I’ve always liked the look of the Murano and the fact that you don’t see many of them on the road had its own appeal. And then there is the 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine, delivering a normally aspirated 191 kW and 336 Nm of torque. I expected it to be a driver’s car, like the BMW 35i X3 was, but the CVT gearbox diluted all the fun. It is still quick though, with a top speed of 210 km/h, but it doesn’t feel that racy.
When you floor the right pedal from standstill you don’t get kicked in the gut, however, a few second later you’re breaking the law. The power delivery is so smooth and the interior so well sound proofed that you feel completely detached from that lovely VQ35DE power plant under the bonnet.
Nissan aimed to make the Murano comfortably controllable in all situations, which is why the power delivery is so linear. Add speed sensitive power steering and a brake pedal that firms up at speed and the result is an altogether relaxing experience. You can switch to manual mode for six pre-programmed gear ratios, but though the changes are smooth they don’t happen in a flash. Just a pitty that, after a week and more than 500 km in it, it only returned 14.3 l/100 km.
The intelligent ALL MODE 4X4-i sends power to any of the four wheels as needed and can be electronically locked to transfer equal amounts to the front and rear. The ground clearance of 185 mm might not sound like much, but if you take care you can get over a fair amount of protruding earth. ABS with EBD, VDC (traction control) that automatically controls engine and brake output to keep the vehicle going in the right direction and HID bi-functional Xenon headlights are just some of the safety features.
Inside you are treated to a luxurious cabin with aluminium, gunmetal and leather finishes. The double sunroof is electrically opened to let the summer sun in, and the sound of your BOSE sound system with 11 hi-fi quality speakers out. I am not much of a sound geek, but the integrated DVD/MP3 player with a 9.3 GB HDD music server is pretty cool. So is the seven inch high res MAP display of the 40 GB HDD SatNav system. This is controlled by a smart control panel sporting a joystick type dial above the audio controls.. The rear-view camera also shows up on this screen.
The phone, radio and cruise control are operated from the leather steering wheel and the boot lid can be opened and closed remotely. Even though the boot may not be that big – it has a rather high floor – you can fold the second row of seats flat to expand the luggage bay.
The Murano surprised me in more than one way. I had hoped for more fun, but I did not expect all the luxury touches.
For more info visit: www.nissan.co.za
| Nissan Murano | |
| Capacity (cc) | 3 498 |
| Power (kW) | 191 (6 000 rpm) |
| Torque (Nm) | 336 (4 400 rpm) |
| Fuel consumption (claimed) | 14.5 l/100km (actual) |
| Gearbox | 6-speed CVT |
| Service plan (years / km) | 5 / 90 000 |
| Price | R 562 925 |
inGear 