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That 2.2 could probably crank out about 200 horsepower and about 220 (pounds-feet of) torque at little rpm. (http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060710/FREE/60709003/1041/businessweek)

Kathy Jackson - Automotive News - July 9, 2006

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Civic_Future_Diesel.jpg
Your next Civic could be Diesel powered.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - When Honda sells its first diesel engine in the United States, it likely will be in the Civic, Accord or CR-V.

John Watts, manager of Honda's U.S. product planning, said Honda plans to introduce a clean-burning, 2.2-liter turbodiesel in the United States within three years.

"That 2.2 could probably crank out about 200 horsepower and about 220 (pounds-feet of) torque at little rpm," he said at a press event here. "Vehicles like the Pilot (SUV) and Odyssey (minivan) are too big for a four-cylinder."

Honda sells a 2.2-liter, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine in Europe, but Watts says it does not meet U.S. emission standards.

Takeo Fukui, Honda Motor Co. CEO, said in late June that the company will unveil a four-cylinder diesel in the United States that will run as clean as a gasoline engine.

Watts thinks diesel will catch on in this country if the engines can go 400 miles on a single tank of fuel.

"I think four cylinders and diesels make a lot of sense with the price of gas," Watts says. "But we're looking at everything - diesels, compressed natural gas, fuel cells, hybrids and E85. We don't believe there's one solution."

Watts also said the Honda Division may need to add another SUV to its lineup.

"We don't know what it will be yet," he says. "Maybe something between a minivan and a SUV. But we do need something between the CR-V and the Pilot."

But we do need something between the CR-V and the Pilot."


probably a crossover like the mazda cx7 or the new ford edge.

now lets just hope the diesel we can bump start on it and it has 6 good FE gears :)

The story doesn't add up. Getting 200 horsepower out of a 2.2 liter diesel engine would be hard, if not impossible to accomplish. Further, their current engine is 140hp, 250 ft-lbs. For them to say 200hp, 220 ft-lbs sounds more like they're describing a gasoline turbo offering, much like VW's 2.0 turbo is 200hp, 207 ft-lbs.

A 220 ft-lbs diesel engine would likely be more like a 120-130hp engine, which is in line with probably all you'd need in a Civic any way. For a 200hp turbodiesel however, it would probably have 350 ft-lbs, and thus be a great candidate for the large platform vehicles like the Accord, Odyssey, and Pilot, again contrary to the article. I think they got their numbers lost in the translation somewhere along the way.

For the record, I would be ALL OVER a 1.5-1.8 liter Honda Fit i-CTDi.

For the record, I would be ALL OVER a 1.5-1.8 liter Honda Fit i-CTDi.

Second that. I might even trade my Accord for it, and that's saying a lot! :eek:

Good catch on the diesel numbers, btw. I wonder what the real story is?

Yup, 2.2 is way too large. I would like a 1.5 with about 100 ft lbf torque.

Yup, 2.2 is way too large. I would like a 1.5 with about 100 ft lbf torque.
Gasoline engines typically have 65-75 ft-lbs per liter of displacement. Turbodiesels typically have more like 90-120 ft-lbs per liter, depending on how much turbo boost they're tuned to run. A 1.5 liter turbodiesel would thus likely have 135 to 180 ft-lbs of torque. The current gasoline Fit with its 1.5 liter actually has 105 ft-lbs even. I'd expect it would be at least 150 ft-lbs as a turbodiesel. The end result would be that the Fit would be even faster, due to the increased torque, even if it had "only" 100 peak horsepower, yet in spite of being faster it should be capable of dramatically better fuel economy too. In a way, I'm excited for the high price of fuel since that is the driving factor in getting us out of the horsepower race and in to a mindset of small, fuel efficient vehicles that have lots of room inside and still get excellent FE!

Keep this up and my next car will be named "Vin" :D

Hi All:

Honda technology develops a low emission diesel ... (http://hondainsight.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1094&view=next&sid=726ccaaac107bbe20c9ff0424affd79f)

___Same ICE but with the NOx Adsorber/TWC and a more advanced DPF. Maybe 130 HP/230 Ft.-Lb’s … So what is the big deal? In the Euro Accord (TSX here), 2 of them pulled a 75 something or another mpg segment as a publicity stunt when first released IIRC. Place this motor + the NOx TWC/Adsorber and a more robust DPF for Tier II/Bin5 in a std. Civic and you should see south of 80 + mpg … with the right driver behind the windscreen. That is unless Honda does something stupid like place a 4.11 rear end in the darn thing. The Euro Accord with this CI-ICE is a 9 second 0 - 60 automobile so should take the Civic there in maybe ½ second less. These were all 5-speeds. Expect Honda to throw in an overburdened Auto to kill its true max FE capability but with the stick … As long as they don’t “Fit”ize the thing, it should be a spectacular highway hypermiling cruise machine!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Watts thinks diesel will catch on in this country if the engines can go 400 miles on a single tank of fuel.

My HCH2 goes 500+ on about 3/4 of a tank. 400? Been there, done that :D

Hi Sledge:

___Yes, most Accord pilots have a tough time seeing 400 in their I4’s. The 1,000 miler’s she has allowed me all summer kind of puts that to bed as well ;)

___400 is what Honda says in the press. If Honda places a 13 + gallon tank in this thing (16 gallon topped to the lip), we are talking almost a 1,300 mile range! It will be similar to the old Insight which makes me drool with anticipation :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne