The clean diesel V6 you see above will supposedly find a home under the hood of the Nissan Maxima sometime in 2010. Back in April in 2007, Nissan announced it would offer an oilburner in the Maxima, but that was before the price of diesel spiked well above gasoline. That price increase, combined with the huge drop in car sales over the past 12 months, has caused most of the non-German automakers planning US market diesels to seriously reconsider or cancel there plans altogether. That's a shame, because if this engine is anywhere near is as good as some of the others we driven, Americans would probably love it.

The diesel V6 is a joint project between Nissan and Renault, with both companies contributing half of the development cost. It's got all the latest diesel goodies including a 23,000 psi common rail injection system, EGR and a particulate filter to eliminate soot. About three-quarters of the total production will be used by Nissan, largely for Euro market Infinitis like the FX and G series, while Renault will install most of its share in the new Laguna coupe. If the 235 hp/331 lb-ft diesel does make into the US Maxima, it will probably get EPA numbers in the range of 25/35 mpg city/highway. Hit the jump to check out a video tour of the engine.



http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/07/r...deo/#continued

 

Ya gotta love the torque of a diesel.

 

I actually was expecting maybe a bit more torque? 375ish wouldn't be so bad.

 

As cool as that gorgeous V-6 diesel is, unless Nissan is confident it can pass the EPA test cycles with higher mileage figures, it's going to be difficult to make a good business case for offering it. With the price of diesel today, mileage in the upper twenties (city) and upper thirties or low forties (highway) would be enough to attract North American consumers.

Of course, there's always the durability factor that might make a diesel Maxima supremely attractive to some Max owners, but cost enters the picture as well. Let's not forget what a stellar performer the VQ has been, and is. The turbo diesel would have to top an engine that offers excellent thermal efficiency, smoothness and power for the A36.

 

Very good video i will love hear a real time scenario sound clip...

 

What tranny are they gonna be pairing this with? 5AT? I 've heard rumors that CVTs dont like high torque.

 

nice engine. to bad it's not turbo'd. i doubt they would use a CVT with it but who knows. nissan does weird stuff.

 

Great find, I knew that Diesel was going to be the future of vehicles in the US, soon you will see more and more manufacturers start to offer diesel.

331ft lbs of torque, damn, this car ought to be nice on the highway.

 

it is a turbo diesel, it is looking good, even with the increases in diesel prices.

 

I don't think I would want to sacrifice horsepower for a diesel.235 hp,that's moving backwards isn't it.The Max hasn't had 235 hp since the 2001 gen in I'm correct.I would like to see maybe a hybrid for better gas mileage without giving up my power.

 

Give up power? When we talk power, TORQUE is just as important as HP. Did you notice that this turbo-diesel has 331 ft lbs of torque? That is SEVENTY more than the current Maxima gasoline engine can muster.

The price of diesel fuel is getting back nearer that of gasoline. This diesel engine will not only get measurably higher MPG, but should last longer. The main delay on the diesel Maxima at this moment is that auto sales are at their lowest in modern history. Not exactly the time for a splashy intro for anything.

Nissan promised us a diesel Maxima, and at some point (probably this year), we will see a diesel Maxima.

 

Nissan really wants to showcase it's CVT and having it in their flagship (diesel) sedan wouldn't surprise me. With all that low end torque and a properly programmed CVT they may be able to maximize the fuel economy better than a 5/6 spd AT. With a light foot you could drive that thing all over town without ever exceeding 2000 RPM! A heavy foot would make for some interesting launches, but a manual or the G37 tranny would probably better suited for spirited driving.

 

BMW 3.0L diesels range from 380-430 lb/ft of torque, so there is some room to improve. A variable twin turbo system would be nice, but is probably cost prohibitive for Nissan/Renault to use in their sedans, but Infiniti might like to try a 275HP, 400 lb/ft diesel in their new D30 sedan (just kidding - doesn't exist).