Meet the 2015 Nissan Murano

The 2015 Nissan Murano arrives in showrooms soon. The third generation Murano will arrive in four trim levels: S, SV, SL and Platinum, each available in front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) with base prices ranging from $29,560 to $40,600. The Murano comes with a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty, a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty and EPA fuel economy estimates of 21 mpg city/28 mpg highway/24 mpg combined.

Read Jason’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.

Read Frank’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.

Front 3/4 Right

Nissan aims to increase Murano’s presence in the mid-size crossover market. Ford’s Edge is the obvious target, along with the Honda Crosstour, Toyota Venza, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, GMC Terrain Denali and Subaru Outback. If you lean toward luxury, measure it against the Lexus RX 350 and Cadillac SRX.

Read Jason’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.

Read Frank’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.

Rear 3/4 Right

Murano gets a 3.5-liter naturally-aspirated V6 that’s tuned to produce 260 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque, hooked up to an Xtronic continuously variable transmission (CVT) with front- or all-wheel drive. The Murano weighs in at 3,790 to 4,017 lbs, depending on configuration. Cargo space is 39.6 cubic feet behind the second row, and 69.9 cubic feet with the second row folded flat. A 19.0-gallon fuel tank requires only regular unleaded gasoline, thanks to a 10.3:1 compression ratio.

Read Jason’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.

Read Frank’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.

Front

Nissan calls its new grille and front fascia the “V-Motion” front end, and it includes boomerang headlights. The same shape is echoed in the tail light shape, and resonates throughout the Nissan lineup.

Read Jason’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.
Read Frank’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.

Second Row

Nissan trumpeted the term “our social lounge” at the vehicle’s launch. The comfortable second row of seating is the key to the accuracy of this phrase. There’s a USB connection for the second row that not only offers power to mobile devices, it can connect compatible devices (many smartphones, music players and tablets) to the vehicle’s infotainment system, allowing second row passengers to control the audio content in the vehicle.

That’s right – they become the deejays in the “social lounge.”

Read Jason’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.

Read Frank’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.

There’s a long list of technology features in the Murano, many of which have become markers for luxury automakers. Especially impressive are the Intelligent cruise control (ICC), Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW) and Forward Emergency Braking (FEB) systems, which can be remarkable safety systems in automobiles.

Read Jason’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.
Read Frank’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.

A clean layout is key to making technology easy to use and less distracting. The driver’s dash is intuitively arrayed, and the materials around the driver are of a particularly high quality. There’s no more fake wood trim, just slightly more authentic metallic finishes and attractive surfaces.

Read Jason’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.
Read Frank’s 2015 Nissan Murano Test Drive and Review.