The 2025 Nissan Murano Is a Big Step Up: Review (www.motor1.com)

If you caught a glimpse of this SUV in a crowded parking lot, would you be able to tell it’s a Nissan Murano? Hell, would you be able to recognize it as a Nissan at all? For a company so otherwise, um, preoccupied with its current corporate situation, Nissan still does one thing very right: Design. The new Murano is no exception.

Even though it uses a version of last year’s platform, the

still feels brand new. It has a beautifully redesigned exterior, an equally appealing interior with the latest tech, and a new turbocharged engine that makes it all feel a bit more modern—finally.

Granted, not everyone will love the new Murano’s looks; the split headlight treatment alone is sure to split opinions. But much like the smaller Kicks, the Murano turns heads with its unique shape and bold design choices—that aforementioned front end included. And it all looks really beautiful in this shade of Aurora Blue.

The cabin is no less pretty. The Twilight Blue leather on this Platinum tester virtually mimics the paint. Subtle wood accents line the dash with a few pieces of piano black plastic that, thankfully, aren’t all that offensive. Two 12.3-inch screens sit atop the dash projecting Nissan’s latest infotainment interface, which is clean, crisp, and easy to use. I didn’t experience any of the lag Editor Chris Smith noted during his first drive. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are always welcomed.

Unfortunately, like many modern automakers, Nissan was bitten by the touch-capacitive bug. The Murano’s lovely-looking wooden console takes a page from the Ariya; it’s littered with illuminated touch-capacitive controls for the HVAC system. A simple task like changing the temperature or increasing the fan speed requires a steady hand and lots of focus. Not exactly what you want when you should be, you know, focused on driving.

Photo by: Jeff Perez / Motor1

Pros: Looks Great, Lovely Cabin, Nice To Drive

The steering wheel controls are… better, but still not great. Instead of individual buttons, the Murano has a single piece of black plastic covering individual selections on either side of the wheel. It clicks well, at least—it’s not more touch-capacitive nonsense. But it was easy to hit the wrong option by mistake.

The Murano’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder makes 241 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. It actually has less power than the old V-6 (260 horsepower), but more torque (240 pound-feet). The new engine also returns 23 miles per gallon city, 24 highway, and 23 combined, which,…