Nissan Murano

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Nissan Murano
Manufacturer	Nissan
Production	2002-present
Class	Mid-size crossover SUV
Body style(s)	4-door SUV
Layout	Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Wheelbase	2825 mm (111.2 in)

The Nissan Murano is a mid-size crossover SUV first manufactured by Nissan in December 2002 and sold as a 2003 model. Nissan introduced the Murano as its first crossover SUV for the United States and Canada. Designed at Nissan Design America in La Jolla, California, the first generation Murano was based on the Nissan FF-L platform first used by the the third generation Altima. The European version of the Murano began sales in 2004 and is available only in one version.^[1]

The Murano was Nissan's only crossover SUV in the U.S. until September 2007 when the new 2008 Nissan Rogue went on sale. In Canada the X-Trail had been on sale as Nissan's second car-based SUV since 2004 as a 2005 model, it was replaced by the new 2008 Nissan Rogue in late 2007.

The Murano was nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award for 2003. It was also named the best premium mid-size SUV by AutoPacific.

[edit] First generation (2003-2007)

First generation
Production	2002-2007
Assembly	Kanda, Fukuoka, Japan
Platform	Nissan FF-L platform
Engine(s)	3.5L 245 hp (183 kW) V6
Transmission(s)	CVT 6-speed manual
Length	4770 mm (187.6 in)
Width	1880 mm (74.0 in)
Height	2003-05: 1705 mm (66.5 in) 2006-07: 67.3 in (1709 mm)
Related	Nissan Altima Nissan Maxima Nissan Quest Nissan Teana

The vehicle is one of the largest vehicles available with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The engine, a 3.5 litre 245 bhp V6, is shared with many other Nissan vehicles, but was specially tuned for use in the Murano. Murano is a FWD vehicle with available all-wheel drive and has a 4-wheel independent suspension. The All-Wheel Drive (AWD) with VDC is a form of traction control embedded into the car's onboard computer and is designed to provide 'joy' to drive. A full set of airbags, steel reinforced cabin, and head restraints are safety features designed to protect the interior while VDC, ABS, EBD and brake assist are mechanical safety features.

The 2006 model year Murano received some updates in the form of LED tailamps and turn signals, standard color information screen, available back-up camera (standard in Canada for all models), GPS and a restyled front end with some minor trim updates.

[edit] Second generation (2009- )

Second generation
Production	2008-
Assembly	Kyūshū, Japan
Platform	Nissan D platform
Engine(s)	3.5L 265 hp (198 kW) V6
Transmission(s)	CVT
Length	188.5 in (4788 mm)
Width	74.1 in (1882 mm)
Height	66.9 in (1699 mm)
Related	Nissan Altima Nissan Maxima Nissan Teana

Nissan skipped the 2008 model year with the introduction of the next generation Murano – as a 2009 model. The 2009 Murano made its public debut at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show in November and sales began in early January 2008.

The revised exterior styling bears an increased family resemblance to the Rogue, while still maintaining distinctly Murano cues with its aggressive front fascia and rear quarter windows. The interior has also been completely redesigned, with the use of a more traditional instrument cluster and notably higher-quality materials.^[2]

The 2009 Murano is offered in three trim levels: the base S, the mid-grade SL, and the top of the line LE. The performance-oriented SE model is no longer available. The S and SL are offered with standard i-AWD (Intuitive All-Wheel Drive), with optional FWD available. The LE trim is AWD only.

New features, some of them optional or available only on the LE grade, include rain-sensing wipers, power rear lift gate, power fold-up rear seats, iPod integration, and a hard-drive based, touchscreen navigation system.^[3] The S and SL feature aluminum interior accents, while the LE sports wood-tone trim. Like the first-generation model, there is no third-row seat.

The Murano is now based on the Nissan D platform shared with the fourth generation Nissan Altima and the new 2009 Nissan Maxima. Nissan has given the 2009 Murano a revised version of the award-winning 3.5L VQ engine rated at 265 horsepower (198 kW), an increase of 20 over the previous model. Torque is rated at 248 ft·lbf (336 N·m). The engine is mated to a revised Continuously Variable Transmission with Adaptive Shift Control.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Nissan Murano

• Official American site
• Official Canadian site
• (Japanese) Official Japanese site
• Official Murano press release