Autoblog

click above for more images from our first drive of the 2009 Nissan Murano

Nissan's original Murano was a successful and difficult act to follow. The elder statesman of crossover utility vehicles saw its sales increase every year since it was introduced in 2003, but with the segment going from crowded to standing room only, Nissan realized changes were needed to compete.

"Murano-ness" – that's what Jarrad Haslam, Nissan's product planner for crossovers, said the company insisted be preserved in the new version. Nissan invited us to Atlanta to sample this almost-totally-new Murano for 2009. You'll recognize the distinctive rounded nose, sharply-raked windshield, the side glass kicked up over the rear fender, a smallish rear hatch window topped by a sliver of a spoiler, and a lower rear bumper accentuated by dual exhaust outlets. But put the 2007 and 2009 (the Murano sat out the 2008 model year) side by side, and the differences become evident.

Continue reading about our first drive of the 2009 Nissan Murano after the jump.




Live Photos Copyright ©2008 Chris Tutor / Weblogs, Inc.

UPDATE: Video of live reveal and official press release added after jump

click above image to view TONS of new 2009 Nissan Murano pics

The new front end of the 2009 Nissan Murano is now visible in all its, ummm... glory, and the new shots of the interior may have eschewed Alex's initial concerns about the chintz-factor that plagued the last generation.

While we'll avoid any Battlestar Galactica references, we will say that the new front clip is a pretty large departure for Nissan, which obviously nixed the idea of aping the redesigned G-series sedan for a clean sheet makeover of its avant garde CUV. The profile is much the same as the current Murano, but the rear benefits from new LED taillamps and the roof has a skylight hovering over the second-row passengers.

Inside, the new Murano gets a huge helping of refinement, complete with a push-button start-system, wood and aluminum trim, optional Intelligent Key, Bose audio, DVD navigation, 9.3-gig hard drive and iPod connectivity (on LE models). Buyers who haven't ticked off all the options will get a standard audio system with a six-disc changer and an auxiliary jack.

Front- and all-wheel-drive models will get power from Nissan's 265-hp 3.5-liter V6 mated to a CVT,with five trim levels available: S, LS and LE, the latter of which will only be available with AWD.

[Source: Nissan]

Click image for photo gallery

Ahead of its planned LA Auto Show debut, Nissan's 2009 Murano is doing the sneak preview thing courtesy of the NICOclub forums where these pics originated. They've since been posted on GM Inside News and FreshAlloy.com, as well. Clearly not wanting to mess with success, the CUV's general overall shape, as well as that of its side glass, is fundamentally the same. The '09 gets more muscular, Rogue-ish wheel flares, taillamps that extend into the rear hatch, and a new front end that makes silver Muranos look kinda like the updated Cylon centurions from Battlestar Galactica. We don't get a good view of the passenger cabin, other than to see a panoramic roof is obviously an option. Hopefully the current car's chintzy-looking gauge cluster got flushed in the revamp, too.

[Source: NICOclub.com]

We'll know for sure in a couple of weeks at the LA Auto Show when the 2009 Nissan Murano doffs the parka it's sporting here, but don't expect earth-shattering changes. It's not like the Murano is looking tired; its sharp looking design will keep it fresh even when it's trading on some beastly backwater of a used car lot somewhere. Brenda Priddy & Co. were able to snag these shots that show off redone ends, but the same basic space capsule in between. We'd expect to see the grille lose a little bit of its "Schick-ness" and align more closely with the Rogue's front end treatment. Headlamps and taillights look slightly reshaped as well, but at least they kept that rakish profile. Utility be damned, we think it looks hot.

[Source: Straightline, Photo: Brenda Priddy & Co.]