Category: Sporting 4x4s 
Price Range: £32,150 to £32,150
High levels of refinement, long list of standard specification.
Feels off the pace, woeful handling, crude ride, lacks crucial diesel option.
Undercuts rivals with price, but not with quality or drive.
The last Murano was a very credible effort, heralded as a breath of fresh in a staid traditional off-road segment.
Instead of square, conventional, butch lines the Murano boasts curvy, almost coupe-like looks. Appropriately, under the bonnet lays the rorty engine lifted straight from the 350Z.
Alas, sales success never materialised. At its peak Nissan could only shift 1,000 units - for good reason. The petrol-only Murano struggled in a segment dominated by diesel, while the curious CVT gearbox and awful ride scared the rest away.
Nissan started again and created an all-new Murano. Unfortunately, in our eyes, it gets off to a bad start with much of the original's aesthetic charm lost with an ungainly new snout. Under the skin, however, it's good news. The car has been developed and built on the firm's new D-platform that is stronger, stiffer and more sophisticated, thanks to a new multi-link rear suspension.
Helping improve the drive further is the option of the X-Trail's famed intelligent i-Mode all-wheel-drive system.
Inexplicably, the Japanese firm failed to develop a diesel for the Murano so a revised, more powerful, version of the 3.5-litre V6 carries over, with a newly developed version of the CVT gearbox.
It is fully kitted out and prices start at £33,000 with only metallic paint and a DVD rear entertainment pack as option. The brand is focusing its sights on the Lexus RX and VW Touareg as potential rivals.
