HiFi Geek

SECOND GENERATION NISSAN MURANO

The assembly of this car was done at Kyushu, Japan with a platform of Nissan D and an engine of 3.5L 265 bhp, V6. The transmission was again CVT of which the production started in 2008 having a length of 188.5 in (4788 mm), a width of 74.1 in (1882 mm) and height of 66.9 in (1699 mm). Its predecessors are Nissan Maxima, Nissan Altima and Nissan Teana.

The Nissan had skipped the 2008 model year with the production of the 2009 model with the next generation making its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2007, November and the sale starting in January 2008. Its features include:

A revised exterior styling with increased family resemblance to the Rogue.

Has aggressive front fascia and rear quarter windows.

The interior are redesigned using a traditional instrument cluster and higher-quality materials.

The second generation Murano is offered in three trim levels:

the base S,

the mid-grade SL,

the top of the line LE.

The performance-oriented SE model is no longer available.

The S and SL are offered with standard i-AWD (Intuitive All-Wheel Drive) and an optional FWD. These models also have an aluminium interior accent.

The LE trim is AWD only. New features are though, available for the LE grade only including the rain-sensing wipers, double-stitched leather seats, power rear lift gate, power fold-up rear seats, iPodintegration, hard-drive base and a touchscreen navigation system. LE has a wood-tone trim.

The Murano is presently based on the Nissan D platform shared with the fourth generation Nissan Altima and the new 2009 Nissan Maxima giving the 2009 Murano a revised version of the award-winning 3.5L VQ engine rated at 265 horsepower (198 kW), an increase of 20 over the previous model. Torque is rated at 248 ft•lbf (336 N•m) whoch has been mated to a revised Continuously Variable Transmission with Adaptive Shift Control. EPA fuel economy is rated at 18 City / 23 Highway.

The safety features on all trims are the 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, brake-assist, and EBD; electronic stability control; and front, side-, and side-curtain airbags with the NHTSA awarded the Murano 4 stars on the frontal crash test and 5 stars for side impacts. On September 29, 2008, Nissan released the next generation Murano in Japan targeting mainly at men in their 30s, 40s and 50s, and is rated between 3,150,000 yen and 4,042,500 yen, about 200,000 to 300,000 yen more expensive than the first generation model that it has planned to sell in 170 countries.

THE FIRST GENERATION OF NISSA MURANO

It works on the platform of Nissan FF-L with an engine of 3.5L 245 bhp V6 and transmission of CVT. The first generation starte with its production in 2003-2007 with the assembly at Kanda, Fukuoka and Japan. The first generation cars had a length of 4770 mm (187.6 in), a widthof 1880 mm (74.0 in) and height of 1705 mm (66.5 in) in 2003-2005 while a height of 1709 mm (67.3 in) in 2006-2007. The first generation Nissan Murano is a predecessor to the Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Quest and the Nissan Teana.

The first generation Nissan Murano is available with a standard front-wheel-drive (FWD), an optional all-wheel-drive (AWD) being the largest vehicles utilising a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The fuel economy of the car was rated at 18 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. An independent suspension on all four wheels made it the class-leading ride and handling. The safety was also considered witha full set of airbags, steel reinforced cabin, and head restraints that protected the interior while the mechanical safety features included the VDC that included a traction control embedded into the car’s onboard computer designed to provide ‘joy’ to drive, ABS, EBD and brake assist with which it recieved a crash test rating of 5-stars in all categories but vehicle rollover from the NHTSA.

For the 2006 model year, the Murano received some updates of LED tailamps and turn signals, standard color information screen, back-up camera, GPS and a restyled front end with some minor trim updates that costed over USD100,000 in Asia.

NISSAN MURANO

ABOUT NISSAN MURANO

Nissan Murano is the first mid size crossover SUV 4 door manufactured by Nissan in December 2005 and sold in 2003 having a layout of front engine, front wheel drive or a four wheel drive both and a wheelbase of 2825 mm. This car was designed at Nissan Design America in La Jolla, California where the first generation Murano was based on the Nissan FF-L platform used by the third generation Altima. The Murano is has a size between the Xterra and the Pathfinder, but prices higher than the Nissan Pathfinder. The name Murano came from a region of Venice, known for the hand blown glass produced there.

AWARDS FOR NISSAN MURANO

The Murano was awarded the North American Truck of the Year award for 2003 ans was even named the best premium mid-size SUV by AutoPacific.