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Lyndon Conrad Bell | 3/19/2008 | Nissan
What do you do when you have a vehicle that's selling better and better every year, even though it's been around for quite a while? Well, if you're Nissan, you improve it regardless.
Not content to rest on its laurels as one of the pioneers of the crossover segment, Nissan has significantly upgraded the Murano for 2009--starting with the engine.
The venerable 3.5-liter V6 engine that goes into nearly everything with a Nissan badge on it has been reworked for Murano duty to produce 265 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 248 foot-pounds of torque at 4,400 rpm. This is up from 240 horsepower and 244 foot-pounds in the previous version of the Murano. Even with the increase in horsepower, Nissan has managed to improve fuel economy as well. At 18 miles per gallon in the city and 23 on the highway, ratings have increased by one mile per gallon in both situations.
The Continuously Variable Transmission has also been improved. With Nissan's Adaptive Shift Control optimizing and quickening the operation of the transmission, the CVT, while still achieving the efficiencies that make this type of transmission preferable, now feels more like an automatic transmission in operation.
The Murano is still available with both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.
The exterior redesign can be called evolutionary at best. The new front end uses a more angular grille and the headlights are narrower. The wheels and tires are now bigger with 18's standard and 20's optional. The side view is a bit more curvaceous and the rear view reveals new taillights and a different treatment for the rear window. It's all pretty subtle stuff and without seeing the 2007 model right next to the 2009, (there is no 2008 model by the way), you might be hard pressed to discern any changes at all.
But, while the exterior is evolutionary, Nissan's interior designers worked overtime to come up with an interior that is truly revolutionary. Murano's interior now leans more toward the luxury end of the spectrum. Everything you touch is softer and exudes an aura of high quality. The overall lines of the interior, particularly the center stack, is more streamlined and the optional dual panel power sliding glass moonroof and second row skylight makes the cabin brighter and airier.
We're talking Nissan here, so you know a boatload of electro-tech is part of the package; highlights include a 9.3 gig Music Box hard drive, Bluetooth, an 11-speaker Bose system, a rearview video monitor, an iPod interface, and navigation with XM's NavTraffic real-time traffic information.
Taken all together, the 2009 Murano is a definite improvement over the 2007 model, whether it needed to be improved or not. Developed, designed and engineered specifically for the North American market, if you're in the market for a crossover, the 2009 Murano definitely deserves a spot on your shopping list.
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