The Latest Diesel: Clean and Economical

Diesel passenger cars, once branded as "smoky villains" and effectively banished from Japan, have evolved dramatically. Especially in the European market, remarkable technological advancements have led to a proliferation of clean and economical diesel models. In that region, one out of every two new car registrations is now a diesel.

While it's no exaggeration to say that diesel cars were nearly wiped out in Japan for a time, the launch of the "Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI Avantgarde" (3-liter V6 / 8.58 million yen) in the fall of 2006 generated buzz. Following this, domestic and international automakers are reportedly considering their own diesel offerings.

The diesel engine featured in the X-TRAIL is the "M9R," a 2-liter unit jointly developed with Nissan's partner, Renault. The "20GT" will be the first model to comply with Japan's "Post New Long-Term Regulations" (effective October 2009), which are among the strictest in the world.

Fuel Economy of 15.2 km per Liter

This latest common-rail diesel engine boasts torque comparable to a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine from low RPMs, significantly reduces emissions of harmful substances like nitrogen oxides (NOx) through a newly developed catalytic converter, and achieves excellent fuel efficiency of 15.2 km/liter in the 10-15 mode test.

With specifications of 173 ps at 3750 rpm and a maximum torque of 36.7 kgm at 2000 rpm, the abundant torque generated from a standstill promises powerful acceleration. Furthermore, fuel economy is advertised as "approximately 30% better than a comparable 2.5-liter gasoline engine," making it kind to your wallet in these times of high oil prices. Noise, a traditional drawback of diesel engines, has also been addressed through improvements to components like the injectors, resulting in a quieter ride.

The X-TRAIL diesel offers so many advantages. Its only drawback is the 6-speed manual transmission. This is Japan, the land of automatic transmissions, not Europe. How widely it will be adopted remains to be seen. Nissan aims to sell 100 units per month.

The 4WD model is priced at 2,999,850 yen. While about 400,000 yen more expensive than the top-tier 2.5-liter gasoline model, it offers fuel efficiency that is 3.6 km per liter better.