Test drive Nissan Murano 2003 - 2007 SUV

All photos of Nissan Murano 2003 - 2007

Nissan Murano car review

Wonderful design
(Car of North American configuration. The estimated time of appearance in the Japanese market autumn 2004.)
The Nissan Murano car debuted in the North American market in December 2002 and was very well met by customers. In particular, in Canada, he even became a car of the year. Do you know where such a strange word murano comes from? The fact is that the Gulf of Venice has an island with the name where the Venetian glass center is located. Thus, this word, in relation to the name of the car, should be deciphered as a car, comparable in beauty with the Venetian glass, not otherwise!
Indeed, the car turned out very stylish. Its length is 4765 mm, width 1880 mm, and a height of 1690 mm, which in itself already creates the impression of a power that you only have to dream of a sedan or a station wagon. And on the other hand, such powerful all-wheel drive machines as Nissan Safari or Toyota Land Cruiser cannot boast of such a sporting energetic character. Now, it seems, in Japan, a boom around the category for outdoor activities (SUV) produced by the best European companies continues to grow in Japan. So, the Murano model is in no way inferior to such machines in sharpness and in red move.
It has not yet been established at what price this car will be sold in the Japanese version. A machine with a standardly installed on-board navigator equipped with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder in a row engine (only front-wheel drive) will cost around 2 million 700 thousand yen (~ $ 25700), and a modification with a 3.5-liter 6 cylinder v - figurative engine (maybe 2WD and 4WD) somewhere around 3 million 500 thousand yen (~ $ 33000). If we proceed from the fact that the upper price bar of all the SUV imported -made category is a tendency to fall below 5 million yen, the estimated price of the Nissan Murano is quite high.
Whose positions can be most suffered in connection with the appearance of the Nissan Murano model on the market is the Toyota Harrier car, which accounts for 2/3 of the total sales of cars of this class. However, I think that it would be wrong to believe that they would block oxygen to each other. Not at all! After all, it only seems that if both cars, relatively speaking, enter the same group of SUV sports cars, then they should be exactly the same. In fact, they differ significantly from each other in exploring qualities. Therefore, the expression two nightingales on the branch do not sing to this case is not applicable. But the fact that Toyota does not intervene in this dispute with its powerful market and financial resource - this, just, plays into the hands of Nissan.

And how easily it will be adopted by Japan?
This time I managed to test only the North American version of the car. The photo shows that it has the left location of the steering wheel, and there is no yellow lamp in the combination of the rear lights. Therefore, flashing lights are additionally built into the bumper. Nissan is already holding a pre -sale advertising company via the Internet, and the current demonstration of trial samples in which I also had to participate this part of the planned events. The implementation itself, according to forecasts, can begin no earlier than September of this year.

As I already noted, the appearance of the car is impressive. First of all, the mesh pattern of the front lattice of the radiator is striking. If, however, she was smaller than her shine, then she, in my opinion, would look even better. Her present radiance is overly annoyingly striking.
Three groups of instruments that can move up and down along with a change in the position of the steering column are made in the manner inherent in the modern Nissan, and are painted with aluminum. However, neither the color scheme itself, nor the material that is used in the design of the cabin, does not make the impressions of something too high quality. I believe that this is explained by the fact that the interior design is designed for buyers of North Americans, among whom are full of those who simply do not pay attention to such trifles. And how the salon of this Americanized Murano contrasts with a detailed verified interior of the signal option that was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show, and which was designed for a Japanese consumer! I believe that for the average Japanese, the main competitor of the Murano model Harrier is much closer. Well, those who, at the sight of the Harrier salon, may object in the spirit that, they say, something simpler to the sports car is just, those, just, can become fans of Murano.
The salon, of course, is wide. So wide that 4 adults can sit down quite freely. The floor of the luggage compartment is a little high, and it will be a little difficult to load heavy baggage. And I would like more luggage places. With the help of a lever that is located in the rear section, you can easily fold the rear seat, which looks like a very correct solution. The car body has a solid size, and therefore, if you do not take into account the height of the luggage compartment, it turns out that the car is not inferior in practicality to the category L.

Should I think about its acquisition? Answer yes!
The machine is equipped with an engine that is used in many Nissan models. I mean the 3.5-liter 6-cylinder engine already familiar to all of us with the V-shaped cylinders of the VQ35 brand. Let me remind you that, being installed on Nissan Fairlady Z, it develops a power of 280 hp, on Skyline 272 hp, on Teana 231 hp. But in this version, its power is 245 horsepower. In the transmission, a stranded X-Tronic variator is used. The saturated torque of the engine, along with a stray transmission, gives the result a very good acceleration intensity. The car is not touched by the place not

just briskly, but, I would say, from a place to the quarry. When you press the accelerator pedal, the turnover immediately increases, and a certain speed lag characteristic of the CVT system (at least many people think so) is not felt here at all. And when driving on the rise, and when driving along the mountain highway, the car gains speed at a given pace. And even if the speed is already called on the verge, the accelerator pedal remains not completely squeezed.
Since the Murano model is created on the platform of a passenger car with front -wheel drive, the suspension is also in the image of a car. In order to compensate for the inevitable SUV car, the raised center of gravity, the suspension is made more rigid. At the same time, since the primary return of the steering wheel also has a muffled character, while driving along an uneven road, the steering wheel reacts relatively clearly to each small push. This is so, but is the pleasure of even posture of the car, including when driving by off -road in 4WD mode, not worth it? Of course, compared to a well -made machine -like station wagon, the car is a little rude in control. But this can be said about Toyota Harrier, and even about imported machines of the SUV category.
What else is important to note for those who are well versed in the features of category cars for outdoor activities, as well as for those who only think about getting behind the wheel of such a machine: speed qualities are not the most important thing here. And if you agree with such a question, then it turns out, I can definitely say - that in terms of traction and in terms of sustainable control, the Nissan Murano car is more than a wonderful model. And if someone seriously nourishes interest in the sports qualities of machines, then he should closely consider the option with the acquisition of this car.