The new Buick Encore is launching now in the U.S. barly a few weeks after the debut of its European cousin, the Opel Mokka. That Mokka is a great little crossover. It has only one flaw: and old diesel engine. An Isuzu-born unit, it’s noisy and it has a very limited power band if the driver wants to enjoy the turbo. The driver must like shifting gears, but this new 1.6-liter CDTI Ecotec will change everything. This is an aluminum block with the best clean tech on the market, since all versions of this new engine will be fully compliant with the harsh upcoming Euro 6 low emission regulation.

Then power looks really impressive for so little displacement. 136-hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. All that from a compact and low-weight 1.6-liter diesel! Volkswagen is widely known as a leader in diesel development, but it only gets 105-hp from its competing engine with the same displacement.

Besides power and torque, the main reason which draws people to buy diesels is fuel economy, and this new engine should not disappoint here. Opel, the European arm of General Motors which will be the main seller of this new engine, says that it’s up to 10% thriftier than its actual 2.0-liter 130-hp diesel. That should translate in the Opel Insignia (sold as the Buick Regal in the U.S.) getting 50 mpg on the road, and the Opel Mokka would be even more economical. This engine will also get into the Opel Astra (Buick Verano) for the enjoyment of thousands of drivers in Europe. No word about the American market yet, but Chevrolet has already announced a diesel engine for the Cruze, without giving any details about which engine will be used. Let’s bet it’s going to be this new unit.