THE TEST OF TIME
The driving experience is pretty much what most people want in an everyday commuter vehicle. I like the smoothness and simplicity of non-turbo engines, and the Murano’s 3.5-litre V6 delivers just that, with 260 horsepower and 240 pound-foot of torque that builds with linear acceleration on moderate throttle, but with more than enough grunt when needed to make your move on the highway.
It’s mated to a CVT that, under almost all conditions, is so well done that you might not realize at first there aren’t any conventional gears inside it. Should you want to take it a step beyond, you can use the shift lever to manually move between pre-set points in the transmission that mimic gears. The all-wheel-drive system primarily powers the front wheels, but sends torque to the rear ones as needed for driving conditions.
Against the published figure of 9.9 L/100 kilometres in combined driving, I got 10.1 over a week with it, which seemed more than fair. One thing to remember when comparing this segment: Those small turbo engines can have impressive fuel numbers on paper, and they are far more efficient than turbocharged engines of times past, but getting that bigger-engine power out of them can often have a noticeable effect on how much fuel you’re using. Rather than just compare numbers, consider how you’re going to actually load up and use your vehicle.
The Murano is not a sports car; the nicely-light-for-tight-manoeuvring steering gains just enough heft at higher speeds, but there’s very little road feel through the wheel. The suspension soaks up bumps but isn’t too soft, and the cabin is quiet. That makes it an ideal vehicle for longer road trips, especially with its comfortable and supportive seats.
The rear chairs aren’t quite as curvy as the front ones, but they still work well, especially since back-seat drivers get a decent amount of legroom. Those rear seats are easy to fold flat to give you extra cargo space, but the Murano is a little challenged on cargo capacity in comparison to some of its competitors — that extra legroom has to be made up somewhere, it seems. There’s also a shortage of space to conveniently stash small items up front, with just a small open cubby in the centre console, aside from the covered console box.
The dash mimics the Murano’s curving grille, where the centre stack provides plenty of buttons for operating the climate control and infotainment system, which is always a plus in my book, where frequently used functions should be up front rather than buried in computer screens.
The sharply pitched back window robs the Murano of some of its rearward visibility. All models come with a rearview camera — Transport Canada has required it on all new vehicles since earlier this year — while the SL and up include a 360-degree, bird’seye view that you can further pinpoint to show what’s ahead, behind, or alongside.
The SL and Platinum trim levels also include blind spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control that’s among the smoother versions of this technology, which keeps a pre-set distance from the vehicle in front.
All trim levels also include Easy Fill, a nifty program that uses the Murano’s standard tire pressure monitoring system and chirps the horn when you’re topping up your tires and have put in the right amount of air.
The saying goes that “time will tell” if a new product has long-term appeal, and the Murano has passed its test with flying colours. Even in the face of stiff competition, it’s a viable contender in this popular segment.