According to an Automotive News report, the next-gen Honda Civic could get the new 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine as a base powerplant. The industry seems to have grown really fond of low-displacement, turbocharged engines these days; from Ford's 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder EcoBoost to the downsized turbo V8 in the Ferrari 488 GTB, they are in vogue and Honda is gearing up to add its name to the list.
Yoshiharu Yamamoto, Global R&D Chief, told AN, "Downsized turbocharging will be the base, even for the Civic." He further added that the engine will offer fun-to-drive qualities, while meeting strict emissions regulations. It is believed that the new engine will offer the power figure of a 2.0 - 2.4-litre engine along with better torque and fuel-efficiency.
There is no official word about the numbers, but it is believed that the motor will put out about 178bhp along with a peak-torque of 260Nm, and will offer a mileage of 18Km/l.
The Honda Civic has been missing-in-action in India since August, 2012, owing to poor sales. The sedan experienced its fair share of success soon after it was first launched in here in 2006. However, that did not last very long, courtesy the hike in its price and the lack of a diesel motor.
That being said, Honda seems to have learnt its lessons pretty well over these years. Case in point, the Amaze and the City. Hopefully, the next success story from its stables will be the Jazz hatchback. Set to make a comeback in mid-2015, Honda will give the new-gen Jazz the same engines as the Amaze i.e. the 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol and the 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel. The carmaker might also launch an even more powerful version of the hatchback - with the 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine - later. While it will still cost almost as much as a mid-sized sedan, Honda seems to understand that the market has finally opened up to the idea of premium hatchbacks.
This is why we believe the Civic can/ could return, much like the Jazz. Armed with a suitable powertrain and a reasonable price tag, the Civic could easily give the Toyota Corolla some healthy competition.
