Nissan has introduced a new Murano midsize crossover for 2025, appearing to take much in terms of styling choices from the all-electric Ariya.
But it is not electric, of course, nor even a hybrid. Under the hood in an industry standard 2.0L turbocharged four-banger making 241 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers are inverted compared to the old 3.5L V6, by the way. All-wheel drive is an option and – praise the pharaohs – its miserable CVT has been dumped in favor of a nine-speed automatic. Weight is up; as an example, a 2023 Murano Platinum AWD listed at 4,165 lbs but a 2025 Murano Platinum AWD listed at 4,438 lbs.
Digging through the spec sheet, we noticed its brakes are notably larger, growing from 12.6 to 13.8 inches up front and from 12.1 to 13.0 in the rear. Turns lock-to-lock drop by 0.5 to 2.8, suggesting a better steering feel will be on tap, at least compared to the old car. Turning diameter itself is yet to be listed. Tires are no smaller than 20-inch hoops, even on the base SV, replacing the 18-inch alloys which were once the standard kit. Towing tops out at 1,500 pounds.
In terms of looks, the front end gets a triad of cube-like headlamps on either side of a gloss black trim strip, underneath which sits a series of LED daytime running lights hidden in the grille area. Things are clean around back, with the rear wiper tucked up into the roofline and a taillight which stretches, heckblende style, across the rump and above a M U R A N O billboard.
The 2025 Murano is more than 2.6 inches longer overall, resulting in a significant jump in measured legroom space, rising to a listed 44.3 inches up front compared to 40.5 inches last year. Some of this may come at the expense of rear seat riders who see their legroom drop from 38.7 to 36.3 inches. However, rear hip room and shoulder room are slightly more or nearly equal, so we’ll have to wait until we sample this car in person to pass judgement on space in the second row. Total passenger volume has increased by a few cubic feet, as has cargo room.
Inside, twin 12.3-inch displays drag the Murano into the modern era, along with a funky steering wheel and plenty of capacitive touch controls. The latter will either delight or confound, depending on the user, though this writer has found similar units in the Ariya to be approachable if not instantly intuitive. The so-called Zero Gravity seats now show up in the second row, while the dashboard gets something called Murano Glass which apparently incorporates color-shift graphics and textures which “play with light”, according to the bumf.
Product development at Nissan has historically paced the speed of glacial movement, with the Murano being no exception. The last-gen car was on sale for about a decade, while the one before that eclipsed seven years before being revamped. The 2025 model goes on sale early next year.
[Images: Nissan]
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