The Californian-designed Murano arrived on these shores in 2005 BQ. That’s 2005, ‘before Qashqai”. The crossover wasn’t really a thing, although the lifestyle SUV was growing in popularity.
Nissan’s five-strong 4x4 range was rudimentary, bordering on agricultural, from the Palaeolithic Terrano to the Neolithic Patrol and the X-Trail to the Navara and Pathfinder. The Murano – named after the Italian sculpted glass, rather than something Vic Reeves shouted on Shooting Stars – was SUV number six, but its time in the UK was overshadowed by the 2006 launch of the Qashqai. Lucky number seven for Nissan and its dealers.
Unveiled at the 2002 New York motor show, the Murano had enjoyed a couple of years of sales in the US before its European debut. Developed, designed and engineered specifically for the North American market, it was Nissan USA’s first lifestyle-led SUV. Sales of the first-generation Murano grew year-on-year before peaking at 81,362 in 2006, a figure the European version could only California dream of. In Europe, best-year sales hit no more than 10% of this figure. In fairness, Nissan didn’t expect to sell more than 1000 a year in the UK – exclusivity was almost guaranteed.
There’s always a danger that something will get lost in translation when making a journey across the Atlantic. What works in Miami won’t necessarily pass muster in Manchester, Munich and Madrid. To this end, Nissan’s team at the technical centre in Cranfield made 300 changes to the car, including beefing up the brakes to cope with Europe’s higher speed limits, fitting an oil cooler for the CVT and revamping the suspension to deal with a wider range of surfaces. The suspension tweaks were successful enough to be rolled out on North American Muranos.
The styling was left unchanged, which meant the Murano looked totally at odds with Nissan’s other 4x4s. Style-led SUVs were in their infancy in 2005, so the Murano arrived with generous helpings of all-American shock and awe. The Sunlit Copper paintwork of the original press cars combined with the bling-tastic grille looked like a mirror image of somebody who had just stepped out of a tanning salon in Alderley Edge. Big, bold, brash and, to my eyes, brilliant. I still can’t believe Nissan UK decided to drop the most vibrant colour in 2006; the Murano’s styling works best with the in-your-face-o-meter cranked up to the max, or something.
Then there’s the 3.5-litre V6 engine, which was lifted straight from the Nissan 350Z. Sure, it was detuned to deliver 231bhp at 6000rpm – down 45bhp from the Z – but a 0-62mph time of 8.8 seconds isn’t too shabby for an SUV weighing 1865kg. For context, that’s fractionally slower than an X5 with a 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine, with the bonus of saving £6000 on the cost of the BMW. In fact, at a whisker under £30,000, the Murano offered the space of an X5 for the price of an X3. Rather than waste its time with trim levels and options, Nissan threw the kitchen sink at the Murano, loading it with standard kit. Highlights included arch-filling 18-inch alloys, xenon headlights, climate control, leather upholstery, heated seats, DVD sat-nav, rear parking camera, electric sunroof, Bose audio system and so-called ‘celebrity’ tinted rear windows. On an equivalent BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz or Volkswagen, you’d be looking at spending £40,000 to £45,000. The Murano was like dining at an all-you-can-eat American buffet with unlimited drinks. That’s assuming you could live with the 23mpg thirst.
I’m not entirely sure the Nissan Murano is a genuine guilty pleasure. Contemporary reviews praised its ride comfort, quiet cabin, value for money, engine, transmission, practicality and space. Reviewing the car for The Sunday Times, Jeremy Clarkson said: ‘I’m struggling here to think of any reason why this should not get a five-star rating, the first time any car has achieved such a feat since the Aston Martin DB9. Honestly, I cannot think of a single thing wrong with it.’ Blimey.
Today, you can buy a leggy example for a grand, while a good one should cost between £2000 and £3000. I’m not in the market for an SUV, but if I was, the Murano would be near the top of the list. If only wish Nissan had progressed Murano GT-C beyond the concept stage. A British-developed performance SUV with a Garrett turbocharger, Bilstein mono-tube dampers, shorter and stiffer coil springs, a bespoke AP Racing brake system and more visual presence than the Batmobile. The 340bhp GT-C would have cost a reported £45,000, with Nissan capping production at 100. It wasn’t to be. Instead, we got the Qashqai, Juke and a glut of copycats. Sunlit uplands? I’d prefer a Sunlit Copper Murano.
This article first appeared in issue 15 of Classic.Retro.Modern. magazine.
