Nissan Murano looks like a SUV and drives like a car

I never had much interaction with the Nissan Murano. My friends who have driven it seem to like it very much, and among the well-heeled types, it was like an obsession to own one, bordering on fanaticism. To me it looked a little different from the rest, but I really couldn’t see why people were so excited by it, until I was given one for a test drive by Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd, which is now embarking head-on against the grey importers by bringing in some on their own.

With a V6 engine now upgraded to 260PS at 6,000rpm, and 336Nm of torque at 4,400rpm, the Nissan Murano provides a powerful and responsive reaction to one’s demand for power, and does it quite smoothly. With enough horses to give it the get-up-and-go, the Murano feels good to drive, and you tend to forget that this is a Japanese-made vehicle.

Understandable, as this is a vehicle originally made to appeal to the American market, where big engines are the norm, and response to throttle is taken for granted.

I drove it for three days — from taking leisurely drives through city traffic and pushing it along safe highways at speed, to spending some time going through twisty B-roads to check out the handling. In city traffic, it is as sedate as a kitten, and your grandmother can take it to the market without any problems, as the delivery of power is easily controlled with the long travel accelerator pedal. Steering is easy and very light, considering the size and bulk of the vehicle. Built as a crossover vehicle, it has the size of a SUV, but drives very much like a car.

Take it out on the highway, and you will appreciate the horses under the bonnet, as it has enough power to cater for even the most aggressive of drivers. Its acceleration is brisk, but not enough to raise eyebrows, and you never get the feeling that it is under-powered. There is enough torque to allow you to pull into traffic and get up to speed without feeling inadequate, without the feeling that you are trying to flog a buffalo into a run.

In the twisty bits, the Murano handles very well, being composed all the time. While it is true that it will not out-handle a good car, among SUV vehicles, I would rate it as one of the top three. I do suspect that the designers have looked at some of the European brands very closely, and have tried to emulate the handling characteristics of these vehicles, because there were times when I began to think that I was actually driving a different make of vehicle, the driving feel being so close, down to even the engine acoustics. In terms of ride and handling, I have no issues. In fact, I would say they have managed to find an excellent balance between ride comfort and overall handling, and the Murano, in short, is comparable to even the best of the European makes.

First launched in 2004, the Murano is in its second generation, and what the Nissan design engineers have done is to take a good vehicle that is already impressive, and make it better. They have retained what is good, and added enhancements to make it even better. Although the new Murano looks very similar to its predecessor, the body is entirely new. It continues to exude a sporty outlook, and the design remains young. It really is difficult to make a SUV look good, but the Murano’s rounded, sculptured curves make it appealing. Personally, I do not like the back end so much, but others in my group seem to disagree with me on that count. To be fair, if they made it any different, it would lose its character, and begin to look like other SUVs. Still, the overall package is quite attractive.

The V6 purrs when revved, emitting a deep-throated roar that sounds more continental than Japanese, and reminds me of a German brand with an engine of the same capacity. My personal reservations regarding the CVT (constantly variable transmission) were pushed aside and forgotten when I found to my pleasant surprise that its performance was outstanding. I think the large capacity of the engine and its power made up for whatever shortcomings I may have found in CVTs mated to smaller capacity engines. Instead of the screaming high revolutions associated with smaller engines, the huge torque of the V6 resulted in a smoother and more relaxed speed build-up.

If no one mentioned it, the average user would probably not notice that the transmission is a CVT. A direct benefit of using a CVT is improvement in fuel consumption. In this respect, the Murano promises a rated fuel consumption of 9.3km/litre, based on JP 10-15 mode. We did not get a chance to do a full consumption test, and I would advise users to expect a little worse figure than what is promised, and a lot worse if you are heavy footed like I am — just bear in mind that the figure is relative to other manufacturers’ rated fuel consumption figures, and that it is a 3.5-litre engine we are looking at. Anyway, if you can pay the price for a Murano, the fuel consumption would be on the low priority list.

Inside, the Murano comes with a luxurious leather interior, and the occupants are bathed in a sea of comfort. The ride is exemplary, and handling is exceptionally good. It actually is classified as a "crossover" vehicle, or something in between a sedan and a SUV — it looks like a SUV, but drives like a car, and that would be an apt description of the Murano.

I guess the prime motivation for buying a Murano, other than the fact that it is an excellent vehicle, would be its retail price — at RM318,000 onwards, depending on the specifications and trim, it certainly provides a greater bang per ringgit when compared to the continental makes.

Y S Khong is a four-time Malaysian rally champion. He has been a consultant to several car manufacturers in the country.

 
This article appeared in Options, the lifestyle pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 785, Dec 14-20, 2009.