ABOUT five years ago, Honda Australia stumped up a diesel-engined Civic sedan for motoring journalists to sample ahead of a possible introduction to the market.

Japan-built for the British market, still wearing its miles-per-hour speedo, and featuring a growly, noisy and distinctly vibey 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, it was an interesting introduction to the idea that a frugal version of Honda’s small-car fare was possible, although leaving some room for improvement.

Turn the clock forward to today, and a new version of Honda’s oil-burning Civic has introduced itself to the Australian market - although this time around it is a British-built hatchback specifically for Australia, features a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, and marks a big shift forward for the company.

It’s just a shame there is no automatic gearbox - for now.

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