Tow Test: 2006 Nissan Murano

The Murano is a hard vehicle to pin down. The car’s bold styling signals innovation and imagination.

Nissan is billing it as something completely new, and while it represents an entirely new direction for Nissan’s designers, it isn’t the first AWD (All-Wheel-Drive) hybrid.

Honda’s Accord has been known for years in certain circles as being similar to a Mercedes, due to the car’s dependability, but the difference lies in the relatively low price.

The Nissan Murano might be called the poor boy’s BMW X-series. While the German X5 starts at $81,400, Nissan’s comparably-powered Murano starts for less than $52,000.

But does the Murano deliver the same levels of performance, comfort and overall value that it does in hot new styling and brand one-upmanship? It appears so.

Firstly, beneath the shapely bonnet is an all-aluminium VQ 3.5L 24 valve V6.

With the same power-train that drives Nissan’s 350Z coupe, this puppy delivers 172kW @ 6000rpm.

You can feel every bit of it accelerating away from traffic lights (an addictive habit in this car), or whenever you need a little bit of extra grunt.

The max torque isn’t class-leading at 318Nm @ 3600rpm, but it should handle anything the Murano is likely to encounter.

With a towing capacity of 750kg without trailer brakes and 1500kg braked, the Murano is limited to towing some of the smaller caravans or camper trailers.

While we didn’t get a chance to test the Murano to its full potential, all of that power under the bonnet should prove more than equal to the relatively low towing capacity.

Nestled between the engine and the wheels is Nissan’s unique six-speed Xtronic continuously variable transmission.

Complemented by a manual shift mode, this computer controlled step-less transmission virtually eliminates ‘shift shock’ – that moment between first and second gears when everyone’s head dips forward momentarily.

This transmission makes you instantly forget there was ever anything else. Closer to the road end of the machine, the Murano’s AWD with lock mode, based on the Pathfinder’s all-mode

4WD system, is combined with Nissan’s Vehicle Dynamic Control to ensure traction and stability, no matter what the road condition.

Fully independent multi-link suspension and speed-sensitive power rack-and-pinion steering further enhance the driving experience in the Murano, giving it what Nissan calls ‘car-like’ handling.

Inside the Murano, the exterior’s bold styling continues. The word cockpit comes to mind as the dashboard’s unique design juts out at the driver.

Bright minivan-sized gauges greet the driver when activated, as does the leather-wrapped steering wheel with comprehensive sound system and cruise controls.

The central control panel houses a six-CD changer/tape/radio unit and the bright and simple automatic climate control air-conditioning.

Music pours out of the Bose six-speaker system complete with subwoofer. For an extra $5000 for the Ti model, you can add heated leather front seats, electric sunroof, rear parking sensors and roof rails.

It is easy to relax in this car, especially with driver and front passenger airbags, curtain airbags and side-impact airbags, all alongside ABS brakes, electronic brake distribution and brake assist.

Of course, the plush cloth seats make long trips a breeze.

There’s nothing like the feeling of heading out to the car in the morning knowing the comfort you’re going to experience.

And if it’s evening when you’re heading out, the bright Xenon headlights with washers make night driving relaxing too, while lending a certain European look to the car’s appearance.

Speaking of good looks, initial glances at the Murano seem to spill off its surfaces – the smooth lines at the top of the car contrast with the rugged lower half, muscled up considerably by 18in, six-spoke alloy wheels and an integrated rear spoiler.

The tapering rear windows accentuate the car’s broad back end, and a rounded tailgate provides even more interior storage space.

There’s something about the Murano that you can’t capture at first, but when CW drove around town in one, nearly everybody we spoke to said they liked it.

Now we return to where we began – the Murano looks similar to BMW’s similarly marketed X-series vehicles.

On performance specs alone, it actually does better than the X3.0i ($72,400).

It isn’t a German-engineered machine, but the Murano is a delicately styled Japanese touring car with all of the accoutrements of a 4WD, with none of the handling trade-offs, and a price tag that precludes the need for much more argument.