A perfect powertrain… for the United States, perhaps. As we all know, diesel is the name of the game across the pond in Europe, and Nissan has never offered its attractive midsize crossover with an oil burner. Until now, that is. For the 2011 model year, Nissan has fitted the Murano with an optional 2.5-liter four-cylinder diesel powerplant that musters up 190 horsepower and over 330 pound-feet of torque (450 newton meters).
This new torque-rich engine finds itself mated up to a six-speed automatic transmission with Adaptive Shift Control in lieu of the gasoline-powered model’s continuously variable unit. This combination delivers estimated fuel economy of 29 miles per gallon U.S. (35.3 mpg U.K.) on the Combined Cycle while emitting 210 grams of carbon emissions per kilometer. These figures are no doubt aided by the Murano’s first electric power regeneration system.
That’s not the only update our European friends get that we’ve yet to see in the States. Taking a close look at our high-res image gallery will reveal a more aggressive front fascia that Nissan claims was engineered to provide additional cooling airflow to the new diesel engine. It remains to be seen if the new toothy grin will show up in other markets, like, uh… ours. In any case, the diesel-equipped 2011 Murano will start at £37,795 in the UK – that’s a startling $58,000 USD, although that figure includes the UK’s massive Value Added Tax, among other market-specific considerations.
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