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Monday, 6th of July 2009

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Nissan Murano 2009 UK Road Test Report

2009 UK

A few months back we drove the 2009 Nissan Murano in American spec to give you a taste of what was to come…now we have got our hands on the UK version.

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Performance

Under the bonnet there’s a revised 3.5-litre V6, this is still the only power plant available with the Murano at present, however a diesel is planned. The engine has been extensively revised. Power has risen to 256PS and torque is now up to 334Nm of torque, while improved performance and fuel consumption is also helped by major revisions to the CVT gearbox. Let’s get back to the CVT gearbox – the power from the car is fed to the four wheel drive system through the revised CVT gearbox When in normal driving conditions the drive is biased to the front but if you lose traction the drive will automatically send 50 per cent of the power to the rear to give you better traction. This makes the car not only great to drive but also a very safe vehicle.

Ride & Handling

This second generation has moved the Murano on a step further as it has much better handling. Roll in corners was much less pronounced than the American version we tested a few months ago and the stiffer set-up didn’t intrude on the ride. Nissan has improved torsional rigidity, the suspension layout has been revised and noise absorption has been reduced giving a much better car than the previous generation.

Build Quality & Reliability

Jump inside the Murano and you can see that mature look – it is much more like a car. The biggest change is the instrument panel, dashboard assembly and centre console, there’s a three-dial instrument binnacle – a central circular speedo is flanked on either side by ‘half-moon’ dials for the tachometer (left) and fuel and water temperature gauges and trip computer read-out (right) – is fully integrated into dashboard. The dials have easy to read white on black lettering, with a discreet red lighting rings around the rims. There’a few exterior changes too - Nissan has given the front a new chrome grille and the maker has also added a bigger badge, while the headlights add to the 4x4’s eye-catching appeal. Moving round to the rear and you’ll see that the Murano has kept much of the design that has set it apart from many other 4x4’s on the market. The taillights have been upgraded as the Japanese maker has added LED units.

Safety & Security

A full complement of standard safety features includes vehicle dynamic control with a traction control system, six standard air bags, featuring the Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) with dual stage supplemental front air bags. There’s also roof-mounted curtain supplemental side-impact air bags for front-and rear-seat occupant head protection. Nissan has also added driver/passenger seat belt reminder lamps, as well as low friction front seat belts with pre-tensioners and load limiters as standard. Other features include ISOFIX child seat anchors, front seats with active head restraints and Zone Body Construction with front and rear crumple zones to help dissipate crash energy away from the passenger compartment.

Space & Practicality

The Murano is a practical load carrier thanks to its large cargo area and a wide opening tailgate. Loading and unloading is made easy thanks to the the powered tailgate as it can be opened and closed either via the key fob, a switch on the dashboard or a button on the tailgate itself. It takes just seven seconds to open and nine to close, and has a warning chime that sounds whenever the tailgate is being operated. There’s also an anti-pinch mechanism to prevent the door closing if there’s an obstacle in the way. The boot has 402 litres of space and incorporates a cargo divider to hold smaller items of luggage. The rear seats have a 60/40 split. Nissan has even made the rear seats reposition by remote. The seats can be raised back into place by remote control, it takes 8 seconds to return the seats to the upright position: switches are located on the dashboard and in the load area. With the rear seats folded, the luggage capacity rises to 838 litres.

Ownership & Value

The Nissan Murano has grown up! It will start from £32,795. Nissan has made the range really simple as it consists of two cars - the two model range starts at £32,795 with large two-part sunroof and £33,295 with the car that has a roof-mounted DVD. Another great feature is the standard Scratch Shield Paint as it ‘heals’ itself when it has been scratched or marked, thanks to a new, advanced highly elastic resin. The one downside is that there will only be the one engine in the line-up from launch and it will be a thirsty 3.5-litre V6 petrol, a diesel option will follow but you’ll have to wait for about two years.

Submitted: 30/09/2008 13:45:45

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