The mid-size 2015 Nissan Murano crossover is at once a charming outlier and a carefully calculated inside job that, whichever way you see it, breaks out of the crossover mold in meaningful ways. The flamboyant, head-turning Murano is quite the icebreaker. Elegance, style, and luxury-like ambiance—not ruggedness and trail prowess—are the focus of the Murano.
With the fully realized ‘V-motion' grille and its lines continuing upward and onward into the hoodline, ‘boomerang'-style headlights and taillights that frame some of the most expressive creases and curves in any production model today, and to top it all off, a unique ‘floating' roof with blacked-out pillars and a distinct ‘arc' in the beltline pinching it upward near the tail, the Murano looks like no other crossover on the market from the outside What powers the Murano is a version of what's powered mid-size Nissan cars and crossovers for years—the 3.5-liter double-overhead-cam V-6, making 260 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. It's paired to the latest iteration of the automaker's ‘high-torque' continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). In front-wheel drive or AWD form, the Murano delivers what matters to its target buyer: strong, confident, refined performance, all without sacrificing too much comfort along the way.
The driving position is just right, and the rather low-set dash should allow even shorter drivers to feel comfortable in this model, while there's plenty of headroom above, even for tall drivers with the available moonroof.
The all-new 2015 Nissan Murano is fitted with ultra-modern option for crossover fans. The boldly angular exterior styling sets an aggressive tone, while the standard 260-hp V6 under the hood certainly backs it up. Inside, the new Murano is a cut above the crossover norm, with premium touches such as door panels that flow seamlessly from the plushly padded armrests into the dash.
In addition to a safety set that's already solid, the Nissan Murano SL and Platinum models include standard Blind Spot Warning, as well as Rear Cross Traffic Alert, which can at parking speeds warn you of vehicles approaching from the side, while the available Around View Monitor system has Moving Object Detection, helping you spot vehicles or objects with a warning chime and notification. Blind Spot Warning, Forward Emergency Braking, and Predictive Forward Collision Warning use information from four cameras and three radar sensors to spot issues ahead and help react to them quicker; they're optional as part of a package on those SL and Platinum models. The Platinum, with features like heated-and-cooled front seats, heated rear seats, and power-folding rear seats, is indeed new to the lineup for 2015, and it's Nissan's attempt to offer an even better-equipped, top-of-the-line model that truly competes with luxury-badged models.
For the S and SV models, the feature list is quite robust—especially if you gauge it on value. Move up to the SL and new top-of-the-line Platinum models, and you get a lot more, albeit at a price that approaches those luxury-badge models.
Overall, the simplicity of the Murano's interfaces is appreciated. They're clean and well-conceived, with some physical buttons where they make sense. All models except the Murano S include an upgraded infotainment system with a larger eight-inch multi-touch screen, voice recognition for navigation and audio, and SiriusXM Travel Link services for fuel prices, weather, movie listings, stock information, and sports scores. — SG
