2009 Nissan Murano SL FWD

The Nissan Murano, one of the first midsize crossover vehicles in the category, still looked contemporary after four years. When it came time to refresh this car, Nissan could have messed it up mightily. Instead the Murano has evolved in a lovely manner, gaining a good bit of horsepower and better manners, particularly with regard to its transmission. The wonderful sporting characteristics remain intact and the well-thought-out exterior of this vehicle is now matched by a much-upgraded interior.

The chance to drive a 2009 Nissan Murano SL front-wheel-drive machine came with a visit to Orlando for a trade show in mid-December. The Murano, dressed in a deep sapphire blue is well matched to a beige leather interior and, despite the varying textures in the dash layout, it all works quite harmoniously.

Nissan didn’t mess overly much with the exterior of the Murano, whose bodylines have withstood the test of time from the original’s 2004 release. Where the first version had vertically sloping rear lamps, the new Murano has horizontal ones, and it’s one of the few ways you can tell them apart! A good rear wing protects the rear window from the elements. The familiar egg-crate grille keys family resemblance and the creases of the Murano appear similar to what we’ve become familiar with over the past four years.

Inside is where many of the upgrades went, and the 2009 Nissan Murano SL FWD looks Infiniti-like and feels much richer than the first edition. The cabin’s materials enhancements extend to the gray gauge cluster with orange surrounds, white numbers and red pointers that include outside temperature gauge, dedicated fuel and temp gauges. There’s a 160-mph speedometer and a tachometer that redlines at 6500 rpm.

Murano’s center stack is where the action lies. Even without a navigation system, Nissan fits a 7-inch screen that shows the audio and climate readings between two large vents, as part of the premium package. The controls for most functions are canted upward and easy to work. Below this area is the audio system with 6-CD changer, AM-FM and XM satellite settings and the climate controls lie below that. There is an open storage area beneath the central stack that holds a 12-volt plug and controls for the seat heaters. The center stack area has satin aluminum look surrounds.

Despite expectations, it rained pretty hard in central Florida while I was there and the Murano handled all the disturbances like a pro. Chalk that up to the independent front and rear suspensions with stabilizer bars, together to the very direct speed sensitive power steering. Nissan has equips the 2009 Murano SL with all-wheel antilock brakes and adds electronic brake force distribution and brake assist. There’s also vehicle dynamic and traction control systems to aid any driver. Five-spoke 18-inch alloy rims ride on very competent Bridgestone Dueler P265/65R tires at all four corners.

From a passive safety standpoint, Nissan fits only the best to its Murano SL FWD model: an advanced air bag system that includes the requisite front, side and curtain airbags front and rear with rollover sensors. In addition, there are active head restraints and a tire pressure monitoring system.

The heart of the Nissan Murano has always been its 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 engine and the upgraded motor in the 2009 model has 265 horsepower at 6000 rpm (up 25 from the previous iteration), together with 248 lb-ft of torque at 4400 rpm. The newly configured continuously variable transmission is a highly upgraded unit and doesn’t hunt for gears as the previous model did. At 80 mph, the package runs a very nice 2250, part of why this 3875-pound crossover gets 18/23-mpg on regular fuel from its 21.7-gallon tank.

As an early production model, the blue beauty driven around Florida starts at a list price of $28,625 including destination. Nissan adds some righteous equipment: a delightful dual pane one-touch moonroof ($1170), a premium package for $1000 that brings a Bose® 9-speaker audio system with dual subwoofers, XM satellite radio, a wonderful rearview monitor that aids parking, auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass & Homelink®, near-silent roof rails, a nifty foldable cargo organizer and cargo cover, audiovisual jacks behind the center storage for rear seat occupants and the color screen in the center stack.

There is also a technology package ($1900) that includes a power liftgate, keyless entry & pushbutton ignition, Bluetooth® hands-free phone system, Bi-xenon auto-on/off headlamps with manual leveling adjustments, rain sensing wipers and heated outside mirrors. The leather package ($1600) adds leather seating and power lumbar support for the driver, heated front seats and 4-way power for the passenger seat. The grand total comes to $34,295.

While the Murano doesn’t have a third row of seating, it does have good space behind the second row: there is 31.6 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up and a mammoth 64 cubes with them folded flat. The tri-part cargo organizer lies beneath the upgraded carpeting, as do the temporary spare and jack. Another 12-volt plug lies at the base of the cargo hold.

Nissan doesn’t deny its trio of rear seat passengers, as it has installed vents in the B pillars to keep backseat folks comfy. Those rear seats can be folded by dual remotes. There is also a large storage bin beneath the A/V plugs. Dual cupholders lie in the center armrest/third seatback. Nissan fits grab handles for passengers at three doors, probably because they know the driver is going to drive this machine with verve!

An enthusiastic driver will certainly enjoy the responsive powertrain of this Nissan as well as the sporty handling and smooth ride. The only thing it lacks, from a sporting perspective, is a manual shift. The upgraded cabin and great brakes are bonuses, for sure. A perfectionist will appreciate the good seams and great closures for all doors, windows and power hatch, and everyone will like the hood on struts and well marked fill points.

A very straightforward machine with workmanlike cruise control (on the steering wheel, together with audio), good storage everywhere within the cabin and road manners that would shame most other manufacturers. In my opinion, only the Mazda CX7 is a true competitor.

© 2008 Anne Proffit

At the LA Auto Show

Two weeks ago I attended the LA Auto Show/ With its date change to just before Thanksgiving, LA has become a great venue for new model year rollouts.

The notable changes at this year’s show are economic in nature. General Motors and Chrysler elected not to do any press conference; neither did Acura. Ford piled it on, however, rolling out the new Lincoln MKZ, Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan with hybrid technology available and, of course, taking the wraps off the 2010 Ford Mustang.

The latter intro took place at Barker Hangar adjacent to Santa Monica Airport, a regular site for occasions of this type. Ford brought in Mustang owners for the occasion and trotted out Ford heroes like , Carroll Shelby, Parnelli Jones, John and Ashley Force, Tommy Kendall, Scott Pruett, Jack Roush, Lyn St James and Vince Gittin, who drifted the newest incarnation all around the floor!

Ford’s Tuesday night show was held under cool, clear skies. If you were entitled to a seat, you had to get in early (6PM) but the show didn’t get underway until way after seven. It was anticlimactic by the time it happened, which was a shame. Also, they served chips, soda pop and water, just right for a health conscious crowd?

Wednesday morning, Renault/Nissan head Carlos Ghosn gave the keynote speech to start the show. He did so in fine fashion – if only the Big Three’s CEO’s, appearing in Washington, D.C. had performed so realistically. Ghosn understands what’s going on in the industry and realizes the sky is falling.

That is why Nissan will have plug-in hybrids coming soon, is building more capacity here in the States and has introduced its smallest US offering, the Cube in L.A. That car was one of the stars of the show for me – another was the Kia Soul, which falls into the same micro-sedan category. Smaller cars were the hit of LA and the Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year went to the Volkswagen Jetta diesel, which is now starting to appear on Los Angeles streets. It wasn’t available until it met Bin 5 regulations.

Everywhere we looked there were signs of impending doom for the Big Three, who haven’t had dominance in the marketplace for way too many years yet are still referred to as “big”. They’re not, and the reason is product and wages. Product, of course, they can do something about, but not without the cooperation of the unions, who are killing their golden goose.

But enough of that! In a corner Cadillac showed its CTS sport wagon, which will be a genuine hit once it reaches showrooms. The car is drop-dead gorgeous in person; photos do it no justice, and wrapped in a deep red paint, even placed far from the action, it caused people to stop and stare.

Maserati’s presentation was notable for its appearance by a woman who claimed to be the president and CEO of Maserati North America. Her speech was stilted; the display was fragmented and I don’t understand why they even bothered. The particular car Maserati was promoting this time around was hidden behind the dais and difficult to photograph!

On the other hand, BMW trotted out the new 7 series, a huge aesthetic improvement over the previous Bangle-bump model. BMW also showed off the Mini E, which is a plug-in model. The only problem with the Mini product is finding a place to plug it in. And range, of course.

Porsche displayed the new Boxster, updated Cayenne and showed off Jerry Seinfeld’s 550 Spyder, a beautiful machine. The company isn’t going to Detroit, joining other brands that don’t feel they get the bang for buck in what used to be known as the Motor City.

Audi’s new Q5 is gorgeous and will be available with diesel. It achieved more than 33 mpg on the Audi Mileage Marathon, a cross-country parade with various models that ended at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the American Le Mans Series season finale. Audi’s display came in basic white – nearly every vehicle on their extensive set was winter white!

Mazda showed off its newest Mazda3 and the second iteration of the company’s mainstay sedan is way improved. It feels extremely solid and is quite handsome, as one would expect. The Mazda3 is coming in initially as a four-door sedan; a wagon will follow, and we hope there will be Mazdaspeed editions as well.

Smart Car brought in its Brabus edition, which will retail around $17 grand. The Smart is one success story in the LA area and ought to be around the country. Think these low fuel prices are going to stick around? Think again! Smart is safe, lively and well appointed. Roger Penske is the distributor in the USA and he’s got a keen eye for what works everywhere.

There was nothing from Jaguar nor from Land Rover; Mitsubishi did not have any announcements and neither did Suzuki. Hyundai showed off its Genesis sedan and coupe, which Aston Martin displayed its DB9, a gorgeous machine. Ferrari presented its California droptop and served a very nice luncheon. In their display area, there were gorgeous carbon/carbon brakes with Brembo calipers colored to match your Prancing Horse’s exterior color. Mouth watering.

All this occurred during the time when the three CEOs of GM, Chrysler and Ford made news and it wasn’t pretty stuff. Because I did not go back after the media days, I’m not sure how much the news – and the economy – impacted attendance, but I do know that media attention was up and there was plenty to enjoy.

© 2008 Anne Proffit