Nissan Australia turns down diesel Murano

A POTENT and economical diesel engine has been added to the Murano range in Britain, but Nissan Australia has decided against bringing it here.

As GoAuto reported in March, Nissan Australia was considering the diesel version of the boldly styled crossover SUV, but the company has now confirmed it will not add it to the local range.

“We are not looking at taking that engine in the short term,” said Nissan Australia spokesman, Jeff Fisher.

“It is a lovely engine, but we are happy with the way the recently re-specced Murano is performing. It is doing a great job as a stand-alone mode.”

Mr Fisher said adding a diesel would add unnecessary complexity.

“Our objective is to simplify model line-ups rather than add more derivatives,” he said.

Nissan’s UK arm is much more enthusiastic about the diesel which it expects to account for 90 per cent of Murano sales in Britain.

The new 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel has peak power of 140kW and an impressive torque total of 450Nm delivered at 2000rpm.

This common-rail direct injection unit has just been added to the Pathfinder SUV and European-made Navara ute models in Australia, representing a 14kW and 47Nm increase over the previous engine.

The diesel Murano is fitted with a regular six-speed automatic transmission, helping it to an average fuel economy of just 8.0 litres per 100km and 210g/km of CO2 emissions.

The petrol Murano runs a 3.5-litre V6 with 191kW and 336Nm of torque hooked up to a continuously variable automatic transmission. In Britain, it has an average fuel economy number of 10.9/100km and produces 261g/km of CO2 emissions.

The diesel Murano will be distinguished from the petrol variant by a new grille and bumper with larger opening that not gives the vehicle a more imposing look but aids air flow to the diesel.

Nissan Australia recently re-specced the Murano, which was introduced in second-geneartion form last year. It added Bluetooth phone system with steering wheel controls and the keyless entry and start system to base ST model as well as adding a dual panel sunroof to the top-shelf Ti model.