Nissan Micra DIG-S revealed

The Nissan Micra DIG-S - frugal, clean and quick

You do have to admire what car makers have done on the economy front in recent years. Much of it spurred on by legislation, admittedly, but impressive nonetheless.

And what Nissan has done with the range-topping Nissan Micra – the Nissan Micra DIG-S – is a perfect example of having your cake and eating it. And makes the expense of small hybrids and electric city cars seem pointless.

For the Micra DIG-S, with its supercharged 1.2 litre petrol engine, manages to deliver almost 70mpg whilst emitting just 95g/km CO2. Which means it’s not just a perfect city car, it’s a free-from-congestion-charge city car and a free-from-VED city car.

It also has the huge advantage that, whilst matching comparable diesels on CO2 emissions and economy, it wipes the floor with the diesels on the emissions that really count – particulates and NoX.

The power is down to an engine that use the Miller Cycle – basically the opposite effect of the Atkinson Cycle found in many Toyota Hybrids. The Miller cycle delivers more performance from less capacity by delaying the closure of the inlet valve on compression, and using cooler air from the supercharger, allowing the use of a higher compression ratio of 13:1.

That means the little 1.2 litre 3-pot delivers power and performance you’d expect from a 1.5 litre engine, but the economy and emissions of a 3-pot 1.2. Very impressive. And even the better equipped models – the Acenta and Tekna – still manage the same performance and emit just a smidge more CO2 – 99g/km.

No prices yet, but we should have by Geneva.

By Cars UK