The European market version of Nissan’s compact crossover, the Juke, has received the latest generation 1.5 dCi engine with increased torque, greater fuel economy, lower emissions and the adoption of Stop/Start.
Developed by Nissan’s alliance partner Renault, the new version of the direct injection diesel engine also comes with reduced noise levels for greater refinement and revised gear ratios for improved drivability and fuel efficiency.
The engine’s maximum torque has been boosted by 20 Nm (15 lb-ft) to 260 Nm (192 lb-ft), 80 percent of which is available from as low as 1,500 rpm. The combined cycle fuel economy has dropped to 4.2 liters/100 km (56 US mpg) – down from 4.8 l/100 km (49 US mpg). Naturally, CO2 emissions have also improved, with the current value being 109 g/km. We should point out that these figures correspond to the 4×2 version of the Juke 1.5 dCi.
Technical changes to the diesel engine include the adoption of revised piezo-electric fuel injection nozzles, which now have a more precise spray pattern for better combustion (with as much as 15% less un-burnt fuel) and a new, more responsive, low-inertia variable geometry turbocharger fed by a more direct – and more efficient – air intake path.
The Euro6-compliant engine also features Nissan’s automatic Start/Stop system, which ensures the engine restarts within 0.5 seconds of the clutch being engaged. Changes have also been made to the gear ratios, with the 1st and 2nd ratios being a little shorter to allow sharper responses at low speeds, while the remaining four ratios are slightly longer to take advantage of the improved torque.
The engine’s overall power output remains at 110PS (109hp) while performance figures are also unchanged – top speed of 175 km/h (109 mph) and a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in 11.2 seconds. The 1.5 dCi engine has accounted for approximately 40 percent of Juke sales since the model’s launch in 2010.
By Dan Mihalascu
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