Nissan unveils all-new Murano

Nissan's mid-size Murano soft roader has come in for a major makeover, but we'll leave it up to you to decide whether the result is an improvement.

The second-generation Murano debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show and it follows four years after the original Murano was introduced in the US.

Two words come to our collective minds: "ugly" and "stick", because Nissan's designers appear to have taken what was a fairly good-looking vehicle and created a visually awkward successor. The face, especially, is a crazy mix of chrome and jagged edges

It remains to be seen whether buyers will warm to the new Murano, which follows in the wheeltracks of a model that launched in Australia in July, 2005.

The original Murano's combination of keen pricing and all-around competence has earned it steady -- if not earth shattering -- sales success (1937 units in 2006 and 1252 units until the end of October this year).

Nissan claims the second-generation Murano has been designed as a "super evolution" of the original.

It has a new exterior and interior, enhanced technology and a "new premium driving feel" that Nissan claims is the result of a newer, more advanced platform and refined versions of the 3.5-litre V6 engine (which puts out 195kW and 336Nm) and Xtronic CVT.

The second-gen Murano is underpinned by a new "D" platform that was introduced earlier this year in the Altima sedan (not sold here). This chassis is said to provide a "solid foundation with new lighter suspension components, plus increased stiffness."

Nissan adds: "New dual-flow-path shock absorbers provide sure footing on all surfaces, while a new twin-orifice speed-sensitive power steering system delivers the proper levels of assistance in around-town and high-speed driving."

The all-new Nissan Murano goes on sale early next year, which suggests we'll see it locally in the first or second quarter of 2008.