Earlier this year, Honda took away the diesel engine option for the Civic. We all started to wonder why did that happen? Honda usually doesn’t make such hasty decisions. The simple reason was that the engine did not receive its BS6-compliance (Bharat Stage 6) certification and, because carmakers couldn’t sell BSIV vehicles from April 1, 2020, the powerplant had to come off the Civic’s portfolio. Now, it is back! You can have the diesel mill in two variants – VX and ZX. The former costs Rs 20.75 lakh, whereas the latter wears a price tag of Rs 22.35 lakh.

The engine is a 1.6-litre, turbocharged unit and produces 118bhp/300Nm. And the only transmission option available with that powerplant is a 6-speed manual. Honda claims that the powertrain is efficient enough to return up to 23.9kmpl. Compared its direct rival, the Hyundai Elantra, the Civic diesel has 4bhp/50Nm more. But the Elantra diesel starts Rs 18.7 lakh and has the option of a manual gearbox. Another noteworthy fact is that the range-topping, diesel-fed Elantra costs less than the entry-level Civic diesel.

If you’re the sort of person who thinks that one should buy the Civic only with a petrol engine, that option is still available. The 1.8-litre, rev-happy i-VTEC engine churns out 139bhp/174Nm. But you cannot have that mill with a manual transmission as the only option available at the moment is a CVT.

Features? Well, Honda has done a fine job in this department. In VX form, the Civic offers stuff like 8-way powered driver’s seat, a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, a rear-view camera and ambient lighting. Opting for the ZX will expand the list of features with curtain airbags, lane-watch camera, 17-inch alloy wheels, electric sunroof with remote operation and rain-sensing wipers.

Good job, Honda, on bringing the diesel engine back! But, the Civic is considerably expensive than the Elantra. What’s more, the Elantra does offer more kit and has the backing of a more extensive service network. What do you think Honda could have done differently with the Civic?