The demand for cleaner cars is growing steadily and car manufacturers are rising to the occasion by developing and producing environment friendly cars. In the United States, the popular technology used on clean cars is gas-electric hybrid technology. These vehicles make use of an electric motor to provide additional power to the vehicle.
Meanwhile, in Europe, diesel engines are the current trend in “green” car technology. It is so popular in the continent that even luxury cars manufactured by European car manufacturers are equipped with diesel engines.
Asian car manufacturers on the other hand are using the hybrid technology widely. Toyota and Honda are currently leading the hybrid auto revolution in the United States. While the two biggest Japanese car companies are investing heavily on hybrid technology, the Nissan Motor Corporation, a Japanese company, is joining the ranks of European car manufacturers by producing clean diesel engines for their vehicles.
Recently, Nissan announced that they have started the production of the Nissan QASHQAI. The QASHQAI is marketed in the United States under the name Rouge. It is a compact crossover sport utility vehicles and it will be Nissan’s diesel engined vehicle entry to the European auto market. The engine of the QASHQAI is a 2.0-liter dCi engine. The said powerplant is capable of producing 150 horsepower at 4,000 revs per minute.
One of its strongest selling points is its fuel efficiency. The engine has a gas mileage rating of 42.8 miles per gallon. That figure makes the Nissan QASHQAI one of the most fuel efficient vehicle in its class. Consumers will have a choice of transmission. Nissan offers a manual transmission and a six-speed automatic transmission which is considered to be an oddity in the compact crossover SUV class.
The diesel engine is the fruition of the collaboration between Nissan and its French partner Renault. The engine, according to Nissan, perfectly combines power and refinement. While the engine provides a high power output, it produces less sound than one would expect from a diesel engines. The smooth operation of the engine can even be compared to the gentle purring of a Nissan window motor.
What gives the engine a significantly quiet operation is the aluminum bedplate at the bottom of the engine. The said bedplate is designed to absorb much of the vibrations during operation. Other factors that contribute to the smooth and quiet operation of the engine are the twin counter rotating balancer shafts. It counters the vibration produced by the rotation of the crankshaft.
Nissan expects that the diesel engine will become the most popular engine amongst Nissan car buyers. With the performance, refinement, and good fuel efficiency, Nissan’s prediction is definitely within reach.
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