Not content with passing the one-million cars produced mark Nissan looks set to rub salt into the wounds of its crossover competitors with news of a new engine for the Qashqai range. Replacing the old 2.0-litre dCi engine is a new 1.6-litre diesel that promises better economy and lower emissions than the unit it replaces.

The new 1.6-litre dCi engine, which will be fitted to both Qashqai and Qashqai+2 models, is said to be more than 30 percent more frugal than the old 2.0-litre lump, returning 62.8mpg on the combined cycle - an improvement of almost 15mpg. As well as being cheaper on fuel the new engine is set to make the Qashqai cheaper to tax with initial offerings emitting only 129g/km - though this is set to drop to 119g/km early next year when the Qashqai gains Nissan's latest stop-start system.

The new engine is down on power compared to the 2.0-litre version, having dropped from 148- to 128bhp but Nissan engineers have dropped the revs needed to reach peak torque of 236lb.ft from 2,000- to 1,750rpm. This is set to make in-gear acceleration brisker than before.

"This is a remarkable engine," said Paul Willcox, Senior Vice President, Nissan Europe. "It provides the dynamic driving performance which matches that of the outgoing 2.0-litre dCi yet produces fuel consumption and emission figures equal to or better than our existing 1.5-litre dCi unit."

In addition to the new engine the Nissan Qashqai will also gain the Around View Monitor. The system, which will be standard fitment on Qashqai and Qashqai+2 Tekna models, adds three additional cameras to the existing rear view system to display a real time 360-degree view of the Qashqai's surrounding environment on the car's Connect navigation system.

Read our first drive of the 1.6-litre dCi engine in a Renault Scenic.

Paul Healy - 5 Sep 2011