Although the Nissan Murano was the biggest-selling “truck” in
Nissan’s U.S. offerings last
year, eclipsing the sales of the Titan and the Xterra and the
Frontier, in the crossover utility vehicle category, it probably
isn’t one of the vehicles that leaps to mind when someone says
“CUV.” Perhaps the new model will increase the amount of
attention that the vehicle gets, and not merely because Nissan
has managed to reduce the price of all models in the lineup by
$1,500, which is no mean feat, particularly as this is not a
vehicle that seems to have been thrifted. Anything but.
Some people are not in the least bit taken with the styling
of the front end, claiming that it resembles something that would
be befitting the bad robots on Battlestar Galactica. I
disagree. I think the front end looks like liquid metal
solidified into a form that has a freshness and imagination that
makes the last generation look mature. If, in keeping with the
Galactica theme, if the last generation is Laura Roslin (
http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/cast/roslin/ ), the ’09 is
Number Six (
http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/cast/six/ ). Beyond the
striking good looks, the vehicle has reasonably good performance
for a five-passenger vehicle that weighs in excess of two tons.
The 265-hp 3.5-liter engine provides a sufficient amount of power
to make it move rather well and the Xtronic continuously variable
transmission is actually calibrated such that it doesn’t leave
you feeling as though your forward motion is through molasses.
(Xtronic CVT? Sort of sounds like Cylon technology, doesn’t
it?) And I managed to get on the order of 20 mpg in a
combination of city and freeway driving of this all-wheel-drive
vehicle (and let’s face it, AWD vehicles tend to be thirstier
than FWD versions), although I must admit that I became a bit too
taken with the screen in the “Info” section that permitted me to
see how many miles per gallon the vehicle was obtaining on a bar
graph and how many miles to empty: Given a light foot and a
steady speed it was actually possible to increase the number of
miles to empty, which is a pleasant thing given that unleaded
premium is the recommended fuel, and the price per gallon seems
to be increasing not with possibility, but regularity. Nissan
has really upped its game in terms of the quality of its
interiors, the materials and the execution. Full marks are given
to the Murano interior. And the audio system deployed, in this
case a Bose 11-speaker system that included a 9.3-GB Music Box
hard drive, is seemingly more advanced than Colonial tech used on
the starship.
Maybe I am taking this metaphor too far. But given that CUVs
are generally thought of as people-haulers one step above
minivans, Nissan should be given credit for crafting a vehicle
that certainly boldly goes where. . . naw.
Vehicle as Driven
Engine:3.5-liter V6. Aluminum block and head.
Horsepower: 265 @ 6,000 rpm
Torque: 248 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable
Wheelbase: 111.2 in.
Overall length: 188.5 in.
Height: 67 in.
Width: 74.1 in.
Curb weight (AWD version): 4,030 lb.
EPA fuel economy: 18 city; 23 highway
MSRP: $29,480
