The interior of the new Murano now features ambient lighting, a dual-zone HVAC system, and in the rear cargo area, a lift-up cargo organizer. I liked that idea very much, and I'm sure this will appeal to both men and women alike, as it would appear to stop everything from a potted plant to a spare gas can, rolling around.
Another rather nice option available on the '09 Murano is the power-sliding glass moonroof with second-row skylight. This allows plenty of light to enter the cabin area, which certainly adds a feeling of space to the interior.
Naturally, the new Murano comes with plenty of safety features such as six standard air bags, driver and front passenger side-impact supplemental airbags, roof-mounted curtain side-impact and rollover supplemental airbags for front- and rear-seat occupant head protection. It also features front-seat Active Head Restraints, and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).
Phew! That was a mouthful, eh? You know, with so many companies adding more and more safety features to their new models, especially ones with complicated long-winded names, I can see the day coming when we will have to go back to simply saying "it's fully-loaded", or maybe "fully safety-loaded". After all, these abbreviations, of which many are company-specific, simply overcomplicate a review like this. My suggestion is, if you really want to compare safety features on a model, research the available technical data.
Ok, fair enough, rant over; now we come to my favorite part, which is how the vehicle drives.
Now Nissan told us at our initial model briefing, that it had made use of several lightweight aluminum suspension components on their new platform. To be honest, we hear this kind of stuff all the time from manufacturers, but I can honestly say that the '09 Murano is one of the few vehicles that I have driven where you could actually feel the effects of that.
The new Murano drives remarkably well, and the suspension soaks up road imperfections with ease. It feels light and maneuverable in the twists and turns, and yet, at the same time, it feels well-planted on the road. To put it plain and simply, the '09 Murano inspires a high level of confidence in ability of the vehicle.
To illustrate that further, during the preview, I spent several hours driving in what can only be described as "horrendous driving conditions". Arizona, which apparently had not seen rain for the previous 3 months, was granted its wish tenfold, because the heavens opened up and the rain came down by the bucket load.
The news constantly reported flash floods and vehicle accidents. In fact, we passed numerous vehicles that had left the roadway. However, it has to be said, that during the entire drive I felt totally secure and at ease with the vehicle, and when you think about it, isn't that what CUV ownership is really all about?
The new Murano range from Nissan will feature three models, the S AWD, the SL AWD, and the top of the line LE AWD. Expect to see these arriving at dealerships early in the New Year. As of yet, no pricing has been announced.
photo:Kevin Corrigan
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| The skylight is a great feature for those of you who have a tendency to be claustrophobic when in back. |
Another rather nice option available on the '09 Murano is the power-sliding glass moonroof with second-row skylight. This allows plenty of light to enter the cabin area, which certainly adds a feeling of space to the interior.
Naturally, the new Murano comes with plenty of safety features such as six standard air bags, driver and front passenger side-impact supplemental airbags, roof-mounted curtain side-impact and rollover supplemental airbags for front- and rear-seat occupant head protection. It also features front-seat Active Head Restraints, and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).
Phew! That was a mouthful, eh? You know, with so many companies adding more and more safety features to their new models, especially ones with complicated long-winded names, I can see the day coming when we will have to go back to simply saying "it's fully-loaded", or maybe "fully safety-loaded". After all, these abbreviations, of which many are company-specific, simply overcomplicate a review like this. My suggestion is, if you really want to compare safety features on a model, research the available technical data.
Ok, fair enough, rant over; now we come to my favorite part, which is how the vehicle drives.
Now Nissan told us at our initial model briefing, that it had made use of several lightweight aluminum suspension components on their new platform. To be honest, we hear this kind of stuff all the time from manufacturers, but I can honestly say that the '09 Murano is one of the few vehicles that I have driven where you could actually feel the effects of that.
The new Murano drives remarkably well, and the suspension soaks up road imperfections with ease. It feels light and maneuverable in the twists and turns, and yet, at the same time, it feels well-planted on the road. To put it plain and simply, the '09 Murano inspires a high level of confidence in ability of the vehicle.
To illustrate that further, during the preview, I spent several hours driving in what can only be described as "horrendous driving conditions". Arizona, which apparently had not seen rain for the previous 3 months, was granted its wish tenfold, because the heavens opened up and the rain came down by the bucket load.
The news constantly reported flash floods and vehicle accidents. In fact, we passed numerous vehicles that had left the roadway. However, it has to be said, that during the entire drive I felt totally secure and at ease with the vehicle, and when you think about it, isn't that what CUV ownership is really all about?
The new Murano range from Nissan will feature three models, the S AWD, the SL AWD, and the top of the line LE AWD. Expect to see these arriving at dealerships early in the New Year. As of yet, no pricing has been announced.
photo:Kevin Corrigan
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