New Murano heads up Nissan Sydney show display

Nissan will bring its heavily revised Murano SUV to the Sydney motor show ahead of its local introduction in February next year.

The Murano, Nissan argues quite reasonably, was a front-runner in the trend towards more elegant SUVs evident in the rakish crossover breed epitomised by BMW's new X6 "Sports Activity Coupe" and Volvo's upcoming XC60.

When launched locally in 2005, it competed with the likes of the Lexus RX, but at considerably more attractive prices. Currently the base Murano is tagged at about $26,000 below the base Lexus.

The new Murano shares its basic profile with the current model, but reworks the shapes so it looks thoroughly contemporary.

Window lines are much the same, but the organic-looking wheel arches and flying buttress-style bonnet lines add freshness.

The second-phase Murano comes with a revised All Mode 4x4-I all wheel drive system, Xtronic CVT transmission and is powered by a "further refined" 195kW version of Nissan's VQ35 V6 engine.

Safety gear includes Nissan's Vehicle Dynamic stability control, six airbags and active headrests, while there's plenty of luxury equipment with xenon headlights, LED taillights, 18-inch alloy wheels, "intelligent" keyless entry and stop/start, Bluetooth phone system, rain-sensor wipers, leather trim, powered and heated front seats, power-adjusted steering column and power tailgate -- to name just a few.

The new Murano also gets speed-sensitive power steering and a new multilink rear suspension.

Pricing will be announced closer to the February launch, with Nissan saying it will be working hard to maintain the Murano's "competitive edge".

Reflecting Nissan's interest in green alternatives for the future, the company has arranged for the Mixim EV concept to join the Murano on the stand in Sydney.

All-electric, with a top speed of 180km/h, a potential range of 250 kilometres and all-wheel drive, the funky concept car seats three and emits not a molecule of CO2 or any other nasty.

Although we all know that zero emissions on the roads don't necessarily equate to zero emissions in the overall scheme of things in a country heavily reliant on coal-fired electricity generation, the Mixim sounds as if it has many of the bases covered in terms of useability.

Nissan says a full recharge of the Lithium-ion batteries takes between 20 and 40 minutes -- a bit like recharging your mobile phone -- leaving you free to point to a destination 200km or so away without fear of being stranded at the side of the road.

The Mixim is powered by two "Super Motor" electric motor/generator packs that take care of the front and rear axles.

With its composite body construction, the Micra-size Mixim weighs 950kg and has a McLaren F1-style three-seat arrangement with the driver located centrally and the two passengers sitting slightly behind and to the sides.

The Sydney show appearance of the Mixim is its first foray outside Europe where it was originally unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt motor show.

And, in case you hadn't realised, Nissan is also on the verge of finally introducing its awesome GT-R to the Australian market (more here).

With its hand-built 3.8-litre twin turbo V6 engine producing a monumental 353kW and 588Nm of torque, the all-wheel drive Nissan coupe is the rightful inheritor of the Godzilla title applied to the 1980s original.

The shatteringly fast Nissan will go on sale in GT-R and GT-R Premium versions through a selected group of 11 accredited Nissan "High Performance Centres" from April 2009.

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