Europe-Only Honda Civic Diesel Boasts 65 MPG

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, or in this case, the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. For 2013, the Honda Civic i-DTEC will boast a 1.6 liter diesel engine offering 221 ft-lbs of torque, and a 78 mpg rating on the UK testing cycle, which roughly translates to 65 mpg on the U.S. standard. Naturally, it’s only for Europe.

Going on sale in january of 2013, the new Honda Civic diesel will debut an all-new Earth Dreams diesel engine called the i-DTEC. As with all Civic models, this one will be front-wheel drive, and will be offered with a six-speed manual transmission. While the 1.6 liter diesel engine offers just 118 horsepower, the 221 ft-lbs of torque will allow for some spirited driving to be sure.

In the UK, this diesel Honda Civic will cost  £19,400 , or about $31,000 in U.S. dollars. That’s a pretty expensive car, especially a Civic, but I have no doubt Honda could bring the price down a bit if production were shifted to the U.S. Alas, for now this engine and Civic are destined only for Europe, leaving the diesel market wide open for a usurper like say, the Chevy Cruze diesel, to step up and claim a place at the table.

Realisticly, the Civic diesel’s mpg rating would probably be between 50 and 60 mpg on the U.S. testing cycle. But that would still make it competitive with hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius and the 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid. Alas, diesel also costs more in the U.S. than a gallon of regular petrol. But I’d make the jump to diesel if I could, especially if the Civic were offered with both a diesel, and hatchback setup like the one pictured above. Would you?

Source: Carscoop