced, too, which Honda says is largely down to lower combustion temperatures and the fitment of a new NOx storage converter.

It’s an engine that joins 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol siblings as the solitary oil-burner in the Honda Civic line-up, though as far as the company is concerned, reports of diesel’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Honda confidently expects this new unit to be over-represented on the road, featuring in four out of every ten of the cars sold. 

We've previous sampled the 1.6 i-DTEC abroad, but this was our first chance to see how the changes fared on UK roads. Our test car was delivered in top-spec EX trim, with leather seats, LED headlights, keyless entry, a sunroof and a 465-watt sound system with 11 speakers. Cars in this spec also get Honda’s Dynamic Damper Control system, which we’ll come onto in a moment.

Pleasant enough. This engine is a little coarse at idle but smooths out nicely as the revs rise. And rise they will have to, because despite the aggressive styling, the 1.6i DTEC Civic is not blessed with a surfeit of power or, consequently, pace. That is reflected in a 0-62mph than only just ducks below ten seconds.

Driveability is generally very good, though, even if peak torque arrives only at 2000rpm – not particularly early for a modern turbocharged diesel engine – and there’s a touch more lag than you might expect. If you’re prepared to work the gearbox and keep the revs up, driving around those ‘problems’ can be reasonably satisfying, though that rather misses the point of a frugal diesel hatch, doesn’t it?

Further to that, once on the move it’s apparent that there’s a baseline level of connection here that’s some way ahead of many of this car’s direct rivals. The stubby gearlever gives you a nicely positive throw that’s short and tactile, and the seating position is low, placing the shoulders of even taller drivers only a little above the window line. It’s enough to get you carving through corners with more commitment than might strictly be good for your average fuel economy.