Honda Civic Tops ‘What Car?’ True Economy Test

INFLUENTIAL Motoring Consumer Magazine

‘What Car?’ have compiled a list of the top performing cars in their rigorous

‘True MPG’ Road Tests for 2013, and the most fuel efficient car which they tested last year was the Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC diesel.

The unique fuel economy tests conducted by What Car? are unlike the official government figures in that they are generated from real-world driving.

Official fuel consumption figures are generated in laboratories which do not consider the impact of traffic, weather and other real-world factors which influence fuel consumption. Where the What Car? tests differ is that they employ similar scientific techniques for measuring economy, but do so on the open road and in real, every day driving conditions.

The What Car? test begins with an urban route at speeds below 25kmh, the test then continues to an extra-urban route including dual-carriageway and motorway driving, before concluding with a final urban route.

At the end of the test, the average fuel consumption on the test route is calculated from the measured CO2 emissions.

However, the volume of traffic inevitably varies, so this economy figure is just a starting point.

Sensors attached to the car’s electronic systems record the road speed, exhaust manifold pressure and throttle position throughout the test, while other equipment measures the altitude, humidity and air pressure at each given moment. These variables all have to be factored in before calculating a car’s true fuel economy.

Under the What Car? tests, the Civic returned the highest real-world economy figure of any car tested in 2013, with a winning result of 4.25l/100km, the equivalent of almost 67mpg. The Civic took the top spot ahead of many smaller, and even hybrid vehicles.

Emmet Kavanagh, Marketing Manager at Universal Honda commented:

“We’re delighted with the results of the What Car? tests as they confirm that our new 1.6 i-DTEC diesel engine is a real-world leader in fuel economy.

“To have topped such a stringent test from such an influential publication is a very important accolade for us. While many competitors can produce cars with similar official figures, it’s the results from real-world driving where the Civic is a true winner.

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The Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC offers a class-leading combination of fuel economy and performance – emitting only 94 g/km of CO2 with a powerful 120PS. The engine is the first to be launched in Europe under Honda’s flagship Earth Dreams Technology environmental programme; offering customers an outstanding balance of high fuel economy, low emissions and dynamic performance.