Nissan Murano Reviewed in Auto i magazine's May 2010 issue

1. gnition | Nissan Murano 2.5
lk
r’. I would wa
‘SUV’ o r a ‘Softroade
h thing as an to be milked.
n a farm, the re was no suc or the c ows bellowing
Growing up o cks of sheep hicles were th
e
ate to be greeted by flo ing shed 10 0 metres dow
n the road. Ve
gh. Trying to
out my front g my ne arest neighbou
k and
r was the milk
i there was the desirab
llo
le Rangie thou
next heavy e
was a paddoc For the hoi po Herman as th
My back yard cars for men. cing Pee Wee
veritable To yota Hilux, real rision of Do n King announ
fender or the met with the de
Land Rover De ld have been
to a soft ro ading SUV wou
introduce me
weight cont ender.
58. Auto | May 2010
4pp nissan murano.indd 58 4/23/2010 6:18:19 PM

2. The exterior
atism though.
headed pragm lar bulges
Down to hard es. With muscu
of SUVs. Either features cle an and crisp lin r is very
been dismissive of the Murano ed body, the ca
I have always tious and a sculptur ell
With this, to less preten around the wheel arches hicle, but its sheer bulk is w
, or you stick a very large ve
r fo r its capability heart is all the
fault
obviously ly – as man y in
you buy the ca This change of handsome. It’s ring or ungain
rt, until today… soft roader has off as being bo ith
modes of trans
po
o wheel drive hidden. It doesn’t come adlight clust er and grille. W
k Label. This tw V that ly liked the he rdinated
of th e Murano Blac Rover aside) it’s the first SU this class do.
I particular the colour co-o
t, and (Range od. For hts mounted in e
captured my he
ar
ng the car, I sim
ply felt go
the xenons and the fog lig finite sense of purpose. Th
elf liking. Drivi d think given a very de e
I genu inely find mys in Singapor e and all I coul bumper, the M
urano is
’ and it’s easy
to imagin
ere able to take mmer air force ‘wings an Autobot (a
the pictures w
ew
the happiness
of long su
wide grille reminds me of were to be
the family and out the if the Murano a
as picnics with hat appeals ab ing to a snarl ) challenged by
of w s. This is w the smile turn to be the hero
e Ch ristmas holiday ures, desig n and od lookin g would have
days during th about the feat vehicle this go
there is to like it is the feeling
and
Mur ano, much as d of the day, Deceptico n.
th is car, at the en , and it is here that it
engineering of r that matters
ves to the drive
expe rience that it gi
art.
captures my he
Text ▪ Photograph : Darryn Johnston ▪ Sue Ann
4pp nissan murano.indd 59 4/23/2010 6:18:20 PM

3. gnition | Nissan Murano 2.5
Moving on to the interior, the Mu- was the range of adjustments from the seat: which does double duty as the screen for the
rano is a traditional five seater, with only two up/down, front/back, tilt, lumbar, backrest – reversing camera with predictive course line
rows of seats. In this instance, Nissan has yup, a very broad range of adjustability with a – something that makes parallel parking easy,
eschewed current customs and concentrated two position memory function (invariably hus- even for the spatially challenged.
on creating a very comfortable environment band and wife). Then the steering wheel, both The 2.5 litre, four cylinder engine in
for five passengers. reach and rake are electrically adjustable by the Black Label does double duty in a num-
Where a third row of seats would a knob on the left side of the steering wheel ber of other Nissans, including the Teana and
create very necessary compromises, the pas- – much easier and more convenient than the I remember it as a smooth and quiet unit with
senger accommodation in the Murano is un- manual lock/unlock of many others. Best a good torque band. I must admit to a certain
compromised – it’s nothing short of excellent. of all, because both the seat and steering amount of trepidation though about such a
Three adults would fit across the spacious wheel are electronically adjusted, it facilitates small engine being able to handle the ‘heft’ of
bench with ease – and shoulder space is also a thoughtful function that raises the steering the Murano. Frankly, I had my doubts, think-
fantastic. Even with the double sun-roofs of wheel and pushes back the seat when alight- ing it would be another case of the peculiar
the test car, there is plenty of head space. ing – and then repositions them the next time format in Singapore of BIG body with tiny
The rear passengers also get air-con blowers I get in. engine.
mounted in the A-Pillars, so there is plenty of Always wanting to know about my
cool air circulating within, even in the hottest trip, the computer was the next thing I played
of days. Then we come to the boot – this is with. Enough functions here, including two
where a car like the Murano comes into its trip meters, distance to empty, average and
own, the space is cavernous. Taking the kaki instant fuel consumption and signalling the
golfing? Well in the Murano a foursome only attention to detail of the Nissan engineers
needs the one car – and they would arrive in was the fact that consumption could be
perfect comfort and style. According to the configured as km/l or litres per 100km,
factory, the trunk has a capacity of 407 litres, depending upon the preference of the driver.
according to my seat of the pants estimate – I do wish though that more of these functions
if this is not enough, go buy a lorry. could have been accessed from the steer-
So having examined everything ing wheel. The readout for all trip computer
else, I hopped into the driver’s seat. First up functions came via the large 7” in-dash LCD,
60. Auto | May 2010
4pp nissan murano.indd 60 4/23/2010 6:18:21 PM

4. Moving off though, my fears proved unfounded, the Black u-turn that I was reminded of the bulk of the car. This is very much the
Label achieves the century sprint in a respectable 11 seconds. What’s hallmark of a meticulously engineered vehicle and leaves others in this
more important though than winning the ‘traffic light sprint’ is the segment with something to aspire to.
in-gear acceleration. Gathering speed on the expressway from the It’s probably a measure of just how much I liked the Murano
crawling 60km/h to cruising 100 km/h, it’s here that the Murano felt Black Label that I have exceeded my allocation of words for this review
strong. This was aided by the Constantly Variable Transmission (CVT) (sorry Mr. Editor), so my conclusion will necessarily be short. The cabin
which always keeps the engine at the peak of its torque, and eliminates of the Murano is well sorted, with quality materials, the drive is more
the ‘shift shock’ felt with the traditional automatics. I am sure that engaging than a vehicle this size has any right to be and the Murano is
the acceleration was also helped by the reduction in friction that the a great looker – certainly standing out and winning approbation in the
CVT offers over the auto and the fuel saving properties of a CVT were parking lot. It made me understand and want a car that I have always
perfectly evident with the trip computer reporting more than 15km/l on derided. What then are you waiting for? COE prices to drop?
the PIE.
The drive itself is highly engaging. You will often hear
automotive journalists talk about how a car seems to ‘shrink’ around
them, what this means is that the car is as easy to drive as something
much smaller – and the Murano has this quality in spades. A finely
tuned suspension and responsive steering make it easy to thread the
Murano with confidence between a container truck and a road divider,
or sweep it through a bend. The big Nissan is also a willing partner nfoRmation
when you want to change direction quickly, handling all that you throw
at it with aplomb – so much so that it was only when navigating a tight Nissan Murano 2.5
Engine : 2,488cc, DOHC 16-valve, 4 cylinders
Power/torque : 168 bhp / 245 Nm
Fuel consumption : N.A
0-100km/h : 11.0 sec
Top speed : 180km/h
4pp nissan murano.indd 61 4/23/2010 6:18:25 PM