Micra Diesel starts at Rs 5.85 lakh

Nissan has just launched the diesel version of its Micra hatch. The Micra diesel is available in two trim levels; XV and XV Premium, and the prices are Rs 5.85lakh and Rs 6.33lakh respectively (prices ex-showroom Mumbai).

The Micra diesel will is powered by the same 1.5-litre dCI motor powering the Mahindra Logan – churning out 63bhp and 16.3kgm of max torque. Option of a diesel engine has made the Micra a very strong contender in its segment. With the combination of light kerb weight and the potent 1.5 dCI motor, the diesel hatch has smooth power delivery, sufficient power and breathtaking fuel economy. Although Micra’s engine is an 8-valve motor, the engine is larger than the Swift’s 16-valve engine unit. As per the company claims, the diesel hatch would give efficiency figure of 23.08kpl and would hit the 100kph mark in 14.37 sec, half a second slower than the Swift diesel, which is not a bad thing.

The top-of-the-line XV Premium gets larger 15inch wheels and wider tyres (175/60 R15) as compared to the XV variant that comes with 165/70 R14 tyres – similar to the petrol Micra. The overall height of the diesel variant is slightly lower at 1525mm as compared to the petrol variant's 1530mm. Kerb weight for the XV variant stands at 992kg, going upto 1008kg for the XV Premium variant.

In addition to the petrol variants, the Micra diesel gets body coloured rear spoiler, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob. However, features like security alarm system, front passenger airbag, ABS, EBD and Brake Assist are missing from the diesel Micra.

Nissan India has already commenced pre-order bookings of the Micra diesel and customers can book the diesel hatch for an initial booking amount of Rs 50,000 through all 20 Nissan dealerships across India. The company is also aggressively ramping up their sales and service network.

The Micra diesel will be rolled out from Nissan’s manufacturing plant at Oragadam, near Chennai. The company also plans to export the diesel hatch to South Africa, starting 2011. In the first five months, Nissan managed to sell 4,500 units of the petrol hatch.