• Idle stop function saves up to 5 g/km of CO2.
• Massive fuel range – around 863 miles on a tank of diesel.
• Honda has also specifically designed a new 6-speed manual transmission to match up to the all-aluminium 1.6 diesel. This box has a quick, positive shift with a light clutch action.
• The Civic’s steering is quicker for 1.6 duty and front suspension revised for tighter handling. Civic is neat through corners with little body roll.
• The Civic is still big inside and boasts a huge boot. Boot capacity is 477 litres, rising to 1378 litres with the seats folded flat. The most spacious interior in the segment reckons Honda.
• Futuristic Civic dashboard is still a cut above the class norm for sheer style and imagination.
• Qualifies for April 2013’s new 100% FYA writing down allowance tax break

What’s not?

• No word on auto box option, as yet
• Some diesel engine drone at mid-range speeds, and around town (Honda left out the engine balancer, to save weight)
• Carefully benchmarked against the VW Golf 6, but Golf 7 is just around the corner…
• Handling is stable but not as much fun as a Focus, overall.

Business Car Manager Road Test Verdict

This new Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC is a much needed shot in the arm for Honda and instantly makes it far more competitive in the company car market. The strong eco numbers that the engine produces, coupled with Honda’s enviable record for quality and reliability, put it right in the ballpark for business car managers to consider it for SME small fleets.

On the road, the Civic has a decent turn of speed with this ‘small’ 1.6 diesel on board and good refinement too although around town, there is still some mild diesel drone despite Honda’s best efforts to eradicate it.

Honda, lukewarm about diesels to date, has now delivered on an engine that should transform its business across Europe. That’s how significant it is.

While it might not be a true trailblazing downsizer (like the Ford 1.0 EcoBoost), the new Honda 1.6 diesel nevertheless opens up a whole new sub 100 g/km sector of the market for Honda and enables it to ‘catch up’ at last with the likes of VW and Ford in the all important diesel C-sector.

And for business car managers, that’s very welcome news to kick off 2013.

Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC  – the low down