My entry to diesel-dom is no longer in my yard, but is still driven daily by my brother. This was an '83 Nissan Maxima diesel; 2.8 liter six with 5-speed stick. At 270,000 plus miles I was still getting 28-30 mpg if I kept it at 60-65 mph. It's a marvelous hill climber, although with the manual tranny you can generate some black smoke without too much effort.
The engine is very beefy, especially at low end. As an experiment one day, sitting stopped on level ground on a residential street, I left it at idle, put in 4th gear and let out the clutch. Before reaching the end of the block, I was motoring along at 18 mph without so much as a hiccough.
Definitely had a different song than a MB, a bit more clattery at idle. It has a slight edge in starting up cold in the winter, although my 78 MB has agreed to fire up more or less regularly at 12-15 degrees. There is, however, no comparison in the ride. Nothing finer than motoring through the Big Sky behind the wheel of your Benz.
Decided to sell the Maxima because more and more sheet metal was disappearing via the Ugly Rust Monster.