Infiniti EX30d news - Infiniti: now with added diesel - 2010

We have muchly enjoyed driving all of Infiniti's range since the launch of Nissan's luxury brand in the UK late last year. However, we have had one consistent gripe: the complete and total lack of a diesel engine in the line-up.

Now our gripe has been... er, ungriped. Or something. Infiniti has announced that both the EX and FX are now available with a new 3.0-litre V6 diesel.

This is the first time Infiniti has offered a diesel in its 20-year history, and the engine sounds like a good 'un: it develops 235bhp and, more importantly, 406lb ft of torque, putting it somewhere between the ‘30' and ‘35' iterations of BMW's six-cylinder diesel.

The EX30d (Infiniti's BMW X1 rival) will manage 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds, while the FX30d (that's the X6 contender) cracks it in 8.3 seconds.

Built in conjunction with Renault - Nissan's ‘Alliance' partner - the diesel engine is substantially different to the V6 found in the Renault Laguna and Espace. It features direct injection, and the block is constructed from compacted graphite iron.

"Whether at idle or at 2,000rpm such is the refinement of the new diesel engine that the only way a driver will know what's under the bonnet is by looking at the rev counter and seeing where the red line falls," says Infiniti's Jim Wright.

We shall see if that's the case when we drive the diesel Infinitis later this year.