Defunct Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid's Powertrain Reappears in the Murano
When the Pathfinder Hybrid quietly ended production early last year, it didn’t spell the end of Nissan’s electrified crossover plans in the U.S. The powertrain has now been resurrected in another model, but there’ll be slim pickings for U.S. buyers, according to AutoGuide (via Hybrid Cars).
The Nissan Murano Hybrid bows as a 2016 model, and its specifications can more or less be directly imported from a 2014 Pathfinder brochure. However, the new model’s fuel economy is higher than its spiritual predecessor.
Only 600 units of the Murano will make it to U.S. shores, and when they do, expect a price bump of $3,000 over a regular model’s SL and Platinum trim lines. Under the hood, a supercharged version of the automaker’s sturdy 2.5-liter four-cylinder works in combination with an electric motor and continuously variable transmission, boosting mileage by four to five miles per gallon. Combined output is 250 horsepower.
The EPA lists mileage for front-wheel-drive models at 28 mpg city, 31 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined. All-wheel-drive models are rated 26 mpg city, 30 mpg highway, and 28 mpg combined.
Identifiable only my minimal badging, the stealthy Murano Hybrid packs on 170 pounds (in AWD guise) thanks to the added hardware.
Nissan clearly realizes that hybrids are a tough sell in today’s marketplace, because the limited numbers being shipped to the U.S. seems to be based on a realistic sales projections.
[Image: © 2015 Mark Stevenson/The Truth About Cars]
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I like the Murano. I like hybrids. I like a Murano with a supercharged engine. It all sounds good to me. The only issue with me will always be the upcharge for the hybrid. Usually they make no sense.
These will be even more of a chore for the dealer techs to start up and run every few weeks like remnant unsold Quest inventory. With Nissan sales seem to be Rogue, Altima, Sentra. With the rest mainly peripheral.
Wait....there was a Pathfinder Hybrid????
A supercharged 2.5L 4-cyl that only puts out 250hp when combined with the electric motor? Is it a Miller-cycle, or why bother with the SC?