Honda Civic DTi-S 2013 Review

The British-built Civic diesel was launched in the UK earlier this year and is now available Down Under, and after driving it we're impressed. It's easy to drive the car efficiently and for once the reality is not too far from the PR hyperbole – this thing is greener than Kermit the frog.

And it gets better: It's fun to drive, comes with lots of equipment and the interior has a high quality feel.

The Honda Civic DTi-S belches out precious little CO2 – just 105 grams per kilometre, making it Euro 5 compliant – and is the first Honda in Australia to adhere to the company's new 'Earth Dreams Technology' philosophy, which is supposed to make the, um, Earth dream about, err, efficient technology?

In all seriousness, Honda Australia's new Civic DTi-S represents a very positive start for its diesel ambitions and if you don't mind shifting gears manually, you'll find a lot to like here.

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A six-speaker stereo with USB and Aux ports is also included, as is a leather gear knob, leather steering wheel with speed sensitive electric power steering, drilled alloy pedals, cruise control and a hill holder clutch. Exterior bling like 17-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, LED brake lights and a roof spoiler are also standard, with the only option a set of rear parking sensors priced at $389, plus fitment costs. Sat nav is not available.

On paper it's a nice package, and on the road it's a surprisingly lively little number, which is a good thing for Honda, considering the importance of its first ever diesel in Australia. However the car is missing one very important thing, an automatic gearbox, and for this reason the car will contribute very little to Honda's ultimate goal of selling 45,000 cars in 2013, expected to find just 50 customers per month.

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The turbocharger assists the small capacity engine's torque generation – a hefty 300Nm at 2000rpm – ensuring the car moves very briskly. Drop the hammer and the Honda hatch surges forward with gusto, and is especially good at overtaking. It's an impressive little motor – responsive but quiet – and if this is a sign of things to come, the new Honda CR-V diesel SUV should be a corker when it arrives here just in time for Christmas.

The Civic's little four-pot engine generates peak power of 88kW at 4000rpm and while the engine will rev to 5000rpm, it runs out of puff pretty early. The car is most rapid between 1500 and 3000rpm. It's the abundance of mid-range torque that really gives the car its vigour, propelling it smoothly and strongly. It's also a very quiet and tractable engine, pulling easily from below 1000rpm.

The six-speed manual gearbox will not be to the taste of most small car buyers, but for those who do take the plunge, they won't regret it. It's a lovely gear shifter with a smooth, easy but precise action matched with a light clutch that has an intuitive friction point. Simply put, it makes driving the car more satisfying. Even in stop-start mid-afternoon Sydney traffic it was a pleasure to drive.

The Honda Civic diesel has an engine stop-start system (Auto Stop in Honda speak) that, in conjunction with front end and underbody aerodynamic tweaks and a switchable 'Econ' mode – initiating a conservative throttle map and reducing power to the fan/air conditioning – help the car use just 4.0-litres of fuel per 100km travelled. That's only 100ml more than the Toyota Prius hybrid's 3.9L/100km, while CO2 emissions of just 105g/km are not far off either.

The 1373kg Honda hatchback features re-calibrated MacPherson strut front suspension, with new lower arm bushings designed to improve straight-line and cornering stability, and also to suit the increased engine torque on offer. The rear end torsion beam suspension remains unchanged from other Civic hatches, but the overall result is an improvement in handling dynamics, while not harming ride comfort too much.

Honda's motion adaptive electric power steering system (MAEPS for short) has been tweaked in the diesel Civic, with a shorter steering ratio requiring less input for faster steering. And it's certainly a step in the right direction, making the car feel more responsive to driver input than the petrol Civic hatch.

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The leather steering wheel has a primo feel to it, with good cruise control, audio and Bluetooth button placement, plus there's eight cup holders in total, four cargo restraint hooks in the boot, comfortable semi-sports front seats and Honda's silly sounding but very effective Magic Seats.

The 60:40 split folding rear Magic Seats can be folded flat, flipped, lifted and repositioned in 18 different configurations and this basically means the class-leading boot space (400 litres expandable to 1130 litres) is more accessible from the rear doors and tailgate. It's an intuitive system and one of the highlights of the car's interior, though it should be mentioned a space saver spare wheel is fitted, which helps liberate more boot space.

The car measures 4300mm long and 1770mm wide, which makes it one of the smaller models in the small car category, yet interior room isn't too bad. Front seat passengers get loads of room in every direction, and while head and leg room in the rear is not brilliant, it's not terrible either and two adults will find it comfortable.

Interior material quality, such as plastics and the cloth seat/door trim, is good and, together with a quiet cabin, the car has an almost premium feel. The peaceful interior is thanks in large part to Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology, which has been borrowed from the flagship Honda Legend. By piping an inaudible "reverse phase audio signal" through the speakers, ANC effectively counteracts low frequency noises, such as engine noise and external noises, and is claimed to reduce cabin noise by up to 10dB. In practice, the system is effective, with tyre roar on coarse chip surfaces the only intrusive external noise occasionally noticed.

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Honda's diesel-powered five-door Civic undercuts most of its manual-equipped rivals, including the Mazda3 MZR-CD ($27,360), Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion ($28,990) and Opel Astra ($27,990). Only the Hyundai i30 Active diesel costs less, at $23,590.

We recorded some astonishingly good fuel figures on the launch drive, around 3.7L/100km after some urban and freeway driving without being too fastidious, which rose to around 5.4L/100km after a fang around the Blue Mountains. And 'fang' is the operative word, with the car built on a confident chassis that rewards the enthusiastic driver.

With crisp steering and firm suspension, the Civic DTi-S noses into corners eagerly and changes direction with a surprisingly amount of dexterity. Indeed, it was a fun hatchback to punt around on damp and sinuous mountain roads, and the 17-inch diameter 225/45 tyres provided ample grip in the wet and foggy conditions.

The 1.6-litre diesel engine was just as lively as the chassis when opening up the taps, the 300Nm wad of torque propelling the Honda forward with impressive ease. The brakes, discs at all four corners, offer sufficient stopping power.

Honda says the Civic DTi-S wasn't given overt green badging, because it wanted the car to be satisfying to drive, and in that respect it's mission accomplished. So instead of creating the Honda Civic Blue Green Cloud Grass Edition, it's simply made the new diesel an extension of the Civic range.

"We didn't want to create a special version and sacrifice some of the driving dynamics," explained Tetsuya Miyake, chief engineer for the new 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine. "We wanted to create a fun-to-drive car with the correct balance of attributes ... This is a 'total car'," stated Miyake.

As Honda Australia's first diesel car, the Civic DTi-S impresses. The compact diesel engine is quiet, frugal and responsive, and on the return journey from the Blue Mountains to Sydney, an 82km trip, we averaged 3.1L/100km.

The car fulfils its duties in both comfort and dynamic senses too, delivering a satisfying drive while maintaining a composed and reasonably compliant ride. The equipment list is strong, overall quality is close to class-leading and the interior packaging is another highlight. Overall it's a very polished performer.

That it's not offered with an automatic transmission is a shame, but it doesn't detract from the car's competence.

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