LONDON, October 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

A rigorous round of real-world testing dubbed the 'MPG Marathon' has once again underlined the impressive fuel-efficiency of the new Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC.

In the test of 23 cars driven by independent journalists and company car drivers on UK roads, the Civic took third place for overall mpg, behind the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic and Renault Clio Dynamique - both much smaller cars than the Honda.

Over a 367 mile drive the Civic recorded an excellent overall mpg of 84.87mpg, just 4mpg behind the winner. It exceeded its official combined figure by some 8.12 per cent, placing it third place overall in percentage improvement on quoted mpg figures. The Civic also recorded the third lowest CO2 emissions of the models on test, with just 94g/km.

Organised by Fleet World magazine, the ALD Automotive/Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon set out from Tankersley Manor, near Sheffield, on Wednesday 9th October. This year's event is regarded as the toughest yet, with strong winds, long hill climbs and heavy traffic. Despite the conditions, Mark Armstrong-Read of Derbyshire NHS Trust steered the Civic to a podium place, thanks to both his own eco-driving skills and the no- compromise combination of performance and efficiency of the 1.6 diesel Civic.

Lee Wheeler, Manager-Corporate Operations at Honda (UK) comments:

"The fact that our small diesel 1.6 i-DTEC powered Civic five-door finished a very respectable third in the MPG Marathon illustrates the key benefit our new Earth Dreams Technology to fleet users - far less trips to the filling station than many similar sized competitor models. Earth Dreams Technology can now be found in the Civic five-door hatchback and CR-V, and we look forward to bringing it very soon to our all new Civic Tourer".

The MPG Marathon is designed to be a true real world test that demonstrates the benefits to both the environment and the motorist's back pocket of employing simple, smarter driving techniques. This year's event saw the introduction of a new 'navigational scatter' format with competitors required to visit a number of fixed points via the route of their choice, as opposed to the fixed route used in previous years. As a result, drivers were faced with a number of decisions to find the optimum route, without incurring time penalties. The location, speed and direction of travel of each competitor were monitored in real-time by TRACKER satellite tracking technology fitted to each vehicle.

Ross Durkin, Managing Editor of Fleet World Group and organiser of the MPG Marathon comments:

"We aim to make the MPG Marathon as representative of everyday driving as possible. Some economy driving events have got a bit of a bad name with contestants crawling along and holding up the traffic, but that's certainly not a criticism that can be levelled at this year's MPG Marathon. The new format meant that hardly any drivers took the same route and it was absolutely fascinating to follow their progress via the TRACKER website."

The new Civic 1.6 i-DTEC offers a class-leading combination of fuel economy and performance - emitting only 94 g/km of CO2 with a powerful 120PS. The engine is the first to be launched in Europe under Honda's flagship Earth Dreams Technology environmental programme; offering customers an outstanding balance of high fuel economy, low emissions and dynamic performance.

The Civic 1.6 i-DTEC is currently available from £229 per month, with 0% APR representative, and on Honda Contract Hire from £165+VAT per month. The car also benefits from zero vehicle excise duty and a combined mpg of 78.5.

Please visit http://www.honda.co.uk/civic to find out more about the Civic range.

Contact

Honda Press OfficeHonda (UK)Office: +44(0)1753-590141Email: huk.pressoffice@honda-eu.com Ellie OstinelliHonda (UK)Office: +44(0)1753-590193Mobile: +44(0)7872-103205Email: ellie.ostinelli@honda-eu.com Dev MistryHonda (UK)Office: +44(0)1753-590-141Email: dev.mistry@honda-eu.com

SOURCE Honda (UK)