2019 Nissan Murano Is A Fan Favorite
The Nissan Murano has a soft spot in my heart from the first time I ever drove it at a launch event in Scottsdale, Arizona way back in December of 2007, when its second generation was introduced. Its cutting edge design, size, uniqueness and excellent handling all convinced me it would be a hit with everyone who saw and drove it.
How is it, you might ask, that I remember a launch event from so many years ago? When I pulled into the local Kroger store toward the end of my test drive week with the 2019 Nissan Murano, I parked next to a relatively ancient small Chevrolet SUV.
First Impressions
An elderly lady was standing next to her grocery-laden cart next to the rear cargo compartment. She looked at the brilliant Mocha Almond Pearl Murano and walked to my door of the new Nissan.
Before I could even get out of the vehicle, she started talking. “I love your car,” she said. “It is so beautiful. You are very lucky to have such a beautiful luxury car. You must do very well to afford it.” I replied that it was a loan vehicle from Nissan and thanked her for the compliment. I told her I would love to own one, but that simply was not the case.
She went on to speak of her grown children and to point out various things about them. Then she spoke of her SUV, saying it was old, but paid for and she was happy about that, saying she had to live on her social security and was happy with what she had, even if she loved the Murano more.
I helped her put her groceries into the vehicle and thought to myself how lucky people like me are to get such wonderful vehicles to test drive each week.
Yes, I rambled a bit there, but the discussion with the lady made me think of my history with the Murano and how much I’ve always appreciated everything about it.
I thought about it all the way back home from Kroger, looking at how it has improved so much since that initial model I drove in Scottsdale.
New & Improved
There is so much to talk about the current model, I could fill a book discussing it, so I guess it’s good that I don’t have that much more information to digest today!
This third generation 2019 Nissan Murano received a comprehensive refreshening. Revisions to the exterior add a more pronounced front V-motion grille, redesigned LED headlights and taillights, new LED fog lights, new 18-inch and 20-inch aluminum-alloy wheel designs and three fresh new exterior colors – Sunset Drift Chromaflair, Mocha Almond Pearl (the color both myself and the lady at Kroger loved so much) and Deep Blue Pearl.
Enhancements to the Murano interior are led by new semi-aniline leather-appointed seats. I especially loved the diamond-quilted design inserts with contrasting micro-piping trim on the seats. It added a touch of elegance that made this Platinum all-wheel-drive Murano seem like it should cost far more than its $45,130 MSRP.
The seats are not only luxuriously gorgeous, but also boast the innovative zero-gravity feature so that short and long drives are far more comfortable. Long drives are even much safer due to Nissan’s Intelligent Driver Alertness system which learns each individual driver’s steering patterns and helps alert the driver when drowsy driving is detected.
An Emphasis on Safety
Other safety features include Safety which includes Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning, High Beam Assist and Rear Automatic Braking. Intelligent Driver Alertness (I-DA)1, is the system which alerts the driver when drowsy driving is detected. It was not only on my Platinum model, but is standard on all grades for 2019. Studies have shown that drowsy driving is involved in as much as 21 percent of fatal car accidents (Automobile Association of America Study, Nov. 2014). Last week’s Bumper to Bumper had extensive information on distracted driving and on how 97,000 accidents occured in Texas alone last year due to drivers not being attentive to the roads, conditions, and other traffic when driving.
The Intelligent Driver Alertness system provides an audible and visual warning if the system judges that the driver may be drowsy (using analysis of steering inputs to detect changes in the driving behavior).
Every Murano includes as standard the Nissan Advanced Airbag System (AABS) with dual stage supplemental front air bags with seat belt sensors and an occupant classification sensor, front-seat mounted side-impact supplemental air bags, roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags with a rollover sensor and a driver supplemental knee airbag. For 2019, a front passenger knee supplemental air bag and rear seat side-impact supplemental airbags have been added for a total of 10 air bags.
Also available is Intelligent Lane Intervention (I-LI) and the new Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) system – which provides Murano drivers with the most recent speed limit information detected by a camera unit located on the windshield in front of the inside rearview mirror.
The information from detected signs is displayed in the Advanced Driver Assist Display. In vehicles equipped with navigation, the speed limit display is based on a combination of navigation system data and camera recognition.
My Favorite Feature
And then there is the Around View Monitor which I rave about whenever discussing any Nissan vehicle. The birds-eye view of my surroundings, whether going forward or rearward is simply priceless in my opinion. My test model, and every other 2019 Murano comes equipped with an advanced 3.5-liter DOHC V6 rated at 260 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque.
Also standard is an advanced Xtronic transmission tuned for quick response and smoothness. The Xtronic holds the engine at the ideal rpm for the conditions at hand, offering responsive power for passing when needed and quiet efficient running at cruising speeds or around town, with the standard D-Step Logic adding the feel of a traditional stepped automatic. All Murano grades are offered in front-wheel drive or Intelligent All-Wheel Drive.
Even with all that power and torque, the new Murano is EPA rated at 28 mpg on the highway and 20 during city driving. In addition to the Platinum model I tested, the 2019 Murno is offered in three other grades: S, SV and SL.
Which Model Is Right For You?
The Murano S includes features such as 18-inch machined aluminum-alloy wheels and an 8.0-inch color display with multi-touch control, front (2) and rear (2) USB connection ports for iPod® interface and other compatible devices and rear (2) USB connection ports for charging, Bluetooth® Hands-free Phone System, Streaming audio via Bluetooth®, Hands-free Text Messaging Assistant and NissanConnect with Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto.
Murano SV grade adds 10-way driver/4-way front passenger power seats, black roof rails, remote engine start, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather-wrapped shift knob, auto-dimming inside mirror with HomeLink® Universal Transceiver, Blind Spot Warning (BSW) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA).
Murano SL models add NissanConnect with Navigation featuring Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ with 8.0-inch color display with multi-touch control, Nissan Voice Recognition for navigation and audio, SiriusXM® Traffic™ and SiriusXM® Travel Link™ (fuel prices, weather, movie listings, stock info, sports scores) (SiriusXM® subscription required, sold separately), leather-appointed seating, Bose® audio with 11 speakers including two subwoofers, Intelligent Around View® Monitor (I-AVM)5, Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), heated front and rear seats, heated outside mirrors with reverse tilt-down feature, ambient LED lighting, heated steering wheel, driver’s seat and mirror memory, Motion-Activated Power Liftgate and roof rails with silver accents, 20-inch machine-finished aluminum-alloy wheels, LED fog lights, and front and rear parking sensors.
Standard items on my Platinum included Power Panoramic Moonroof, unique 20-inch Dark Hyper Silver machined aluminum-alloy wheels, climate controlled front seats, steering wheel with power tilt, telescoping and memory and NissanConnect Services powered by SiriusXM® with automatic collision notification, emergency call and stolen vehicle locator, remote services including start/stop, lock/unlock, flash lights, sound horn, customizable alerts including drive zone, valet, curfew and speed alerts, dealer service scheduling and maintenance alerts. Murano Platinum grade also features High Beam Assist (HBA), Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR), Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Intelligent Lane Intervention (I-LI), Rear Automatic Braking (RAB) and semi-aniline leather-appointed seats with diamond-quilted inserts and contrast micro-piping for seat, doors and console inserts.
It’s no wonder the lady in the Kroger parking lot fell in love my Murano. I guess I should have offered her a ride in it. But no, why make her even more jealous of this full-featured Nissan crossover!
