2025 Nissan Murano Review – Stepping Forward

Nissan’s comeback tour continues apace with the 2025 Nissan Murano.

Kicks, Armada, now Murano – Nissan is working hard to get its model lineup up-to-date via major updates to major models.

There is almost certainly more to come.

The Kicks and Armada took big steps in the right direction. Is the story the same for the Murano?

I couldn’t quite figure out if I liked it or not. Your mileage will vary. Beauty, eyes, the beholder, et cetera.

Inside I felt a little let down. I had just driven the new Armada with its dramatically improved interior the day prior, and I was hoping the design team working on Murano would have collaborated better with their buddies in the Armada studio. The Armada blends buttons and switches nicely with haptic touch, but the Murano goes all-in on haptic touch. It also asks you to use the infotainment screen for certain controls.

The haptic touch works well enough, sure, and it lends the cabin a cleaner look, but I felt it caused me to take my eyes off the road too much for certain adjustments.

I do like the large, connected dual screens – they’re easy to read and give the dash a clean, smooth look. The two-spoke steering wheel is a bit odd, though.

Nissan also gets credit for having above-the-beltline interior materials that look and feel price-point appropriate, at least on the top-trim Platinum model I drove.

Muranos get Nissan’s “Zero Gravity” seats for the rear this year, and that’s a good thing – silly branding aside, these seats have always been comfortable. So why shouldn’t rear-seat passengers get them? Certainly the front seat was a nice place to sit while driving around the rolling hills near Franklin, Tennessee.

The powertrain that drives the Murano is now a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 241 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque – gone is the 3.5-liter V6. This means that horsepower drops by 19 but torque is up by 20. This mill works well enough for passing and merging – it’s no barn burner but it will be fine for suburban motoring.

Also gone is the continuously variable automatic transmission. It’s replaced by a nine-speed automatic. That’s the good news, at least if you’re a CVT hater. The bad news is that this new transmission occasionally exhibited a hard shift, especially when the power was being ladled on. You can get the Murano with either front- or all-wheel drive.

Nissan has cooked up a two-row crossover with a nice ride – it’s well balanced between sport and comfort. Body roll is well muted when cornering, though understeer showed up when the Murano was pushed a little hard – especially since rain had slightly dampened the roads around Nashville. Flicking the “D-mode” switch into Sport mode stiffens things up a bit, but at the expense of some noise, vibration, and harshness. In Sport mode, the engine held on to revs, which lead to a bit of drone from the motor.

Eco mode, meanwhile, made responses too slow to be useful, even in light freeway cruising. I’d keep it in Normal most of the time and flip to Sport when you see that “curvy road ahead” sign.

Normal or Sport, the Murano does handle well for its size.

Speaking of size, the Murano occupies a weird space in the market – it’s a tad bigger than most two-rows but it will not be sold with a third row. Nissan IDs the competitive set as the Toyota Crown Signia, the Chevrolet Blazer, and the Honda Passport. I’d humbly add the Lexus NX (more on price than size) to that mix. Nissan also mentioned the Hyundai Santa Fe, which I found odd, since the Hyundai has three rows.

Sliding into the second row, I found that the sloping roofline did not negatively affect headroom too much, and I had enough legroom. Most adults won’t complain – especially if it’s cold and their Murano has heated rear seats.

The Murano goes on sale soon and the trim walk works like this: SV (base), SL, and Platinum. SVs are the only trim that you can get with front-wheel drive, and the pricing starts at $40,470. Add AWD and the price is $41,470.

SVs offer 20-inch wheels, dual 12.3-inch screens, wireless charging, heated leatherette power front seats, and power liftgate. SLs start at $46,560 and add Google Built-In voice assistant, 3D 360-degree camera, Bose audio, and a panoramic moonroof. Platinum trims start at $49,600 and add 21-inch wheels, a head-up display, heated front seats, cooled front seats, massaging front seats, and leather seats.

Other available features, trim dependent, include Pro Pilot Assist, transparent-hood technology (a camera trick that can make the hood “disappear” for tight-quarters maneuvering), ambient interior lighting, heated steering wheel, memory driver’s seat, motion-activated power liftgate, rear window shades, heated rear seats, and a power tilt/telescope steering wheel.

My fully-loaded Platinum test rig cost $51,415 – that’s the base price plus $425 for premium paint and the $1,390 destination fee. Fuel economy is listed at 21 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined for both FWD and AWD vehicles.

The next Murano is a much nicer – or, at least, much more up-to-date – package, and that’s huge for a company that’s trying to turn the ship around. I don’t love certain design decisions – can we slow the haptic touch roll in favor of old-fashioned knobs, even at the expense of clean lines, please? – but the overall experience is pleasant.

Nissan needs strong product to pull out of its recent funk, merger talk aside. It’s taking big strides forward – and the Murano is the latest example.

[Images © 2024 Tim Healey/TTAC.com]

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