When Honda introduced the all-new Civic in April, it came with a tantalizing bit of standard equipment: fuel economy combined with power. The seemingly contradictory goals of achieving high fuel mileage and satisfying power output were supposedly embodied in the 1.8 liter sedan. The car promised the power of a 2-liter engine with the fuel economy of a 1.5-liter. Key to this achievement is Honda’s iVTEC variable valve-timing and lift technology. i-VTEC infinitely varies the valve timing to optimize fuel efficiency at low revs and power output at high revs, while also extending the valve lift when needed.

We verified Honda’s claims of excellent mileage each time we drove the Civic 1.8, and it also delivered pleasing acceleration. To reinforce its claim, Honda decided to conduct a fuel-efficiency challenge for its mainstream sedan, for its customers and the media.

Fuel-mileage challenges are run frequently in this market, and some end up publishing incredibly high-efficiency results. For this edition of its Fuel Eco-run, Honda decided to field not its usual fuel-sipping City or Jazz but the Civic 1.8, and to do the driving not in optimum highway and early-morning conditions. The goal was to prove its fuel efficiency claims for the Civic, and conduct a realistic city-driving mileage run.

The route was shorter than most fuel eco-runs, covering roughly 34 km from San Juan to Makati. The trick was we had to take a circuitous route from Greenhills to Katipunan to Quezon Avenue to Quiapo to Roxas Boulevard, then finally to Kamagong in Makati. On a late Saturday morning. This was a route that any traffic-phobic motorist would hate, and it would surely drive down the efficiency of the test cars.

Before fueling the cars, the drivers were also loaded up with a heavy breakfast. Then the Civics were filled to the brim with Total Unleaded. After a one-minute pause, the tanks were again filled, and then sealed up. As soon as Arnel Doria of Honda Cars, Raymond Decena of Total Philippines, and Mario Marasigan of the Department of Energy waved the ceremonial flag, the cars were off.

We peeled off gingerly along Ortigas Avenue, eyes on the tachometer. Revs are not free, as far as efficiency is concerned, and we were determined to keep them down. The Civic thankfully provided sufficient torque from just off idle, and we had enough acceleration even keeping the engine from going past 2000 rpm. The four-cylinder was eager to rev, but we had to resist the impulse to let her rip.

The drive along Ortigas Avenue through White Plains was smooth, with light traffic all the way to Katipunan. We passed two of our friendly competitors, our colleagues from Top Gear led by Vernon B. Sarne, and the Manila Times-Business Mirror tag-team Ira Panganiban and Andy Sevilla. They seemed to be squeezing their accelerator even more gently than we were, but we couldn’t second-guess our own driving style.

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