MAZDA is looking to capitalise on growing demand for diesel Down Under with the release of a more frugal version of its popular 3.

Diesel is all the rage in Europe where more than 52 per cent of cars run on it.

Despite it being more expensive than petrol, we are warming to the idea because a tank can take us about 30 per cent farther and there is greater engine longevity.

Almost 10,000 diesel passenger vehicles have been sold in Australia this year and this is nearly double last year’s figure.

Mazda has been buoyed by the success of its diesel 6 launched last October. The Japanese brand had budgeted for 50 sales a month but has reported an average of 104 per month.

So enter the diesel Mazda3.

The 3 is Mazda’s biggest seller with more than 250 hatch and sedan variants zooming out of dealerships each month. This is up a almost 15 per cent on 2006.

Mazda Australia chief Doug Dickson says the 2.0-litre MZR-CD diesel-powered 3 will add another 130 sales per month.

It too, is available in sedan or hatch at a price of $30,500. This is $3000 more than the petrol models but comes with the promise of long-term savings.

Its only competitor in the small-car segment is the Renault Megane sedan.

The 3 diesel comes with all the style, comfort and class of the petrol 3.

It is available with the same generous equipment levels found in petrol-powered Maxx Sport models but adds Dynamic Stability Control and Traction Control.

Standard features include air-conditioning, power windows and mirrors, cruise control, six-disc CD changer, wheel mounted audio and cruise controls, reach and rake steering adjustment and an iPod compatible AUX jack.

The Diesel’s safety package also includes dual front, front side and head protecting airbags (six in total) and ABS anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Emergency Brake Assist.

The Mazda3 Diesel shares its 300mm ventilated front (up 22mm on the 2.0-litre petrol Mazda3’s front discs) and 280mm solid rear disc brakes (up 15mm on the 2.0-litre car’s rear discs) with 2.3-litre petrol Mazda3 SP23 variants.

Like the petrol Maxx Sport models, the new Mazda3 Diesel, which can be identified by MZR-CD badges on both front doors, also features a body kit and 16x6.5 alloy wheels

The biggest plus, of course, is astounding range.

You only have to drop into servos to pick up a latte with this little beauty.

It is capable of travelling more than 900km on a single tank, sipping an average of 6 litres for every 100km covered.

With mainly highway driving, this drops to 5.4 litres for every 100km, which makes it competitive with hybrid models.

Another great attraction is the fact there is no trade-off in performance by taking the diesel option.

The 2.0-litre common rail turbo diesel engine is a high-tech number that, once stirred a little, really delivers some surprising results.

It produces 105kW of power at 3500rpm, but more interestingly 360Nm of delicious torque at 2000rpm.

The engine is well-mated to a slick six-speed manual transmission.

Noise-wise, you can tell it is a diesel at idle, but the Mazda is far from being a truck.

The only real contention is the price, which would be much more attractive below the 30K psychological barrier and closer to the petrol choice.

All attributes considered, however, the diesel 3 is sure to help propel Mazda towards another record result in Australia.