Murano faces a lift

However, there will still be no diesel engine option, because it is made for the American market which has yet to hitch a ride on the diesel boom.

Murano is running 13th in the 20-vehicle medium SUV segment in Australia, probably due to its lack of a diesel option which accounts for 25 per cent of sales in the sector.

Nissan Motor Company Australia corporate communications manager Jeff Fisher said the revamped Murano would arrive "possibly in early '09.”

"Murano is a US concept intended chiefly for that market,” he explained.

"We think it works OK as a petrol in its prestige/low-volume market.”

Externally the second-generation Murano looks very much like the first generation and only owners may notice the difference.

Up front, there is more curve to the grille and headlight assembly in the shape of a boomerang.

The front-mounted aerial has moved to the rear and into a shark fin style as found on BMWs.

From the side, there is little difference, retaining that upswept sill line that creates a big blind spot in the C-D pillar section. Door handles are slightly modified, but even the alloy wheel designs are the same.

Out back the wide expanse of sheet metal which gives the Murano a big bum has been reduced by horizontal positioning of the taillights rather than vertical.

There also appears to be a slightly larger roof-mounted wing.

Other changes include slightly thinner roof racks and twin tailpipes that are more integrated into the bodywork.

Inside, there is a substantial change to the steering wheel, centre stack and instrument pod.

Much of the typical Nissan brushed aluminium is gone. The effect is more sporty and macho.

Murano continues to be powered by Nissan's ubiquitous 3.5-litre VQ engine which has been revised to offer improved performance.

The 24 valve twin cam V6 now develops 198kW of power, up a whopping 26kW and 325Nm of torque, up 8Nm.

Nissan claims faster acceleration times, but did not supply figures.

Despite the power boost, Nissan claims improvements in fuel economy have been gained through re-engineering the Xtronic CVT transmission for a 20 per cent reduction in friction losses.

Nissan says shift speeds and responsiveness are improved.

While Australian spec and pricing have yet to be decided, the new Murano features “scratch shield paint” which protects the exterior from marks and scratches.

The paint repairs the marks thanks to a newly developed highly elastic resin that helps prevent the scratches from damaging the base layer paint.

Fisher said there were no Nissans in Australia yet with Scratch Shield "at this time.”

"So far, it's proposed only for Murano in the US,” he said.