Yahoo Autos In-Between Days: 2018 Nissan Murano AWD Tested
With the Murano crossover and the Maxima sedan, Nissan is aiming to fill the narrow gap between cost-friendly consumer cars and luxurious status vehicles. Its positioning may be tenuous, but the Murano is arguably the company’s best overall effort. Compared with the popularly priced Rogue crossover (Nissan’s best-selling vehicle), the larger Murano offers bolder styling, more power, and a long list of features and technology that place it on a higher plane.
For even deeper coverage of the Murano, view our Buyer’s Guide in-depth review.
The Murano lives in a gray area considered “near luxury,” a tricky proposition for a mainstream company due to general badge snobbery and the crowded vehicular landscape. The idea is to offer some niceties one might not expect from a mainstream brand without the ostentatious badge and attendant profligate spending.
Being in a tweener market position like that can be both beneficial and detrimental. On one hand, there are fewer direct competitors, but buyers can potentially cross-shop against more rivals: the best-of cheaper models as well as the entry-level offerings of luxury brands.
In the case of the Murano tested here, there’s more overlap with the latter, since we had an all-wheel-drive version in top-spec Platinum trim. Equipped with two options-$1720 20-inch wheels and $240 floor and cargo mats-this Murano stickered for $46,765. That’s a hefty price tag for a Nissan, even one equipped with just about every item in the order book.
High Style
So what exactly is premium on the Murano in comparison to the Rogue? A top-of-the-line all-wheel-drive Rogue SL costs about as much as the cheapest AWD Murano but is $11,420 less expensive than the top-spec $44,805 Murano Platinum AWD. What would motivate customers to move up? A prettier appearance is a start.
Whereas the Rogue’s busy face looks tacked onto an otherwise plain body, the Murano boasts a cohesive design from nose to tailpipe. Some might find it overly stylized, but at least it’s not boring. Its swept-back headlights blend with Nissan’s V-motion grille, and the sculpted door panels add visual substance. The Murano is 8.3 inches longer, 3.0 inches wider, and 0.7 inch lower than the Rogue, proportions that work well with the high beltline, slim greenhouse, and floating roof. The Rogue, however, offers more passenger and cargo space, an available (tiny) third row, better visibility, and greater ground clearance.
The Murano’s interior has a design that’s somewhat similar to the Rogue’s but with much nicer appointments. Echoing the exterior’s floating roof, the interior creates the illusion of a floating dashboard. A strip of glossy silver trim encircles the cabin and extends onto the door panels.
More metallic trim lends a premium look to the Murano’s infotainment and climate-control setups, which otherwise are standard Nissan fare. Our Platinum model had a 7.0-inch gauge-cluster display and a central 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen, both bigger than the Rogue’s units. The Murano’s center console and split armrest offer more splashes of stylish gloss trim.
Basic faults peek through the nicer trimmings, however. The Murano’s chunky steering wheel and a big slab of rubbery plastic in front of the passenger lack polish and refinement in their design, and the infotainment display is saved from its dated despair only by its standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability.
Strictly Six
The Murano comes standard with a naturally aspirated V-6, where the Rogue is four-cylinder only. The 3.5-liter engine is mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and makes 260 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 240 lb-ft of torque at 4400 rpm. The Murano’s performance makes up an important component of its luxury claim. Our test example sprinted from zero to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds, almost two seconds quicker than the AWD Rogue. Although the CVT still drones, the V-6’s greater torque helps minimize the affect.
The Murano makes no claims to be a sport-themed SUV, but it doesn’t feel entirely out of its depth when hustled. The Murano pulled 0.81 g on the skidpad and stopped from 70 mph in 169 feet, numbers that compare favorably against other mainstream mid-size crossovers such as the Ford Edge, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Kia Sorento.
The indifferent, uncommunicative steering makes driving this SUV in town or on curving back roads unremarkable, however. Where the Murano really shines is in highway cruising. A soft suspension insulates occupants from crumbling pavement, and the cabin effectively keeps road noise out. The plush heated and cooled front seats are comfortable on long trips, and an assortment of driver aids are on hand. While the base Murano S is equipped only with forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking, the Platinum comes with blind-spot monitoring, a 360-degree camera, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. Other niceties include a panoramic sunroof, 20-inch wheels, LED lighting, and NissanConnect services.
Even if the Murano does have a nice overall package, the as-tested price of $46,765 is steep. Nissan’s own premium brand, Infiniti, offers the new QX50 at a starting price of $39,345 in all-wheel-drive form. It might be a bit smaller than the Murano outside, but it features nearly identical passenger and cargo space and an equally stylish appearance.
Overall, Nissan acquits the idea of near luxury well with the Murano, and with automakers filling every niche in the SUV pantheon, there is a case for its existence. But you may find, as we do, that there are more logical fish in this overpopulated sea of crossovers.
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