You might assume from recent headlines on this very website that Nissan, being a troubled business, is in this position because it doesn’t make good cars. If you’ve had a rental Nissan Rogue, you might also have this belief. The new Rogue is, at best, a “fine” car. I just spent a week with the redesigned Nissan Murano and, much to my surprise, I liked this car. It’s good!
Let’s just level-set your expectations a bit. I said “good” and not “great,” but I also didn’t say “fine.” The harshest critique you can give a car is to say that it’s “fine.” When a car reviewer says a car is “fine” what they mean is that it’s not even interesting enough to be bad. The Murano is interesting and, while it’s not the most dynamically exciting car ever built, it covers for most of its shortcomings by making big choices and having them pay off.
Earlier today, Jason said that Nissan deserved to live because it makes cheap cars. That’s true! I’d just add that Nissan also deserves to live because the company is capable of making good cars when it decides that’s what it wants to do.
Why This Car Exists
Every car company has to make at least one, but probably multiple two-row mid-size crossovers or SUVs. It’s no coincidence that cars like the Toyota Avalon, Chevy Impala, Ford Crown Victoria, and Nissan Maxima have gone away. This is what we, as a culture, have decided we wanted.
Being a crowded market, automakers have to differentiate themselves somehow. If you’re thinking of getting a five-door, tall thing that seats roughly five people and costs around $40-$45k your choices are quite extensive. You can get a Toyota 4Runner, if you want to cosplay as a couple that hikes, or a Honda Passport if you want to cosplay as a couple that, if not actively procreating, will be procreating quite soon. There’s the Mazda CX-70 for Millennials who want to project an image of upper-middle class hipness, and the Toyota Crown Signia for… honestly, I have no idea who buys Toyota Crown Signias.
You can think of the Nissan Murano as the modern Maxima replacement, although both were sold side-by-side for many years. It’s a bigger, nicer alternative to the Nissan Rogue, or the smaller two-row option for people who don’t want a Nissan Pathfinder.
The version I got from Nissan is the Murano Platinum AWD, which is the most expensive trim. At a starting price above $50,000, it’s more competitive with vehicles like the Lincoln Nautilus and Lexus RX.
2025 Nissan Murano Platinum: The Basics
- Price: $49,600 (Price as tested $55,030 with $1,390 destination charge)
- Engine:Â 2.0-liter turbo inline-four
- Transmission:Â 9-speed automatic transmission
- Drivetrain:Â All-wheel drive (AWD)
- Power: 241 horsepower, 260 lb-ft of torque
- Fuel Economy: EPA-estimated 21 city, 27 highway, 23 combined
- Body Style:Â five-seat crossover
What Does It Look Like?
I appreciate that the Nissan Murano looks this way even if I’m sure it doesn’t appeal to me. For years, there was so much bleh in this space as automakers deemed that the safest choice was no choice at all, which is how we ended up with the 2nd and 3rd generation Toyota Highlanders, which both looked like fake cars you’d see in an insurance ad.
The Murano is not boring. It looks big. It has presence. Even in the single-tone Champagne color it gets attention. I think it’s because everything is just a little exaggerated. The belt-line is aggressively angled from the C-pillar downward towards the headlights, which makes it look like it’s ready to pounce. The hour-glass shape that connects the roof to the rear window, which is a key Murano detail, feels bigger here than on post cars. There’s a very sci-fi light setup at the front with the company’s “Crystal Cube” minimalistic headlights, with daytime running lights hidden in the grille. Why does this look familiar?
What the Murano most resembles, come to think of it, is a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 that was swallowed by Kirby. If you’ve never played a video game, Kirby is a rotund pink creature that absorbs the power and, comically, some of the resemblance of whatever it swallows. Did the Nissan get any of the capabilities of a Ferrari? No, of course not, don’t be silly. It looks like a Kirby wearing a Ferrari mask.
Also, not to be the get-it-in-the-good-color police all the time, but there’s an excellent Aurora Blue Metallic color and you can get it with a two-tone roof and it really does it for me.
What’s It Like On The Inside?
This should be the whole review. The inside of the Nissan Murano is an excellent place to be. I drive cars all the time and this is one of the more attractive and comfortable spots I’ve put my rear in a long time. It also all makes sense from a driver’s perspective.
Every trim of a Murano gets a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment display, and both are super high quality, clear to see, and close enough to reach if you need to make an adjustment. In Platinum trim there’s a useful and bright heads-up display. The dashboard itself is finished in something called “Murano Glass,” named after the Venetian glassworks that gave the name to the car, in case you were curious what Murano means.
Every surface feels nice and soft and, while there’s some piano black around the cupholder, most of the materials seem resistant to smudging. The steering wheel is Megan Thee Stallion thicc and I super dig it. The semi-aniline leather seats are not too soft, not too firm. I even like the soft brown and caramel colors inside, which Nissan says was inspired by the “inimitable light quality of golden hour experienced along the California coast.” Ok, hilariously, the last time I experienced golden hour along the California coast was road-tripping the Pontiac Aztek back from Pebble and, you know what, sure. It feels close enough.
There’s an ambient LED strip that wraps around the interior and the cupholder area and you can adjust it to your mood which, in my case, was a warm orange color. My daughter camped out in the back seat, as usual, and declared it to be extremely comfortable. My biggest complaint is that I don’t love the touch-capacitive buttons for the climate controls, but they were quick and beat the hell out of buttons on the screen.
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I think, purely judged by the interior, the Murano in Platinum trim is as nice as the newer cars from Mercedes and pleasingly less busy. It’s worth mentioning that, aside from the ventilated seats, a lot of this is available on the cheaper models in the low $40k range. I’d love to drive the cheapest Murano to compare.
How Does It Drive?
Remember when I said it was a good car, but not a great car? Nissan has replaced its old and gutless V6 [Writer’s note: The VQ35 wasn’t that bad — TH] with a new and still mostly gutless turbo inline-four, though at least this time the CVT has been ditched for an honest nine-speed automatic transmission.
In 1st gear, at low speeds, the car isn’t entirely sure what it wants to do if you engage in light throttle tip-in. It’s basically that John Travolta GIF from Pulp Fiction where he’s uncertain about where to go:
After 1st and with more aggressive foot-play it’ll move, but I think the heft-to-power ratio is not in the Murano’s favor. By comparison, a Honda Passport has 280 horsepower. Most cars in this class have more power, actually, so don’t expect that “Sport” mode is going to provide actual sportiness, unless that sport is disc golf. Steering feel is, uh, it’s fine.
There’s one specific on-ramp I like to test out cars on as you get a tight left-hander followed by a tight right-hander slightly off camber. The Murano, to its credit, kept relatively flat. The lack of power here was likely a benefit as I think more power would overwhelm the suspension.
Actually, you know what, if you’re buying a Murano you probably don’t want the power and you definitely don’t need it. At some point, we as a country have to decide how much power we should give to people who seem entirely ambivalent about exercising said power responsibly. In the case of the Murano, that would probably mean shaving off about 10 horsepower. For Altima drivers, 200 horsepower.
This is especially true because the bulbous nose of the Muarno makes it hard to see over the front, even for a person like me with a long torso. It’s just not a great view, though you get used to it eventually.
Nissan lacks a good hybrid system for the United States, though the company says one is coming. In this case it would help a lot as the 23 MPG combined EPA rating is pretty sad, although it bests the Passport. The Mazda CX-70, which is much quicker and drives much better, gets 25 MPG in mild-hybrid non-PHEV trim.
The Murano comes with ProPILOT Assist 1.1 with steering assist and sensor-assisted Cruise Control. It works reasonably well on the highway, though isn’t as good as what you’d get on a BlueCruise-equipped Lincoln or SuperCruise GM product.
This with a hybrid system would be better, like most cars.
What’s The Punctum Of The 2025 Nissan Murano Platinum
There’s a small button on the steering wheel for the driver’s right thumb and, unlike controls on most steering wheels, it’s actually oriented to the direction your thumb naturally goes. This is a smart choice. It’s not like Nissan has a ton of money right now to invest in powertrains or anything else. The only way it’s going to get by is through making the most of what it has.
I think the Murano is close to the best Nissan can do right now and it’s encouraging that the best Nissan can do is still good. This isn’t the car I’d necessarily pick first in this class, but it’s not the car I’d pick last. Everything about this feels nicer, better, and more thoughtful than, say, the Volkswagen Atlas.
If you’re an enthusiast, you’re probably going to get the CX-70/CX-90 or, maybe, find a little extra change for a nicely appointed Ford Bronco. That’s ok. This car probably isn’t for you, but it might be for a friend who doesn’t want to wait three months for a Highlander.
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I would be glad to write a treatise on the principles of this. To put it very basic there are three types of cars just like there are 3 types of restaurants.
1. Fine dining -restaurants great food comfortable dining and relaxing atmosphere. Fine cars the same.
2. Family dining- general common food but accept substitutions. So order the entree and the optional sides. Cars the same.
3. The buffet- they slap every thing on the menu but it only includes budget items you serve yourself and the food is bland because acceptable to more people and the options are a variety of sodas
Once again needed a economics expert
Well they ditched the CVT and got a competitive step transmission.
Next: toss the complex and not particularly powerful or fuel efficient variable compression engine. (that one is difficult to understand, must be some organizational politics that mandates it say alive).
In the comic book world, “Fine” is better than “Good”. Fine is actually a step below mint.
The Murano is one of those vehicles that I’ve always had a hard time picturing as any generation after the first one, like the original was such an eye catching, unique design that it’s permanently frozen in my consciousness as that. The Audi TT and the new MINIs are others
The people who buy Crown Signias are the people who would own a Lexus RX or a Venza but for whom the styling language of those vehicles is too aggressive and they aren’t brave enough to pivot to another car make. In other words, basically, my parents, your parents, etc
I test-drove a ’25 Nissan Murano Platinum recently, in that same color. I honestly thought the old V6 was vastly preferable to the 2.0-liter VC-turbo. Had Nissan equipped this car with the old V6 and the new 9AT, as in the Pathfinder, it would be a real standout. As it is, the upcoming ’26 Honda Passport will be the lone car in this category with a V6, but will be a different kind of product overall.
Beyond that, yes, there were a few cheap bits, like the steering wheel boss, but overall it was a very pleasant place to be. Noise and ride control were especially good, and the styling is (IMO) great.
One thing I struggled to figure out, when I opened the hood, was where the air intake was fed from. I looked at it, but it seemed to lead to lead right to that blanked off upper black grille, and didn’t appear to have much access to the lower grille, if any. A real mystery.
like the steering wheel boss Is this the steering wheel hub?
Does it still have too much continuous variability? This is a complaint I’ve heard with prior Nissans with the compression-changing engine and the CVT, but maybe the lack of CVT will fix it.
You didn’t mention that the transmission is pushbutton instead of that sad mushroom-mouse thing on other Nissans. That’s an improvement too.
I had no idea the Murano still existed in the last 5 model years, let alone this one.
I’ve always found the Murano a nice place to spend time inside, even if not always the prettiest to look at outside. But the outgoing one especially lingered way too long. I think if EVs/the Ariya had taken root more this might have not shown up at all.
It is one of the few softer/more carlike entries remaining with the Blazer and the Edge going away, and others like the Santa Fe and Passport trying to toughen up further. I can’t see a Rock Creek version of this showing up. I’d take it over the Atlas Cross Sport, but not over a Crown Signia, unless you really don’t like the wagony look. Or the Mazda unless you don’t want the physical size.
Makes more sense where the lower trims start, toward the low/mid $40s. Loaded at $55k puts a lot of other models in the running though, from brands with some degree more cachet. RX obviously, an RDX is a little smaller, a Nautilus seems close.
Also you can get massaging seats on it apparently – did you try those Matt??
Ctl-F “CVT”
“Oh good.”
That was my first question when I saw Murano – does it have a CVT. No, great answer. Then I read down a bit and it has a turbo 4. Not a great answer. I’m also not a fan of the 2 tone with a black roof.
It will still be driven by The Murano Man. The Murano Man runs every stop sign. The Murano Man will go 55 through the school zone. The Murano Man got approved for Altima financing but wanted something higher up.
Eh, the Murano seems like one of those cars, at least in fairly-new spec, that evades Nissan’s reputation for reckless/low-credit drivers. They seem to be driven by people who aren’t ready to step up to something like an RX, but who still want a comfy, stylish 5-seater.
It makes sense that Nissan would not blow this one. People forget that the Murano practically invented the category of stylish, moderately-sporty 2-row crossover. I remember there was a lot of buzz about the original when it first came out. Even my Mercedes-owning cousin contemplated getting one. (In the end she decided she liked small coupes too much to go crossover.)
The Murano has always sat in this weird spot with the Maxima (RIP) in the Nissan lineup, being fancier and more premium than the rest of the Nissan range but not quite encroaching on Infiniti territory. The Murano is a Mercury.
But will there be a convertible version?
I see VC on the engine cover. Variable Compression. Don’t like how this works. I see engines failing. No thanks!
It’s a relatively clean design – which is refreshing in today’s over-styled market.
(See new A6 Avant)
But what is up with that back seat? It’s like something designed by AI – is that a weird secondary armrest and different stitching from left to right seating areas? And is that a supposed to be a cupholder in the seat – What is that???
And what is up with the complete lack of bumpers – particularly at the rear?
That’s the kind of stupidity that makes insurance so expensive for everyone.
That is a child’s booster seat on top of the Murano’s seat.
*Facepalm*
Who does that for a review?
It’s bad enough that the car is photographed when it’s dirty….
Clearly, I do that for a review!
As a parent, meh? Taking care of kids is a daily grind that consumes huge, unimaginable amounts of time and energy. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
…typing this at the end of a workday that featured a call from daycare to come get my kid, calls to the doctor to get a prescription sent in for pinkeye, and part of the afternoon spent attempting to work remotely while caring for a tiny human.
I was wondering why the seats were so weird too… Can’t believe I missed that it was a booster seat.
Good friend had a Gen 1 Murano till totaled in a wreck. There were things I liked but OMG that VQ engine was rough. My older Gen 1 Acura MDX is still smoother and has no CVT (I have an external cooler on it’s glasslike trans). The Murano honestly had better rear seating, at the expense of third row and cargo.
Never warmed to the amber instrument lighting.
I would guess you were not told because none of us have given it a chance yet. Nissan really needs to plaster billboards with “Come try it, we really did get rid of the CVT”
I’m content knowing that I’ll never own a new car, I’ve made peace with it. Even then, jeeze do these articles still make me wonder – “who in the world buys these things?” I know folks obviously do but I just assumed if you wanted to spend 50k for a souless crossover the lexus 350 thingamajiggy had that market essentially covered.
I think those $50k Lexus thingamajjiggy’s are pushing much higher than $50k now.
Just the other day I checked used Lexus prices on Edmunds out of curiosity. Four-year-old EX350s are listing for $31K. For the plain-jane EX! And not even the hybrid!
You mean, ES 350, and indeed they are. That is why I went ahead and got a new one, almost a month ago. The used ones were not a deal. The Lexus dealer wanted $48K for a lightly used ES 250 AWD. The ES 250, BTW, has the lackluster N/A I4 and is the only way to get AWD on the prior Camry, (discontinued) Avalon, and ES. The ES 350 Ultra Luxury I bought? Around $56K.
For me, I thought the ES 300h (the hybrid) was perfectly nice, but wanted an opportunity to get a creamy N/A V6 (that doesn’t even require premium) while I still could.
Correct. They are. It used to be that you could get a well-equipped RX 350 for a little over $50K. Not so much, anymore, and even the one-size-smaller NX 350 routinely transacts for more than that. To say nothing of the sought-after hybrid versions of both.
I’ve seen alot of good things about it . Some are comparing it to the early to mid 2000s nissians. The absence of a cvt is a good thing for sure. I wonder if it will get the Mitsubishi PHEV system.
A Murano Hybrid (which did exist, in the past) or PHEV would be great, but probably not. Nissan has the similarly styled, similarly sized Ariya already, and the company cannot currently afford to waste money trying to chase every segment.
Probably true. If feel there is alot more press the for the Murano maybe because it’s built in Tennessee. The Ariya just seemed to be there. I saw one in early 2023 at a restaurant with temp tags on it and was trying to figure out what it was. Rex and PHEV seems to be what alot of people want though. I guess there is the rouge / outlander that’s not too much bigger.