Honda Civic Diesel Achieves 65 MPG
A new diesel Honda Civic has achieved the US equivalent of 65 MPG fuel efficiency, which is comparable to that of hybrid electric vehicles.
It goes on sale in January 2013, but only in Europe. It is equipped with the i-DTEC Earth Dreams diesel engine.
It has a 1.6 litre, 118 HP engine. Despite being only 118 HP, it provides one of the key benefits of diesel engines, which is 221 ft-lbs of torque. It produces about the same amount of horsepower as most Civics, Corollas, and economy cars.
This is a front-wheel-drive vehicle that offers a manual six-speed transmission.
In the United Kingdom, it will cost £19,400, which is approximately $31,000 USD.
As I said in the beginning, diesel-powered vehicles can achieve efficiency comparable to that of gasoline-fueled hybrid electrics, but they have a higher initial cost. The Honda Insight Hybrid starts at $18,500 — although, it is not as efficient; it achieves 41 MPG in cities, and 44 MPG on highways.
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You may wonder why it is not available in the US. Possible causes of this include:
- Higher taxes on diesel than on gasoline in the US. Diesel is used to fuel tractor trailers, which are needed to transport most goods throughout the US.
- Diesel cars have a reputation for sluggish performance.
- Diesel cars are expensive to buy, although their fuel efficiency and reliability benefits compensate for that. Americans often purchase lower-priced vehicles.
- Diesel engines have a history of polluting the air more than gasoline ones, although low-sulfur diesel technology has changed this.
Source: Gas 2.0
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