Honda Civic Regains i-DTEC Diesel Power With BS6 Upgrades

by Aniruthan Srithar
Jul 9, 2020
Views : 844

The Honda Civic diesel comes right in time to fight it out with the recently launched Hyundai Elantra diesel

The Civic diesel is priced from Rs 20.75 lakh to Rs 22.35 lakh.
Price of base-spec variant hiked by Rs 20,000, courtesy the addition of six airbags.
It’s offered with a BS6-compliant 120PS 1.6-litre diesel engine.
A 6-speed manual transmission is the sole gearbox on offer.

It’s better late than never for the Honda Civic Diesel, which just got its updated 1.6-litre diesel motor that’s compliant with BS6 emission standards. It also comes right in time to fight it out with the Hyundai Elantra, which recently received a 1.5-litre diesel engine. The Civic diesel comes in two variants and is offered with a manual gearbox only. Here’s the detailed price list:

Honda Civic Diesel	BS4	BS6	Difference
VX	Rs 20.55 lakh	Rs 20.75 lakh	Rs 20,000
ZX	Rs 22.35 lakh	Rs 22.35 lakh	NIL

While you need to shell out Rs 20,000 more for the base-spec VX variant, the top-spec ZX variant’s price remains unchanged. The base-spec Civic VX now gets six airbags which justifies its price hike. Apart from this new addition, it remains pretty much the same as before.

The Civic diesel continues to utilise Honda’s 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine with upgrades to meet BS6 emission standards. Power and torque figures remain unchanged, at 120PS and 300Nm. Just like before, a 6-speed manual transmission is the sole gearbox on offer. The absence of a diesel-automatic variant gives the Elantra diesel a slight advantage. Here’s how both cars compare on paper:

	Honda Civic	Hyundai Elantra	Remarks
Power (PS)	120PS	115PS	Civic is 5PS more powerful
Torque (Nm)	300Nm	250Nm	Civic is 50Nm more torquier
Transmission Options	6-speed MT only	6-speed MT / 6-speed AT	No AT in the Honda Civic

In terms of fuel efficiency, the BS6 Civic diesel returns a claimed 23.9kmpl, a drop of 2.9kmpl when compared to the BS4 version. Check out how it drives in our first drive review.

The Civic diesel fights it out with the Hyundai Elantra diesel (Rs 18.70 lakh to Rs 20.65 lakh). Sure, the lack of an automatic gearbox and a slightly expensive price tag might put away some buyers. But, the Civic with its slightly added power, fun-to-drive chassis, and a slick 6-speed manual transmission may be the default choice for enthusiasts. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. We’ll also answer your queries when we pitch these cars for a comparison review.