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At last: the Chrysler PT Cruiser, previously only available in the UK with a slightly weedy 2.0-litre petrol engine, is on offer with a strong diesel unit, "the engine PT Cruiser fans have been waiting for and asking for a long time", according to Chrysler's Executive Director of International Sales Thomas Hausch, speaking at the car's launch at the Brussels Motor Show last month. The days of the PTC as a must-have fashion accessory are over - the new MINI has seen to that - but there's still plenty of less trend-setting buyers out there that like the look of it, but want something that's practical and useful as well as eye-catching.
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The 2.2-litre common-rail diesel (CRD) engine is already familiar in the DaimlerChrysler range, appearing already in the Mercedes C-Class, E-Class and V-Class models. However, due to the comparatively smaller space in the PTC's engine bay, it is mounted in an east-west configuration, has additional balancer shafts and has received a small number of minor modifications, including a different turbocharger and intercooler and smaller intake and exhaust manifolds. These mean a lower output (121 bhp) than in the C-Class and E-Class (141 bhp), though it's as powerful as the version in the large, heavy V-Class. The transmission is also based on a Mercedes set-up, albeit also slightly modified to suit the PTC.
Chrysler predicts that the CRD will account for around 30% of PTC sales in the UK, and nearly half of all sales across Europe. As demand has "steadied out", UK sales are predicted to remain at around 4,300 for the year, despite this addition; the new models that could really stimulate demand again will be the yet-to-be confirmed convertible ("very close to being signed off for production", said a Chrysler spokesman), and the 2.4-litre petrol turbo. Still, the 40.9 mpg economy of the CRD should put it on a fair few purchasers' shopping lists in place of the 2.0-litre petrol version. This engine won't, however, be offered in the PT Cruiser's spiritual home, North America - diesel just doesn't figure in the American automotive dream.
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