Forbidden Fruit: Honda Civic 2.2 i-CTDi

[Honda News Feed]

When our friends at Honeywell offered us a European-spec Honda Civic with a 2.2-liter turbo-diesel for our test fleet, we jumped at the opportunity. Most of us love the idea of small diesel engines in passenger cars, and after spending some quality time with said Civic, we’re lighting candles in the hope that cars like this will someday be sold Stateside.
Our test vehicle was a base-model five-door hatch with a six-speed manual transmission. This silver Civic was pretty sparse as far as options go, but we didn’t mind at all. We played the “convert-as-you-go” game while driving, as the speedometer is displayed in kilometers per hour and all temperature gauges are in Celsius. Still, we found ourselves fighting over drive time in the Honeywell Civic and were sad to see it depart after a week in our fleet.
(Click through the jump to read the rest of this review.)


What’s most important is how different this car is from any U.S.-spec Civic variant. Most of the Hondas we drive involve high revs for maximum power, so it was a real treat to have usable low-end torque. The turbo-diesel Civic is quoted as producing 251 pound-feet of torque at 2000 rpm, and this was especially appreciated on highway entrance ramps and in passing situations. The amount of torque available in the mid-range on the intermediate gears is astonishing. No other word describes it.
The six-speed manual is an ideal setup for this car—just beware of the 4500-rpm redline. First gear is used for only a short period of time and shifts from first to second aren’t as smooth as we’d like. Pop the shifter into second, though, and the low-end torque propels the foreign-market hatch with a quickness that is seemingly unmatched by any American-market Civic short of the Si. The same is true for the remaining forward gears: highway passing in fifth or sixth requires no additional downshifts.
A noticeable aspect of our diesel Civic was the amount of audible engine noise, especially in the cabin. Managing editor Carrie Roca states, “This is one loud car—not noisy in a bad way, but noisy in a way that you just don’t get in U.S. Hondas.” Many staffers remarked that cold starts in the Civic sound like firing up a diesel pickup.
As for the exterior styling, this European Civic definitely stands out in a market of relatively plain-Jane Hondas. We like the way the rear door handles are integrated into the C-pillar and we found the overall design scheme to be quite futuristic. Honda executives say this Civic is designed to make the competitors look “last-generation,” a statement with which we can agree.
The car’s interior also holds strong to the futuristic exterior design. The wraparound two-tiered IP is straightforward and easy to navigate. Cloth bucket seats up front provide support, but can become somewhat uncomfortable after extended periods of time. The rear bench has a decent amount of usable space.
The Honeywell folks tell us this diesel-equipped Civic will achieve fuel economy figures of 35 miles per gallon in the city and 52 highway. We averaged 41 mpg overall, which is more or less what the company claims for the American-spec Civic Hybrid (40 city/45 highway EPA). The difference is that by most metrics the electric-assisted Civic won’t perform nearly as well as the diesel, and our staff seems to agree that we’d rather have the latter.
Pricing translates to nearly 30,000 American dollars. Keep in mind, though, that European vehicles often carry substantially higher price tags than their American counterparts, so we could easily see a turbo-diesel Civic running in the mid-$20,000 range if sold here, which is roughly the same price as an American Civic Hybrid.
Would we buy this car? Absolutely. Business and fleet manager Kim Ewing says, “I would own this vehicle in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone looking for this type of driver.” Art director Nate Luzod agrees, “America needs this car. I’d buy one without hesitation.”
There isn’t much wrong with the Euro-market diesel Civic, but our Yankee Civic isn’t something to be frowned upon either. In fact, the Si coupe and sedan are two of our favorite low-cost sporting cars. But if Honda were to bring these European Civics into our economy—especially the diesel models and the sporty Type R—other carmakers could indeed have their work cut out for them.
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