Nissan Murano Ti 2006 Review

7-day Test

Nissan's Murano is a real Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde vehicle... On the outside, it's a big muscled 4x4, all tall tyres, big shoulders and with a grinning grille like Bond-villain Jaws. Inside, the Murano is pure people-mover -- the sloping windscreen, acres of interior space and vast dashboard shout "Mum's Taxi".

But wait, there's more -- under the skin there's technology that makes the Murano into a deceptively competent all-roader.

Designed by the California design team that produced the 350Z, the Murano, named after an island near Venice, came first -- it was on sale in the US in 2003. Murano shares the 350Z's V6 3.5-litre engine, suitably retuned for tractability.

Not that it's a 90-pound weakling -- thanks to its 172kW and 318Nm, the Murano sprints to 100km/h in under 9sec and can top 200km/h despite weighing a not-inconsiderable 1822kg.

The technology noted above is primarily in the drivetrain and mirrors the car-like dynamics with a lot more off-highway capability than most would credit it. What appears to be an automatic gearbox with a tip-shift option is much more. In auto mode it's a constantly-variable transmission (CVT), that accelerates smoothly and steplessly but slip it over into Manual mode and the gearbox also contains six distinct ratios.

The CVT is responsive and fuel efficient -- the big, heavy and well-appointed V6 returned an impressive 12.8lt/100km in a typical suburban stop-and-go week.

Engine braking is programmed into the CVT's electronics, so when you're coasting down a steep hill, accelerometers increase the "gearing", to mimic downshifting. It's seriously clever.

While the Murano is normally a front-wheel driver, it seamlessly, electronically, engages drive to the rear wheels when needed. Or the driver can engage four-wheel drive with a dashboard button.

There's traction control and Vehicle Dynamic Control to help the vehicle stay pointed in the right direction and while it isn't as absolutely linear as, say BMW's X5, it's damn good -- and about half the price of the Beemer.

The system keeps the Murano tracking true on a gravel-strewn marbly surface that can see less-well-equipped vehicles slithering into the ditch. It also helps the Murano conquer rutted, steep and loose surfaces, accelerating briskly despite compromised traction.

Naturally there's ABS, complete with Brake Assist and Electronic Brake Distribution, and these systems combine to achieve in retardation what the drivetrain delivers in acceleration.

Despite its 18-inch wheels, Murano has restricted ground clearance, but disproves critics who suggest that it has no off-road credentials.

On the road, the Murano slips into its alter-ego of family-sized wagon -- roomy, well-appointed, comfortable, smooth, quick and fairly agile. And while it's no cheapie, it packs in the features -- leather upholstery, electric tilt-slide sunroof, rearward parking distance sensors, cruise control and a rudimentary computer -- which is the Murano's major disappointment (the style of letters in the display is so hard to read that the central screen is distracting and the information available is limited). While we're being critical, the  row of horizontal buttons to activate the trip computer are all but invisible; they should be elsewhere.

The Murano is a good example of a Crossover vehicle: it shares its basic underpinnings with Nissan's Altima and Maxima sedans and combines the smooth ride and responsive handling of a car, the cargo space of a wagon, and the driving position of a sport utility, the more politically correct term for a 4x4. It's a big vehicle, and with the screen so far ahead of the driving position, placing the nose is mostly guesswork, but the back-up beepers are a boon.

Being big on the outside has obvious advantages inside -- rear seat accommodation is more comfortable and there's limo-like legroom for all five occupants. There's a lot of space behind the seats too, but at over 75cm the rear load height is too high.

The Ti model gets leather furniture and fittings, electric everything, auto-dipping interior mirror and even high-pressure headlamp washers. The headlamps are Xenon projectors which throw their blue-white light in a pattern which would reach far ahead on a dead-straight and level road, but merely lights up roadside trees most of the time.

Rear lamps are LEDs that last longer, use less power and illuminate faster than regular bulbs. The airbag count runs to six -- front and side for the front row, plus a curtain bag the length of both doors.

Driving the Murano is both easy and rewarding -- speed-related power steering, that clever-clogs CVT gearbox and all the unseen electronic magic, makes the Mr Hyde side of the vehicle easy to drive. But point that snub-nosed grille down a dirt track and Dr Jekyll appears -- and then the fun really starts.