Californians designed it. Italy’s glass blowing artisans lent it their name. A Franco-Japanese alliance headed by a Brazilian CEO builds it in a Japanese factory. The Murano is a twenty-first century multinational mutt. Introduced in 2002, this strange beast has faithfully served owners in the great melting pot of America’s sprawling suburbs. In dog years, the model’s now 67 years old. And the CUV market has suddenly become more crowded than a backwoods puppy mill. So has Nissan’s crossbreed aged well, or is this old dog ready for the vet’s needle?
The Murano’s funky design caused quite a stir at launch. Ghosn’s goons had decided to break out of the generic Japanese gestalt with some bold moves; there was no mistaking the Murano for, um, anything else. Although it was not the first car-based CUV, it was the first to show sheetmetal that openly flaunted its pavement-only intentions– and how.
Aside from a minor facelift, the 2007 Murano’ strange sheetmetal remains largely unchanged. Its beak is still a long, severely swept proboscis with a toothy checkerboard grille. Its high waisted body carries the bulk of its bulk below the belt – not unlike Ralph Kramden of The Honeymooners’ fame –terminating in a wide, bulbous butt. The upswept rear D pillar continues to symbolize the design’s quirky aspirations; in direct contrast to the current CUV vogue for a downwards triangle.
In short, looking like an oversize anime Terrapin, the Murano’s styling says off-roader like a Lara Flynn Boyle pictorial says all-you-can-eat buffet.
My Glacial Pearl (i.e. white) test car offered executive class accommodations: supportive seats and elegant doors slathered in café latte leather (i.e. beige), tastefully accented by brushed aluminum panels. Meanwhile, the Murano’s instrument cluster serves up a modern interpretation of a classic sports car binnacle, in front of a windshield so steeply raked Swiss pistonheads will be tempted to yodel towards the distant intersection of glass and metal.
But wait, there’s more! The Murano also embodies an SUV’s yeoman work ethic. Its flat paneled center console is all right angles and plain Jane, glove-friendly switchgear. Unfortunately, it’s more work than it should be; learning how to navigate this maze of indistinct buttons and menus requires more practice than beginner’s chess.
Nissan calls the Murano’s motorized mélange “modern design meets instant versatility.” I call it multiple Murano disorder.
A 3.5-liter V6 Maxima hand-me-down engine powers Nissan’s not-so-cute ute. Fire up the Murano’s 240hp mill and it quickly and quietly settles into a distant hum. With AWD stifling potential wheelspin and 244 ft. lbs. of torque thrust available at 4400rpm, you’re free to jump on the throttle. And… wait.
As the Murano’s tachometer climbs to its peak, sporting drivers instinctively anticipate an upshift that never comes. Thanks to Nissan’s Xtronic CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), the Murano’s motor simply drones on unwaveringly, like a speedboat. On the positive side, the tranny is silky and efficient (20/24mpg). Nevertheless, the CUV’s CVT is dreadfully, unavoidably, interminably D-U-L-L. Trying to wring speed from this Godot-like drivetrain is like trying to get a cell phone company to waive an early termination fee.
Once you get the Murano up to speed, Nissan’s two-ton CUV is not so light on its feet. The Murano’s front strut and multilink rear suspenders keep the machine reasonably level through corners and during emergency stops. In SE trim, the Murano gets “sport-tuned” springs, and firmer struts and shock absorbers. Even in this guise, the Murano’s narcolepsy-inducing ride and handling have been tailored for the comfort-oriented driver.
Even worse, the Murano’s steering is squirrelly under full-throttle (both FWD and AWD models), squirrelly when tracking down the freeway, squirrelly over uneven surfaces and squirrelly through the twisties. When the tiller isn’t busy gently undulating in synch with the suspension’s motion, it’s as vague as a politician’s promise.
Of course, this complete lack of satisfying driving dynamics is endemic to all high-riding CUV’s with long suspension travel and thick sidewall tires. Except it isn’t. CUV’s from Acura, BMW and Honda steer with absolute squirrel-free precision, and not a small amount of tactile feedback.
That’s not to say that the Murano is either unsafe at any speed or uncontrollable through the bends. (Note: Loving parents should take care not to hoon with kids; the slick leather bench could result in an untidy pileup of children.) However, its [lack of] on-road personality underscores the $37k Murano’s niche: lux-o-barge on stilts.
The redesigned ’08 Murano is on its way– and just in time. Although Murano sales are still strong (up nearly 10% vs. last year) first-class CUV’s are everywhere; including the Honda Pilot, refreshed Toyota Highlander and Mazda CX7 (to name a few). What’s more, Nissan’s new Rogue threatens to steal sales from its slightly bigger brother. If the new Murano gets better driving dynamics and a proper slushbox, the model will continue to find plenty of willing homes.
98 Comments on “Nissan Murano Review...”
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William, how do you know that the Murano in was designed in California? I am pretty sure that it was designed in Japan.
The SE’s CVT has a mode where it mimics a manually-shiftable automatic. Did you have a chance to check that out?
The problem I’ve always had with the Murano is the minivan-like view over the IP. Also, it’s pricier than most competitiors.
I also had initial concerns about the CVT’s reliability, but have not heard of common failures.
To compare prices and real-world fuel economy:
http://www.truedelta.com/models/Murano.php
Here’s an example of a vehicle which breaks some of the moulds: it’s a funky design and packs a CVT.
Will, what’s your conclusion?
You think that maybe in the next generation they won’t make a so obviously badge engineered Infinity FX 35 (or whatever they call it)? I like the design but would not consider it because the Infinity was exactly the same minus the grill and tail lamps.
The Murano was designed 100% in Japan, by a very small japanese design team. I know Wikipedia says differently but we shouldn`t always believe what we read!! I just confirmed with the designer himself, who is a friend of mine.
So many times in the design world people are given credit for things they did not touch.
Nissan`s California design studio is a fantastic studio but they didn`t design this Murano.
Cheers.
My sources say designed in
CA
I was recently in the market for a CUV. I thought the Murano was overpriced compared to what else is out there. The Equinox and the Edge were a lot less money. I wound buying the Edge because of it’s new powertrain and it simply had a lot more value than it’s competitors.
Wow, you had me until “$37k.” I had no idea this was that much, I always put it just a small notch above the CRV/RAV and below the real midsize SUV crew. I suppose its being based on the Altima platform led me to believe pricing would be nearly in line with the sedan. Just seems too plain and common for that kind of money…
I know those are stock photos, but the version with the Euro plate looks like it’s on some low-profile rubber and aftermarket rims (20″+? It’s hard to tell on these larger vehicles).
windswords, the FX 35/45 is not a badge engineered Murano.
The FX is based off the 350Z platform, and as mentioned above, the Murano is based off the Altima platform.
They are not even close to “exactly the same”.
My wife has recently leased a Murano S (base model) and I have not found the steering to be squirrelly or vague maybe the upgraded sport suspension has something to do with this. Granted it is not as direct as my Accord V6 6M but it is much better than the Highlander she turned in. Otherwise everything else in the article is spot on. I would like it more with a proper manual gearbox but then I think every car should have a manual.
I believe sales are up due to better offers and incentives. 3 years ago we could not touch this car for budget reasons. This year we paid less for it than we were paying for the Highlander with no money out of pocket.
f the new Murano gets better driving dynamics and a proper slushbox, the model will continue to find plenty of willing homes.
Judging from NIssan’s recent Sentra with CVT and the Maxima with CVT only I’d say it’s a good bet that the next Murano will get an updated Xtronic CVT… Nissan seems pretty dedicated to the technology.
I haven’t driven a Murano in a while. But the CVT in the new Altima 3.5 behaves so well that I cannot imagine people not buying the car because of it–unless they’re operating off of preconceptions.
On the design, I saw a similar concept inside GM back in the mid-1990s, designed by a GM designer while working at Bertone in Italy on a GM-sponsored project. That and other concepts supplied by Bertone were the first time I saw headlamps extending well up into the fenders.
This has always led to suspect that Toyota and Nissan similarly contracted Bertone to create some concept cars, or that they were at least influenced by some Bertone concepts.
On the other hand, Bertone could have borrowed details from others, they may have just been floating around the global automotive design community at the time. People move around, and take what they’ve seen with them.
We have a 2004 Murano, bought last year for $25k with tax. It had about 35k miles and was loaded with everything but navigation. In 6 months and 5000 miles I found not a thing wrong with it. Well, one thing: there is a bit of sharp plastic in the rear door pocket, it can scratch your hand. Also, the car could be a little taller. I’m 6′3” and like to sit fairly vertically. My hair touches the ceiling (damn sunroof) when it starts getting too long. Time for a haircut!
We live in Chicago and were about to have a baby, so we wanted to get a roomy awd vehicle. I considered every non Detroit awd sedan, wagon and suv. The (all used) semifinalists were E300 4-matic wagon (has emergency only third row seats, maintenance too expensive), RX300 (doesn’t depreciate enough, too boring), various Honda and Toyota SUVs (the wife nixed them all as ugly), MDX (too bulky), 3-series wagon (too small), X5 (best driver in the bunch, maintenance too expensive), and the Murano (decent, wife liked the styling). We also considered a new FJ and the xB, just because the wife liked them. Eventually it came down to the X5 vs. Murano. For the same money, the Murano was 3 years younger, had more goodies, and Edmunds true cost to own was $10k lower over 5 years. So now we have a Murano. Whenever I start thinking we should have bought the X5, I go for a ride in my Boxster (2.5L) and all is forgotten.
I always appreciated the Murano for being different, even if I am not 100% behind the looks.
Notably, CAR magazine (UK) thinks of the Murano as a Lexus RX300 competitor. Not a horrible thought, really, and a better comparison on paper than the RX and Infiniti FX.
i dont have the need for a vehicle like this, but if i did, it would be on my short list because it is so cool looking. Also there would be the Mazda and Acura offerings, they are cool looking too.
So it is not a sports car! Does anyone really buy these things cause they want to have fun driving? I really hope not!
Excellent review! Thanks!
also – it looks like a Bertone design to me
Ash78,
I think the black Murano is the GTC high performance concept. It was tested by fifth gear, the video is on youtube.
“windswords, the FX 35/45 is not a badge engineered Murano.
The FX is based off the 350Z platform, and as mentioned above, the Murano is based off the Altima platform.
They are not even close to “exactly the same”.
Then they sure went to a lot of trouble to make them look badge-engineered.
Then they sure went to a lot of trouble to make them look badge-engineered.
Both the Murano and FX do share some design similarities inside/out, wouldn’t be surprised if the same folks did both vehicles. They were done in the days that Nissan had little money and got a controlling interest bought by Renault.
What?
The Murano and the FX don’t even sorta, kinda look alike.
One is innovative, athletic and a pure design statement — the other one is a Murano.
Thirty-seven THOUSAND Dollars for a Datsun? I thought it was the current iteration of the B-210.
Here are the differences between a CUV and a hatch back:
1) the CUV weights 500 lbs (or more) than the hatch back
2) the CUV probably has a AWD option while the hatch back probably doesn’t (and in a good portion of the country, the AWD opton doesn’t matter)
3) the CUV might have a 3rd seat which could seat, but if you really needed a 3rd seat, you’d probably opt for a bigger car
4) the CUV gets far worse gas mileage and worse handling than a hatch back
5) the CUV sits up higher than the hatch back, but with all the big SUVs out there, does it really matter???
These are just some of the reasons why an A3 will probably replace my 4Runner. And yes, I know the GTI is basically the same car for less money, but my wife insists she doesn’t look nearly as cute in the GTI as the A3.
The 2003 Altima which is FWD, has rear trailing arms with holes in them to accomodate RWD. This was a cheap way to make the same part for the Murano, FX35 and FX45 as well as the Atima. So under the skin, they’re all the same, but none of the others are as hideous, IMO, as the Murano. It is pure dreck to my eyes.
The same can be said of virtually all new cars to these old eyes. The new Acura RDX is particularly nasty up front, all conflicting angles, and the MDX follows suit. The Civic is completely wacko, and the new Camry, well, who had the nightmare?
We are not in a period of gracefully-shaped cars, and the Murano pretty well started the rot, if you can forget the Aztek.
We’ve had our Murano for four years and driven it 60,000 miles. It’s been a comfortable, serviceable, versatile, reliable, and generally enjoyable vehicle. It accelerates well enough for fast merges. It’s easy to handle on around-town chores and does well on long highway trips. The only problems: a slight rattle (sometimes) in the driver’s window, poor visibility of gauges in daylight (since rectified in later versions), and a failed alternator, replaced under warranty. (Just try to FIND the alternator!) Ours is the SL AWD version and averages about 21 mpg. Funk that works.
For 35k, you are almost in FX35 territory (with discounts). Now THAT is a gorgeous work of art on the road to hoonery….
How much easier is it to get kid seats out of this compared with the CX7, an Explorer type full size SUV and a sport wagon such as the Subaru or Audi offerings? We’re looking at trading in my wife’s 3 series lease, and with kid on the way, am curious to hear any parents’ thoughts on this.
Thanks!
dreamtech: what you say may well be true, especially if you have an inside contact with Nissan. Strangely, Nissan’s current North American marketing materials are silent on the matter. However, I have reviewed half a dozen other references that credit Nissan Design American in La Jolla, California.
One of these sources is a Jeremy Clarkson article that has been reprinted on Nissan’s official Ireland Web site. And if Jeremy Clarkson says it’s true, who am I to say otherwise? (Just kidding.) Thanks for the feedback.
Perspective people perspective. Keep in mind this has been out since Fall of 2002 and it still looks damn good (subjective of course). I had an 03 for three years and I’d have to say it was a very fine vehicle. Not the right vehicle for me or any enthusiast but very good. Now that the competition has finally caught up with it I’ll be interested to see how Nissan redesigns it. My 03 was an SE AWD model and found it to be fairly sporting for what it is (high center of gravity and over 4k lbs). Better than a Pilot, Highlander and competitors at the time. If you want to go you really need to us the S mode and floor it. The CVT will rapidly hit the peak power and stay there giving you the most go with no jerky shifting. Is it engaging? No. Is it efficient and smooth? Hell yes.
For the average consumer of this type of vehicle the Murano is one I couldn’t recommend enough. Quality interior, good driving and lots of bells and whistles with huge room for five. For anyone who enjoys driving and the man machine interaction the Murano is not for you.
Fun read!
My idea of a SUV is a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, Primer black with ballistics glass and titanium functional brush, push and roll guards. Kind of a modern urban warfare meets Mad Max…
That would be nice.
jkross22: My kids are now teenagers and they would be very happy in the back seat of a Murano due to the ample room and comfy bench. I can’t speak for the CX7, but ingress/egress of the rear quarters in the Murano struck me as quite accommodating.
Oddly, the car seat anchor is at the very rear of the cabin right next to the lift gate latch, a couple feet away from the rear seatback. I suppose this makes anchoring a car seat easy but it also means that a tether will be stretched across the rear storage compartment.
Timeless good looks. Utility. Athletic road presence. Almost min-van like hauling capacity. CVT – some may not like it but there you go. What more could you ask for? Yes a little pricey but I see these all over the roads here in Central Ohio.
I remember when we bought our 2005 Sienna we briefly considered a Murano. Saw it and fell in love at the car show. Looked at the sticker, and lost the love real fast. Then there was Nissan’s so-so quality and reliability history – certainly not in Toyota territory.
nichjs: Here’s an example of a vehicle which breaks some of the moulds: it’s a funky design and packs a CVT.
Will, what’s your conclusion?
For me, the Murano falls into a classification of vehicles that I would never buy but I am really glad that they are out there to add variety to what would otherwise be a dreary world. Some of the other funky cars that I include in this category are the VW Beetle, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Element, and Scion xB. Vive la Différence!
As a gearhead, I love the idea of a CVT but have been disappointed by every implementation that I have driven.
If you like the anime styling and want a cushmobile ride, it is still a compelling option. The Murano is hardly decrepit but in this highly competitive class, it is high time for an update.
You guys are kidding when you write that the Murano and the FX twins look different, right?
MRL: I’m not kidding when I say theyMurano and the FX twins look and are very different. They are built on completely different platforms, and the FX has a north-south drivetrain.
Looks?: The Murano is primarily a modified parrallogram in profile; the FX is dramatically more deeply sculpted, with much more curvature in almost every plane. Please take a good, long, slow look from every angle. A quick glance is not enough.
Jonny Lieberman:
February 13th, 2007 at 11:19 am
What?
The Murano and the FX don’t even sorta, kinda look alike.
If you think that the Murano and the FX don’t “sorta, kinda look alike” Then I guess the new Edge and MKX don’t look at all alike either. You gotta be kiddin’ me! And now from a previous post we know that both vehicles share components from the Altima.
Maybe badge egineering was too harsh since the tailights are horizontal on the FX and their vertical (somewhat) on the Murano but still. They’re not badge engineering to the degree that say the old Dodge Spirit/ Plymouth Acclaim were but the Murano/FX look more alike than the old Dodge Daytona and Chrysler LeBaron coupe & convertible.
My beef with the Murano is that it is the official car of Whipped Husbands/Boyfriends.
My evidence? Nissan’s own advertising. I distinctly recall one of their TV commericials where a Young Couple goes antique-ing (sp?) out in the countryside. Young Man finds old jukebox, puts on rebellious youth anthem (Born to Be Wild?).
Young Woman approaches, observes Young Man grooving out, gives Young Man “THE LOOK”.
Cut to scene of Young Man loading Louis XIV-style dresser into the Murano.
Young Couple drives off with Young Man still whistling rebellious youth anthem.
Now *there’s* a vehicle I really want to own…:-D…
Well then there are plenty of manly-boring vehicles out there for you. Some decide they don’t want an SUV/CUV that looks like rectangle on wheels. Low and behold the rest of the industry is following suit, Ford Edge, Mazda CX7, etc.
The Murano and FX45 don’t look much alike at all. Their similarities are no greater than any they share with their other Nissan/Infiniti stablemates.
They have very different profiles, very different hood designs, headlights, taillights, etc. They share no sheetmetal, and I would be mildly surprised if they shared any interior components. The only thing they have in common mentioned in this thread is also shared with the Altima, so unless someone wants to make the claim that the FX45 is a badge-engineered Altima, I think those who claim similarities need to come up with some actual things that are similar.
From my own experience with the two vehicles, they have a dramatically different presence. The Murano is clearly the practical but stylish vehicle, and the FX is the really fat sportscar. I simply don’t understand how a person with average visual acuity and spatial awareness could experience these vehicles in person and not see a huge difference.
The MKX and the Edge, by contrast, share a huge number of things. While they are certainly more differentiated than say, a Taurus and a Sable, it is clear that they are only a change of clothes apart. I like them both, and their visual styling does convey a distinct character for each of them, but their similarities are far greater than those the Murano and FX.
I don’t see any resemblance between the FX and Murano. None at all. They’re totally different platforms, too. I wouldn’t even guess them from the same manufacturer if I didn’t know any better.
This thread is the first I’ve heard of anyone seeing similarities.
Murano. Sounds like a Pepperidge Farms cookie.
Front end makes me think of a cheshire cat with braces.
Infiniti FX = badge-engineered Murano?
As previously noted, they do NOT share the same platform (Murano uses Nissan’s “D” platform, FX uses the “FM” underpinnings)
As for styling, compare for yourself….
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//pictures/VEHICLE/2007/Nissan/2007.nissan.murano.20103134-E.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//pictures/VEHICLE/2007/Infiniti/2007.infiniti.fx35.20105181-E.jpg
I’m gonna go to the manufacturer websites to check out the wheelbase, track, etc. on these. But I looked at the pictures linked above and what I see is a diiferent roofline. That’s about it. Oh and the back side windows are a different shape as well. Yes the sheetmetal doesn’t swap, but the same could be said for the Edge and MKX. The overall size is the same, door sizes look similar, wheelbase is close if not the same (although it’s impossible to know for sure just looking at pics). The tailgate doesn’t look that much different. I’ll let you know what I find on the websites.
Nice review.
Of course the Murano looks like an FX, much like the way Peyton and Eli Manning look like their father. Its a compliment, not an insult like the Edge and Lincoln MKX connection.
And the Murano was an American styled product made specifically for America. Nissan doesn’t have a California design studio sitting around for nothing, ya know. Last I heard, they are considering its sale in Asia and Europe.
I think Toyota did a good job differentiating the RX from the Highlander, and that may be the best example of brand engineering done right. Perhaps similar expectations were placed on Nissan, but the QX carries over too many of the Armada’s styling cues.
The telltale difference I see between the FX and Murano is the angle between the hood and the windshield.
Ok here are the specs for the Murano:
Wheelbase 111.2
Overall length 187.6
Overall width 74.0
Overall height 66.5
Track width (front/rear) 64.2/64.0
Head room (front/rear) 40.7/39.7
Head room (front/rear) with sunroof 39.2/39.2
Leg room (front/rear) 43.4/36.1
Hip room (front/rear) 56.2/56.6
Shoulder room (front/rear) 59.6/59.1
Step-in height (front/rear) 18.0/18.2
Cargo Space
Length (with rear seat up) 30.7
Width 54.8
Height 33.5
Here are the specs for FX:
Wheelbase 112.2 inches
Overall length 189.1 inches
Overall width 75.8 inches
Track width 62.7 inches/64.6 inches (front/rear)
Overall height 65.9 inches
Interior
Headroom without sunroof 40.8 inches/39.5 inches (front/rear)
Headroom with sunroof 39.6 inches/39.3 inches (front/rear)
Legroom 43.9 inches/35.2 inches (front/rear)
Shoulder room 56.9 inches/57.4 inches (front/rear)
Hip room 54.3 inches/55.0 inches (front/rear)
Most of these specs are within an inch or two of each other. Like someone said if they are not platform engineered then they tried real hard to make them look like they were.
I tend to agree on the likeness. Without seeing them side by side, they look to me about as different as a Cobalt does from it’s Pontiac sibling. Honest.
The price of the Murano is a bit steep, but maybe they were expecting people to compare it to the Infiniti, which is ridiculously expensive.
In any case, I at least find their looks interesting, with the Infiniti being much better looking.
As TTAC goes mainstream, the way TTAC can improve is not to have enthusiasts writing car articles, but rather journalists who put evaluate the cars not from their own perspective, but from the perspective of the target market.
This article seemed to have been written from the perspective of an enthusiast. So I would probably share his opinions, but I doubt my wife would emphasize the same things. And my wife is alot more likely to buy this car than I would be….
When you mention full throttle, hoon, D-U-L-L drivetrain, I’m not so sure the target market of this car emphasizes those factors…
As TTAC goes mainstream, the way TTAC can improve is not to have enthusiasts writing car articles, but rather journalists who put evaluate the cars not from their own perspective, but from the perspective of the target market.
The way TTAC can make sure I never read the website again is if journalists and not enthusiasts start writing articles. Puff pieces don’t belong on The Truth About Cars. I can go elsewhere for that.
I bought my wife a brand new murano (we call it ‘the Moron’) in 2004 for 25K. It was the base model and she loves it. We haven’t had one problem with this thing. 2 recalls (one for rear seatbelt and a plastic cover for the gas tank) and no other problems. I would highly recommend it to anyone. You don’t need the AWD unless you live in Upstate NY! We had looked at the FX-35, lexus and acura and all were nearly 15K to almost double the price. Tell me this: Are those SUVS twice as good?!?!
One thing are the tires: 19 inch rims, 4 new michelins will set you back A LOT.