If you are on the hunt for a SUV that’s not too big and not too small, a mid size 5 Seat SUV is what you should settle for; and Nissan Murano is one such mid size crossover SUV.
Nissan USA launched this particular crossover SUV first in America in 2002 December as a 2003 model. When launched it was only officially available in America and Canada; sales in Europe began late in 2004, and Europe was only had the privilege to enjoy a single model of Nissan Murano.
You could say that till 2007, the only crossover SUV that dominated the market from Nissan USA, was the Murano, which was later shadowed by the better Nissan Rogue in 2007. The physical size of Murano is between the Nissan Xterra and the Nissan Pathfinder.
The life span of the Murano can be divided roughly in 2 generations; which we’d discuss in short.
Nissan Murano
Generation 1 of Nissan Murano – 2002 to 2007
Murano was designed in California, La Jolla and this crossover inherits from the famous Nissan platform, Nissan FF-L which was used in the Altima of 3rd generation. This happened to be a 7 Seater Car; but later on from second generation, Nissan changed its mind and converted this 7 seat SUV to 5 Seat SUV.
Engine:
This Nissan SUV uses the V6 Engine of 3.5 ltr capacity and 245 bhp power which is quite commonly used in cars like the Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima and Nissan 350z. Despite using the same engine for powering the car, the engine has been tweaked for the usage in this model. The Murano comes with an optional AWD – All Wheel Drive and most importantly the FWD- Front Wheel Drive (standard). You can count Murano being one of the biggest SUV to use the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission).
Fuel Economy:
Ain’t it a waste to talk about fuel economy of SUVs? but; this Nissan Suv seems to do comparatively well; as it can crank up to 18 mpg on city roads, and 23 mpg on highways. To make it even more comfortable for you, all the four wheels are based on top of an independent suspension.
Safety:
This crossover SUV is equipped with airbags and head restraints for safety and has a steel reinforced cabin to protect passengers against any type of collision from any side. These were the design features for safety, and in the safety mechanical systems, the car has been given EBD, VDC and ABS along with brake assist technology. Although Nissan Murano scores a 4 star in the Vehicle rollover test conducted by NHTSA, it scored a perfect 5 in the crash tests of all categories.
Generation 2 of Murano – 2009 To Present
Nissan directly showcased the Murano 2009 by skipping the 2008 model. The showcase happened in the Los Angeles Show of 2007 and the car started shipping in the early 2008. In this particular model of Nissan Murano, rework has been done to both external appearance and the interiors. The exterior features an aggressive front facial design combined with a quarter rear window. You could say that this Nissan roughly resembles the Nissan Rogue. In the case of interiors, material of higher quality have been used and you’d right away notice that the interior is quite different from the older version.
Engine:
This version of this SUV has been built on the Nissan D Platform which has been used in the Altima and Maxima. Murano uses an award winning 3.5 liter VQ engine that is capable of generating 265 horsepower which happens to be more than the previously used engine. The engine has a torque of 336 N.m. An Adaptive Shift Control connects the Engine with the Continuously Variable Transmission.
Fuel Economy:
Surprisingly Nissan didn’t care much about making this Nissan SUV better at the fuel, and the mileage numbers remain the same.
Safety:
These Nissan SUV feature all wheel Disc Brakes with ABS and are combined with EBD and brake assist, Electronic Stability Control. The car features side, front and side curtain airbags for passenger safety. Please remember that this particular version of the car fails at safety when it comes to crash test, as NHTSA awarded 5 star for side impact tests, whereas a 4 was given to the frontal crash test.
There are many other features in this car, that might make you buy a Murano. The car optionally supports iPod integration, power folding of the rear seats and rear gate lift. You can choose to have rain sensing wipers and also seats with the double stitched leather.
The second generation of the Nissan Murano was offered in 3 trim levels, the top line LE, the mid line SL and the base S; previously available SE models are no longer available in this version. The LE level features only Intelligent All Wheel Drive, whereas the S and SL level come with FWD and iAWD is optional.
The Latest – Nissan Murano 2011:
Nissan Murano
The latest Murano 2011 offering comes in 4 lines; the S, SV, SL and the LE.
We’ll talk about the base model first. The S line has many new features to offer compared to the previous version. You can opt for a S line either with the iAWD or FWD. This model features a 3.5 liter V6 engine of 260 Horsepower. Transmission used is CVT and the body is stacked on top of 18″ alloy wheels. Whats new is the internal audio system that can change 6 CDs and has additional jacks for enhanced experience.
The Nissan Intelligent Key allows you to ‘push button ignite‘ your car, and also get the windows and power doors locked. You can control the driver seat in 6 different ways which also features a manual lumbar support.
Engine & Safety:
This Nissan Murano 2011 packs loads of features and there have been additions when compared to the previous versions. In the safety section, a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) has been added which keeps you informed about the air available inside the tires. Curtain supplemental air bags are also added which happen to be roof mounted and will protect you if your car rolls over (guess Nissan took the previous safety holes seriously). There is 3 point ELR/ALR passenger seat belt system. ELR is for the Driver of the car. We would have to wait for the Nissan Murano 2011 to be crash tested before we say its ‘awesomely safe go buy it!’. Although the IIHS frontal crash test rates this Nissan SUV ‘Good’ in almost all the tests, except for the Head and Neck where it gets an ‘A’ (Acceptable).
Interiors & Entertainment:
Whats so great about the new Nissan Murano 2011 are the interiors of it. Nissan seems to have been buckled down about revolutionizing it. There is a Vehicle Information Center with a 7″ QWGA monitor that gives you a summary of the car’s status; but this feature isn’t included in the base line. The LE line packs the highest number of features; some of the notable features included in this line are the position memory. The car is able to remember the driver’s seat position and the position of the outside mirrors. You can at any time choose to revert the position of seat and mirror to previously remembered position. This applies to the steering wheel too. All the lines of Murano include interior mood lighting and welcome lighting.
This Nissan SUV is available in totally 7 shades – tinted bronze, Merlot, graphite blue, glacier pearl, super black, platinum graphite, brilliant silver.
And the interiors are available in beige cloth, beige leather, black cloth and black leather finish.
A Friendly Note
Keeping in mind the safety consideration; if you happen to be short on budget, and are willing to settle for a second hand car, you can always go for the used Nissan Murano of first generation. These used Nissan Murano cars would be much more safer than the second generation of Nissan Murano and would be available at a cheaper price. You will easily find many used murano on eBay.
As far as the pricing of Nissan Murano 2011 goes, following are the starting price for various Murano 2011 lines
S Line: $28,520
SV Line: $31,930
SL Line: $35,470
LE Line: $37,560
Go ahead and also read about the New Nissan Qashqai
