The Nissan Murano, a car noted for existing and having that convertible variant that one time, is still kicking. In fact, it’s better than ever, with a brand new generation that finally puts the decade-old prior model to bed. Look at how happy it is to still be here!
That big, smiley grille is the most immediately obvious change on the new Murano, but it’s not the only one. The car is entirely rebodied, sitting 2.6 inches wider than the outgoing model, and it even gets an LED heckblende out back.
Inside is where Nissan claims the biggest changes. The interior layout has been wholly reworked, from Nissan’s prior style into the more modern Ariya-style aesthetic, and the car gets optional massage seats — very nice to have at the Murano price point. The new Murano also has “ambient interior lighting,” which every car seems to be adding despite no one seeming to really care.
The Murano gets CarPlay and Android Auto, table stakes, but the car also has Google Built-In running its screens. That means the full suite of Google offerings, with the Play Store right there on the homepage, as well as Google’s weird frustrations with permissions. It’s a give and take.
Mechanically, the Murano makes another big change: Finally ditching the long-running VQ engine. Instead, the new car gets a two-liter turbo four-cylinder good for 241 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. That’s paired to a nine-speed automatic gearbox, and Nissan claims the whole package can tow up to 1,500 lbs.
The new updates finally drag the Murano into the modern era, and boy does it look happy to be here. Maybe Nissan hopes that winning smile will also help the Murano win sales away from Honda and Toyota.