NISSAN is trying again with the Murano. Now in its second-generation guise, the mid-sized AWD SUV from Japan (via America) comprehensively seeks to sort out its predecessor’s sore points while sharpening the car’s dynamics, refinement, comfort, price and specification. We still have a couple of reservations with the latest model, but – as a whole – we believe consumers should stop ignoring the Murano, and start appreciating its unique character.
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Nissan Z50 Murano Ti
Released: July 2005
Ended: January 2009
Family Tree: MuranoWILDLY underrated, the first-generation Murano deserves greater recognition, since it beat BMW’s X6 to the sporty-SUV punch by more than half a decade.
Released in the US in 2002, Nissan waited until mid-2005 before deciding to bring the strikingly styled five-seater mid-sized, part-time 4WD to Australia, and by then some of the cabin fittings began to feel dated. Plus the Murano’s timing was bad, since that’s when oil prices rocketed. Consumers were more interested in the 172kW/318Nm 3.5-litre V6 petrol’s middling fuel consumption than its smooth, CVT gearbox-enhanced performance. Three models were offered, the ST, Ti and – from late ’06 – Ti-L, and all were well specified, sumptuously comfortable and extremely easy, if conspicuously non-sporty, to drive.
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