The Honda i-DSI engine in the City is the company’s second i-Series engine which was developed to achieve high fuel efficiency in compact cars. i-DSI stands for ‘Intelligent-Dual & Sequential Ignition’ and over each of the four compact combustion chambers are two spark plugs with ignition timing individually controlled for more rapid and complete combustion. The compact, lightweight design of the engine also contributes to collision safety while also enabling a cab-forward styling.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of the i-DSI concept, Honda Malaysia recently organized an event to allow customers and media prove the fuel efficiency of the engine. The event was also conducted under the watchful eyes of officials from Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM) who measured the fuel level in the tank at the start and end of the event.

16 participants (including four females) took part in the Eco-R event called F.E.A.T. (an acronym for Fuel Efficiency Automobile Test) which required driving at an average speed of 80 km/h in a normal manner, ie having the air-conditioning switched on during the drive, and luggage and spare tyre on board. The challenge of F.E.A.T was to use less than one tank of petrol (42 litres) to cover the entire route which was over 660 kms.

The participants started their challenge at the Honda Malaysia office Petaling Jaya, Selangor. The route took them up Cameron Highlands situated about 1,660 metres above sea level, and then to Bukit Merah.

The drive back to Honda Malaysia took place after a night’s rest. Meant to simulate conditions similar to a vacation trip with friends or family, each car had four occupants besides a boot full of items. Honda Malaysia also took it a step further by filling the many interior utility spaces and holders with water bottles and tit-bits for the occupants. All four team members were required to drive pre-determined legs of the event to better reflect the different driving styles of car owners.
 

Honda City
Honda Jazz


Commenting on the event, Honda Malaysia’s MD/CEO Atsushi Fujimoto said that the i-DSI engine is developed exclusively for compact vehicles such as the City and Jazz. This engine is particularly noted for its efficient fuel combustion and also gives high torque in the low-to-mid speed range, he explained.

“Together with the 7-mode Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) which gives smooth transmission and electronic power steering (EPS), the fuel efficiency is even better, he added.


The winning team with Honda Malaysia's MD/CEO, A. Fujimoto (centre)



The most economical car used only 25.29 litres of petrol to travel 662.5 kms and the team in the car comprised Jimmy Ng (27), Eric Goh (29), Sim Chee Kun (30) and Edwin Ng (28). They took home RM4,000 worth of prizes comprising Honda watches, RM1,000 worth of petrol vouchers, Honda Racing umbrellas and caps.

The other three cars achieved the following fuel consumption figures: 24.5 kms/litre, 23.3 kms/litre, 22.4 kms/litre, and the average for four cars was 24.1 kms/litre.

Three out of the four winners were Honda City i-DSI owners and they selected the i-DSI version specifically for its fuel efficiency feature.

Angie Ng, who took part in the all-female team, said: ”This has been a very good experience for my friends and I. We are very surprised that we can travel more than 660 kms with just one full tank of petrol. It has educated us on how efficient the engine is, and we will apply the driving habits of this challenge to how we drive every day.”