New 'No-compromise' Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC Scoops Gold for Green in Tow Car Awards

LONDON--June 14, 2013:

Honda's new Civic 1.6 i-DTEC ES has scooped the Green Award at the 2013 Tow Car Awards; as well as beating off stiff competition to be crowned the most fuel efficient model in this year's judging.

The Green Award is based on a combination of fuel efficiency, low emissions and towing ability. The Civic was independently tested towing a Swift caravan - weighted to 85 per cent of its kerbweight - the maximum weight recommended for secure and stable towing. The no-compromise frugal Civic capably carried out its duties pulling its caravan from 30-60mph in a very respectable 18.7 seconds.

The Tow Car Awards is a joint venture between Practical Caravan, What Car? and The Camping and Caravanning Club, with caravans and technical support supplied by the Swift Group. Each car goes through a series of towing tests at the MIRA proving ground, including 30-60mph acceleration, 30-0mph braking, a hill start and an emergency lane-change test.

The judges particularly singled out the Civic for its true MPG performance. David Motton, tow car editor, Practical Caravan, commented: "Some cars get nowhere near their official fuel economy figures in normal driving, but in independent testing by the What Car? True MPG team the Civic 1.6 i-DTEC achieved 66.4mpg. That makes it the most fuel-efficient car in this year's tests."

Phil Crossman, Managing Director at Honda (UK) added: "This award once again confirms the new Civic's status as a fantastic package of power, performance and efficiency. It might be one of the smallest cars which took part in the judging but it's proved to be more than capable at towing while maintaining excellent fuel economy."

David Motton, tow car editor, Practical Caravan concludes: "The Civic is the car to choose if you want excellent fuel economy and stable towing. It's a worthy winner of this year's Green Award."

Judges of the Tow Car Awards include the editor of Practical Caravan magazine, the tow car editor of Practical Caravan, the deputy road test editor of What Car?, and the technical department at The Camping and Caravanning Club.

Cars aren't just rated for their towing ability. What Car?'s expert road test team score each car for regular driving, safety, running costs and value for money. The Camping and Caravanning Club's technical team check practical details such as boot space, how easily extension mirrors can be fitted, and whether the spare wheel provision is suitable for towing. Forty six cars were tested as part of this year's awards, with the aim of finding cars which are great to tow with, good value and easy to live with in everyday driving.

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 debut of the new small diesel engine on the British-built Civic marks an exciting new chapter in the history of Honda diesels. 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 exciting performance.