Question of the Day: Do We Want A Convertible Murano?
As you may or may not have seen, Nissan is building a convertible Murano. OK, so… besides the obvious question (what were they drinking?), I'm starting to see the 4-door crossover drop top as a good idea. A few reasons why. I recently drove the new Murano. It was so dull that not only do I barely remember spending a week with it, but the TTAC governing body told me to not even bother with a review (it would have been a Second Take, granted). Besides looking like a moon buggy, the 17 mpg soft-roader has nothing going for it. Hacking off the roof could only help. Additionally, as an American loving American, I proudly stand behind all 4-door convertibles. No other cars so perfectly capture our fading but still proud space race zeitgeist. And since the domestics aren't building one, go Nissan! Finally, one of my least favorite rental cars — the PT Cruiser — is improved by at least 500% once the top comes off. You?
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That thing is hideous. Somehow, it's even worse than the ordinary Murano. And what exactly is the point of a convertible Murano? Has Nissan (and the rest of the industry come to think of it) so saturated the market with different vehicle configurations that they really need to come up with this silliness? BTW, don't know if anyone else noticed, but the Murano in the photo is the last generation model, not the current one. Some have proposed the idea of a 4 door Cadillac convertible. I think that's a neat idea, but they sure can't do it with the DTS. Unitized construction + 4 doors - top = major body flex. I know there are unitized 2 door convertibles, but throw 4 doors into the equation and I think that's a recipe for structural issues. Even with reinforcing it would probably have all the rigidity of a wet noodle. The scenario would be altogether different if it were a body on frame design. And for that matter, isn't the Murano of unitized contruction as well? I wonder how Nissan will overcome the structural issues.
Nice job 'shopping that pop-up roll bar in there guys! Ewww, nasty - hope Nissan doesn't drink that Kool-Aid.
Wow that thing is ugly. Uglier than my 05 STi, which is pretty ugly!
No animals were injured in the making of this car, so why not? There are many more pointless vehicles out there so I don't feel the need to attack Nissan for thinking up another one. If you don't like it, don't buy it. While Cadilac, or more properly Lincon, should revive the 4 door convertible, I'll give a few points to Nissan for trying even though it is not a very attractive attempt.