Honda's new 1.6-litre i-DTEC Diesel Engine to Power Civic- Details

Honda has finally revealed all the information about the all new 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine, the first engine from Honda's Earth Dreams Technology series, which will be launched in Europe. The new engine powers the 2013 Civic, which will be launched in the Europe, however Indian launch of the vehicle is still in doubt, since the company is planning to discontinue the vehicle in India.

The all new 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine churns out the maximum power output and torque of 118bhp @ 4000rpm and 300Nm @ 2000rpm respectively with the 94g/km CO2 emission and 27.79kmpl of mileage, proving it to be highly efficient and low emission vehicle. Speaking about the new engine, Large Project leader for all Civic Models in Europe including the 1.6-litre i-DTEC, Suehiro Hasshi says, “The key focus of our Earth Dreams Technology philosophy is to balance environmental efficiency with the dynamic performance expected of a Honda, It is important that our cars are fun to drive.”

“This is a new approach from the ground up,” Tetsuya Miyake, Project Leader for the 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine.There were no benchmarks for us because those targets would have been too low. We were determined to establish a benchmark of our own that our competitors would have to follow.” “Developing this engine has been all about smart, pure engineering,” says Suehiro Hasshi. “Our motivation has been to make many small detail improvements that, together, make a major difference. That is the challenge and the beauty of the Earth Dreams Technology philosophy.”

The new 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine has been specifically designed for the European market, to meet growing customer demand for low emission diesel engines. The new engine will be built at Honda’s European manufacturing facility in Swindon, UK. The 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine will also be used in the new CR-V (also built at HUM) later in 2013, and the Earth Dreams Technology philosophy will be applied to all of Honda’s power trains in the future.

The New Civic 1.6-litre i-DTEC: The Engine in Detail

Lightest Diesel Engine in its Class

Honda’s new 1.6-litre i-DTEC is comprised of an aluminium cylinder head joined to an open deck aluminium block. It is the lightest diesel engine in its class, weighing 47kg less than Honda’s 2.2-litre i-DTEC engine. All the individual components have been redesigned to minimise their weight and size and advanced production techniques have helped reduce weight even further. The thickness of the cylinder walls has been reduced to 8mm, compared with 9mm for the 2.2-litre i-DTEC. This is an exceptional achievement for a diesel engine. In addition, lighter pistons and connection rods have been utilised in the 1.6-litre i-DTEC.

Reduced Mechanical Friction

The key target for Honda’s development engineers was to reduce the mechanical friction of the 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine to the level equivalent of a petrol engine. “All the rotating parts have been carefully optimised to reduce their friction,” says Tetsuya Miyake. For example, a shorter and thinner piston skirt has been used. At 1500rpm, the 1.6-litre i-DTEC has around 40 per cent less mechanical friction than the 2.2-litre i-DTEC.

Clever Turbocharger

The 4th generation Garrett turbocharger used on the 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine features an efficient variable-nozzle design and its rotational speed is precisely controlled by the car’s electronics, minimising turbo lag and providing an optimal combination of low- to mid-range pull and high-speed performance. The turbo has a maximum boost pressure of 1.5bar.

Efficient Fuel Injection System and Air Flow

Honda’s 1.6 i-DTEC uses a Bosch solenoid injection system which is capable of operating at a high pressure of 1800bar. A high fuel pressure means that the fuel is injected at a faster rate and the finer the atomization of the fuel spray. This improves the fuel mixing with the air resulting in a cleaner and more efficient combustion helping to achieve the low emissions and fuel consumption.

Honda’s engineers have also worked to improve the volumetric efficiency of the cylinders, employing a high intake flow and a high swirl head port precisely controlling the combustion process to reduce hot spots that create unwanted emissions. The engine air flow is managed by using an EGR (Exhaust gas recirculation) system that operates at high and low pressure to reduce NOx emissions.