The i-DTEC 1.6 liter diesel is the first mass-produced engine from Honda’s new Earth Dreams series of fuel efficient powertrains. To be used first int he 2013 Civic, the i-DTEC develops 120PS @ 4000rpm and 300Nm @ 2000rpm, while returning 78.5 mpg with CO2 emissions of 94 g/km.

This fairly good combination of power and economy is the result of a range of technology features integrated into this engine. It has an aluminium cylinder head joined to an open deck aluminium block. what that means in plain English is that it’s light. The thickness of the cylinder walls has been reduced to 8mm, compared with 9mm for the 2.2-litre i-DTEC, and so it weighs 47 kg less than the big engine.

Honda has also gone to enormous length to reduce this engine’s friction. So a shorter and thinner piston skirt has been used, making the 1.6-litre i-DTEC has around 40 per cent less mechanical friction than the 2.2-litre i-DTEC.

The meat of this engine, however, is its Garret turbocharger, featuring an efficient variable-nozzle design and its rotational speed is precisely controlled by the car’s electronics. The turbo has a maximum boost pressure of 1.5bar. The i-DTEC 1.6 also uses a Bosch solenoid injection system which is capable of operating at a high pressure of 1800bar.

Designed specifically for Europe, Honda’s 1.6 i-DTEC diesel engine is made at the firm’s manufacturing facility in Swindon, UK. The new i-DTEC line can produce up to 500 engines a day.