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April 3, 2008 http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/nissan_murano_2003

  Marc K. Stengel
EditorMarc K. Stengel

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I think of pollen as these little pods that hibernate for the winter only to explode into a riot of irritation on the first warm day leading to spring. I literally wept through last weekend — not from joy, not from sorrow, but from pollen. Of course, it didn’t help that I had the windows down and the sunroof open in the new Nissan Murano that I was driving.

As one of the classy new “unclassifiables” that automakers are introducing to deflect anti-SUV rants, the Murano offers much to set itself apart from the madding crowd. For all its charms, however, there were moments during my week with the Murano when I would have traded it for a bottle of eye-drying Murine and called it even. On the other hand, there is much about Nissan’s heralded new “urban SUV” that opened my eyes to the direction in which commuter transport is heading.

If you’re curious about the name, Nissan’s got a quick-draw explanation: “Murano,” says the press release, “is named after the elegantly sculpted glass art that comes from the islands near Venice.” The obligatory reference to “cutting-edge design” thereby takes on the not entirely reassuring connotations of shattered glass and sharp splinters.

Better left unsaid

It’s what’s not said about the Murano, however, that I find more titillating yet. Regular readers of this space may recall my summer 2000 review of the Euro-only Renault Megane Scénic RX4 that, I declare, looks eerily premonitory to the Murano. I can’t get anyone at Nissan to confirm or deny the relationship; folks just look away in search of a change of subject. But the fact is, Renault essentially controls Nissan’s fate, as most enthusiasts already know; and Renault undeniably deserves much praise for pulling Nissan’s fat out of the fire. Something tells me that bragging about your sensitive, Francophilic automotive design isn’t what we Yanks are clamoring to hear about at the moment. Better just to allege that Murano was created specifically with the North American market in mind, and to leave it at that, n'est-ce pas?

GET CURRENT PRICING GET AN INSURANCE QUOTE   I think of pollen as these little pods that hibernate for the winter only to explode into a riot of irritation on the first warm day leading to spring. I literally wept through last weekend — not from joy, not from sorrow, but from pollen. Of course, it didn’t help that I had the windows down and the sunroof open in the new Nissan Murano that I was driving. As one of the classy new “unclassifiables” that automakers are introducing to deflect anti-SUV rants, the Murano offers much to set itself apart from the madding crowd. For all its charms, however, there were moments during my week with the Murano when I would have traded it for a bottle of eye-drying Murine and called it even. On the other hand, there is much about Nissan’s heralded new “urban SUV” that opened my eyes to the direction in which commuter transport is heading. If you’re curious about the name, Nissan’s got a quick-draw explanation: “Murano,” says the press release, “is named after the elegantly sculpted glass art that comes from the islands near Venice.” The obligatory reference to “cutting-edge design” thereby takes on the not entirely reassuring connotations of shattered glass and sharp splinters. Better left unsaid 2003 Nissan MuranoEnlarge PhotoIt’s what’s not said about the Murano, however, that I find more titillating yet. Regular readers of this space may recall my summer 2000 review of the Euro-only Renault Megane Scénic RX4 that, I declare, looks eerily premonitory to the Murano. I can’t get anyone at Nissan to confirm or deny the relationship; folks just look away in search of a change of subject. But the fact is, Renault essentially controls Nissan’s fate, as most enthusiasts already know; and Renault undeniably deserves much praise for pulling Nissan’s fat out of the fire. Something tells me that bragging about your sensitive, Francophilic automotive design isn’t what we Yanks are clamoring to hear about at the moment. Better just to allege that Murano was created specifically with the North American market in mind, and to leave it at that, n'est-ce pas? GET CURRENT PRICING GET AN INSURANCE QUOTE I think of pollen as these little pods that hibernate for the winter only to explode into a riot of irritation on the first warm day leading to spring. I literally wept through last weekend — not from joy, not ...