2015 Nissan Murano Platinum

An upscale crossover without luxury brand stigma.

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The 2015 Nissan Murano Platinum

In a market flooded with SUVs and crossovers how does a company make something fresh?  In the case of the Murano there was a focus on creating something up market without the price premium.  And mostly it pays off.  The interior space is the highlight as it feels modern without being cheesy. The overall impression of driving the Murano is comfort, comfort and more comfort.

Use of different materials inside make this an interesting space. Different color leather surfaces, matte plastics, gloss plastics and the silver shell/stone emulated trim creates balance.  Overall the perceived quality is high.  There are some areas that could use improvement such as center console storage hinge feels dollar store, and the door handles feel overtly delicate for size and solidity of vehicle.  The interior lighting and accent lighting is nice touch and brightness can be adjusted, however the high color temperature interior LED lighting has poor uniformity and the center console accent light that shines down from the roof line is too bright and cannot be dimmed at night.

However, the infotainment screen can be turned off with a physical button and the interior instrument panel can be blacked out at night which is good. Overall the fit and finish along with usability and storage is excellent in the vehicle. 

Driving the Murano is a smooth experience. The V6 is solid and has just the right balance of sound, performance and smoothness for the size and weight of the vehicle.  The CVT is the downer here, as the behavor is inconsistent during spirited driving as it sometimes held revs, sometimes pulled stepped acceleration and once in a while just held revs high without accelerating.   However, during normal mundane driving it felt almost always smooth.  A traditional 6/7/8 transmission would be welcome option.

Overall this vehicle is essentially a luxury crossover without the premium price. Some of the areas that are lost in translation related to refinement won't factor in for most of the buying public.

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Motor:
Smooth V6, mostly trouble free with great aural feedback.

Transmission:
The CVT despite stepped trickery was inconsistent in programming during spirited drives, makes motor feel weaker than it is.   Normal driving mostly felt smooth.

Interior:
Comfort and quality with modern design works extremely well.  Seats are excellent and heater and cooler options actually work well.

Exterior:
Has a luxury crossover look. Mostly subjective yet modern in 2015.

Fuel Economy Observed:
19-21MPG Mixed

Brakes:
Good initial bite but fade fast, tester had warped front rotors.

Driving and Suspension:
Mostly well dampened and controlled, soaks up most bumps and chop with no issues. Still retains firmness without being horribly mushy. Car like steering, quick and light however isolated.  Feels heavy in the turns.

Infotainment:
It works, very few complaints about functionality and speed. Like many systems it relies too heavily on touch input to navigate. Makes up for quirks with intuitive menus and simple physical buttons.