2012 Nissan Murano Reviews

Ewan Kenned reviews the 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 Nissan Murano as a used buy.

Graham Smith reviews the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Nissan Murano as a used buy.

Murano glass has earned a thousand years of fame for its leading design and clarity. And while the Nissan Murano - yes, named after the Venetian artware - is nowhere near as bright and sparkling, it can claim to have led others into the modern car-based crossover field a decade ago.DESIGNMurano was among the first to think outside the box shape of SUVs, so the design is an almost uninterrupted wedge from grille to rear window. Based on the same platform as the Maxima, the Murano looks more compact than its 4.8m length - but has a surprising amount of space between those sharply inclined front and rear screens.While tall torsos will feel the roof is close to their heads, there’s plenty of leg room front and rear. Cargo area allows a decent amount of luggage, and with the back row folded down there’s enough capacity for small furniture items from the weekend garage sale mystery tour.The leather-clad seats are comfortable and the fit-out clean and reasonably classy if you forgive the ungainly block of centre-stack and console for invading more personal cabin space than is really polite. TECHNOLOGYUnder the curved bonnet is a 3.5-litre V6 that puts out 191kw of power and 336Nm of torque, with a continuously-variable transmission delivering to all four wheels with constant all-wheel drive – generally front-biased but feeding more to the rear as needed.In general town and highway running it claims 10.9L/100km – and wants it to be premium 95RON fuel –although we ran just under 12L/100km in a mixed round. There’s also a 4WD lock mode for those few who will decide to go offroad, but with just 185mm of ground clearance you’ll come to grief at the first serious washout. But for fire trails and beach treks, it will be fine.It’s rated to tow 1500kg braked, so small boats, jetskis and the like will be fine. Trailering is a possibility, but if you’re planning to join the big caravan set, you really need to be looking at something with about a tonne more capacity to do it comfortably.SAFETYMurano has front, side and full-length curtain airbags, stability and traction controls, anti-brakes with brakeforce distribution to counter the weight of uneven loading and brake assist to give extra force for panic stops.It hasn't been crash rated by ANCAP but you could easily expect a four-star rating. It’s had a varied history in US tests, with the first generation getting five stars in all categories except rollover (four) and then the current generation faring worse and losing a star on the frontal crash test.VALUE The base ST Murano tested here is priced at $47,990 and well kitted with leather-clad heated and powered front seats, privacy glass, reversing camera, Bluetooth, audio system with hard disk drive and accessory integration, and enough touches of chrome to make you feel dressed-up without being vulgarly overblinged.But  that kind of money will get you into quite a few all-wheel drive rivals. There’s Korean-built Holden Captiva 7 at $42,490 with a 3.0-litre V6 and a reasonable equipment list. The red lion logo means it sells well, but it’s outstripped by others when it comes to performance, dynamics and refinement. Toyota’s trusty Kluger will give you dependability, comfort and solid quality at $44,490, but the 3.5 litre V6, 201kW/337Nm is undermined by the tired five-speed auto in pushing the hefty SUV, and the looks are on the bland side. If you want style and substance, there’s the Mazda CX-7 Luxury Sports at $45,990 with a great 2.3-litre turbo four-cylinder. It loses to the Murano in space, but it makes up for it with sparkling performance - and looks just as good.DRIVINGMurano is a comfortable cruiser and city runner, and is reasonably easy to park once you get the hang of where that curved bonnet ends - the reversing camera helps, but a forwarding camera would be just as useful. The CVT is not bad for city running in full automatic mode, but unless you’re blessed with the patience of the Dalai Lama, hills or highway lane changes will have you slipping over to the manual mode pretty quickly.You’ll get smarter performance from the V6, but when you start pushing it you’ll also smart more at the bowser - it doesn’t take long for manual changes in a loaded Murano to bump the fuel consumption up into the high teens. Ride quality is decent over most surfaces and the handling is good for an SUV, sitting fairly flat through corners and approaching the behaviour standards you could expect from a normal car. But where the driving fun falters is in the steering, which feels over-helped and disconnected. That won’t be a deal-breaker for most buyers, and for cruising the café strip or clocking-up some long-distance highway stretches, the Murano will be a comfortable but thirsty choice.VERDICTThink of this as a high-set car with some soft-road skills and a bigger thirst, and you’re on the right track. As long as the track doesn’t lead into offroad territory.NISSAN MURANO STPrice: $47,990Warranty: Three-years/100,000kmResale: 65 per centService intervals: 10,000km/six monthsThirst: 10.9 litres/100km 95 RON, 259g/km CO2Crash rating: NASafety equipment: Six airbags, ABS with EBD and BAEngine: 3.5-litre V6 petrol, 191kW/336NmTransmission: continuously variable automatic, AWDBody: Five-door wagon, seats fiveDimensions: 4835mm (L), 1835mm (W), 1700mm (H), 2825mm (WB), 1610mm/1610mm tracks front/rearWeight: 1795kgTyre size: 18 x 7.5Spare tyre: full-size alloy

Murano glass is the stunningly beautiful creation of Venetian glass makers while the Nissan Murano is the stunning, somewhat over-styled creation of a Nissan "designer." You won't miss it on the street especially now with a new front, big alloys and other changes. It's been fully pimped complete with rear blacked-out privacy glass.Underneath, Murano is the same as it has been for a few years but that's all good. It is a five-seat, light duty off-road SUV with a focus on style and performance rather than on rock hopping and mud plugging. The Ti  model we drove tops the range at $58,390 against the boat-size Mazda CX9 and the Toyota Kluger white goods.ENGINEPlenty of power comes from the 3.5-litre petrol V6 which is good for 191kW/336Nm - a little down on the competition. It has variable valve timing and other technology to cut fuel use and bolster performance but direct injection is missing and though very good, the engine is long in the tooth. It consumes 95 octane at the combined rate of 10.9-litres/100km but we easily went under that on the freeway.There's plenty of performance readily available though we still have an issue with CVT transmissions and their slurring operation. A manual change mode is provided, no paddles. It's smooth running and makes minimal noise.TECHNOLOGYThere's a clever All-Mode four wheel drive system with lock up function if you must go semi-serious off roading (we wouldn't), 3D satnav, electric folding rear seats and a nine gigabyte hard disc drive for music as well as the usual Bluetooth phone but no audio streaming. Has RCA audio jacks _ what the?OFF-ROAD?Well, maybe sand, snow and ice and rough(ish) dirt roads fall within the realms of possibilities. It only has 185mm ground clearance and those sporty looking 18-inch wheels and tyres wouldn't offer much grip off the black top. But we successfully embarked on some beach driving and adjacent access roads with no problem whatsoever. Would you really want to take your Murano bush bashin' off-road? Not really. Towing ability is OK with a 1500kg limit with a braked trailer.SAFETYMurano hasn't been crash rated by ANCAP but it has six air bags, stability control and other safety kit that would put it up there.INSIDEBeing the Ti model gets this vehicle leather, Bose audio, electrically adjustable and heated front seats, power folding rear seats, auto dim rear view mirror, reverse camera, push button start, dual zone climate control and 3D satnav to name a few goodies.Inside Murano has a generic premium Japanese look but is functional and easy on the eye. The dash is stylish and in keeping with the lairy exterior look. There's a full size alloy spare in the back and the seats are comfy. Boot space is generous and is expandable to huge.DRIVINGIt's a comfortable vehicle in which to put away big kays. There's strong engine performance and it digs in pretty hard on corners - like a sporty Euro SUV. Some steering backlash is evident on rough corners taken at speed. The CVT transmission makes it sound naff alternately revving up and down with each application of the throttle but the manual mode is good to use. It's not too tall, sits fairly flat and offers a supple, controlled ride with decent braking power. Fits in the garage too.VERDICTWe were pleasantly surprised with the Murano Ti - the performance, luxury, practical nature of the beast. It's right on the luxury tax trigger but you get plenty of vehicle for the money - and those startling looks to grab all the attention you crave.NISSAN MURANO TiPrice: $58,390Warranty: 3-years/100,000kmm 24 hour roadside assistResale: 65 per centService intervals: 10,000km/six monthsSafety equipment: Six airbags, ABS with EBD and BAEngine: 3.5-litre V6 petrol, 191kW/336NmBody: Five-door wagonDimensions: 4835mm (L), 1835mm (W), 1730mm (H)Wheelbase: 2825mm, 1610mm/1610mm tracks front/rearWeight: 1832kgTransmission: Continuously variable automaticThirst: 10.9 litres/100km 95 RON, 259g/km CO2.