It looks like Honda might be the next carmaker to follow the trend of using smaller, turbocharged powerplants, and it could happen as soon as the next-gen Civic.
Yoshiharu Yamamoto, head of Honda’s Research and Development indicated that “downsized turbocharging” would come standard on base models, even for the Civic and that a substantial number of their models would sport turbos. Fret not, there will still be the odd naturally aspirated engines still in the line-up.
The engine reportedly is a turbocharged 1.5 liter four-cylinder that offers better fuel economy, lower emissions and the power of a naturally aspirated mill of between 2.0 and 2.4 liters. Since the current Civic gets about 140 horsepower from its 1.8-liter four that suggests a healthy power bump for the future model.
Making the news even more tantalizing, the new Civic with the 1.5 liter turbo could be revealed before the end of the year. Honda first mentioned a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in 2013 along with the 2.0 liter turbo now in the Civic Type R in Europe. At the time, the brand said these engines would appear in “a number of future global models.”
