Nissan Murano test drive since 2008 SUV

Good boredom

Part of the platform, motor, salon elements are all the new Nissan Murano shares with Infiniti FX. But the calm character and comfortable settings of everything and all he adopted from his predecessor.
When a good person is bad, this blues. When a bad person is good, this is pop. It turns out that according to the formula of rock and roller workers of the sixties, worse than me today there is no one on both sides of a kilometer of two kilometers. Because I am insanely good in the new Nissan Murano so much so that the vestibular apparatus refuses to respond not only to the change in speed, but also to sharp turns of the steering wheel, and to variations on the quality of the road surface. A real business class!
And good. Do not be embarrassed under the harsh gaze of the abstract-gum of optics: this is all ostentatious. Nissan Murano, as before, is tuned to comfort. Through the thick layer of sound insulation, neither the whisper of the motor or sandblast in the wheel arches is heard. Nothing! A terribly balanced car.
The urban landscape swallows a new aluminum suspension at a time, without passing a single hertz vibration to the body. And to focus on the road from the inside of the new Nissan Murano, except for the massive rear stand, but the sightseeing is partly compensated by the presence of a rear view camera.
The interior of the previous Murano was terrible, the new one was simply charming. But the interiors do not contrast, that is, they do not pass from the extreme to the extreme: they say, where there used to be thin explosive plastic, there is a neat monolith of polished ash, and instead of the scarlet silver linings, sullen Karbon. It’s just that now in Murano it has become cozy and high quality. Instead of a dubious aesthetics of minimalism, moderate luxury of business class.
Many details and solutions migrated to Nissan straight from Infiniti FX, for example, an average console with a touch screen of multimedia. And the armrests on Murano have become more convenient, and the devices now do not shine with poisonous orange light, but they look better and read only there is no spirit, highlights. Do not remember such a salon from the first or the tenth time.
The interior of the new crossover is extremely high -quality work on the mistakes of the past generation, but no more. I suspect, he will acquire individuality already in the third generation: well, it makes sense to wait another three to five years
Of the off -road potential, all -wheel drive and electronic locking of the center differential. As before, Murano is not strong on off-road due to the conventionality of locks and road tires, but it does not break beyond the limits of the road. Of course, comfortable, reliably showing itself on the asphalt, the suspension becomes inappropriate on the lane. The course of the shock absorbers is small, a meeting with bumps often ended in a breakdown.
And what's on the asphalt? Here Nissan Murano is like a satisfied rural cow, measuredly chewing waves of the road surface. The magnificent Xtronic variator is a little faster than the machine (Nissan has an automatic transmission for this motor, and it is excellent, but it is placed on Infiniti FX), but it switches smoothly and without any shocks.
The motor is deformed, and thanks I need to say the same variator who is not able to digest a greater torque. Under the hood of the EF-X 3.5-liter six gives out 307 liters. With. Against 249 on Murano.
How does this turn around? A little less lively acceleration, sluggish pickup and saving on a rise in a tax tax of about 17,000 rubles. annually. There is no anger in Murano, there is no enthusiasm. And the management is configured: the steering wheel is a little cotton, without intelligible feedback, only at speeds at 100 km/h, which is pouring proper force.
The buzz of the new Murano is not in the hot character, but in the fact that this SUV with a variator has become better than its predecessor. Who liked to get bored with the past generation will doubly like the current one. And to conquer the drive so the Nissan concern has other SUVs for this. Here is infiniti fx, these are emotions. And Nissan Murano is boredom. Such a solid, great boredom.

Author: Alexander Mikhailov
Photo: Roman Ostanin
   

   
 

Source: Wheel magazine [April 2009]