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By William Bonds

Sports sensation

Nissan's new SUV breaks out of its class

The question is not so much whether or not the new Nissan Murano is a good car, it's more, "Why would you want to buy one?" The Murano was, after all, conceived in the US for the American market. America has big roads and big people; Japan has tiny roads and smaller people. Of course, that hasn't stopped the Japanese from buying wholly unsuitable vehicles for their streets, but it does cast doubt on the wisdom of Nissan's marketing department.

The Murano went on sale here at the beginning of September (two years after it hit the market in the US, where it has sold 80,000 units). Nissan refers to the stylish 4x4-only the top-of-the-line model is available-as a "crossover SUV," and it fills a big hole in the automaker's lineup. Up to now, Nissan's off-road range consisted of the uninspiring X-Trail (from ¥1.87 million) and the overtly butch Nissan Safari (¥4.46 million). Today's off-roader is more likely to be a smart corporate fellow, keen on skiing and surfing. It's also likely to be a he, a chap who will want to send a message to other guys in the office, so he will be the big boy and buy a luxury SUV. He might even buy a Murano, but the competition is really fierce and he will have his head turned every which way but sensible by the automakers.

Nissan supremo Carlos Ghosn describes the Murano as "a 4x4 and a sports car." The Murano, he adds, has "a unique exterior and interior design (and) offers the function of a true sport utility vehicle with the ride and comfort and premium features of a sport sedan." Stop! I'm Ghosn giddy. What Nissan's guru is trying to say is that you have the practicality of a truck (although he wouldn't put it in such vulgar terms) with the comfort of a luxury car and the performance of a sports car.

Well, do you?

The SUV's good looks are sure to appeal to Japan's weekend warriors

The high clearance and the four-wheel-drive give the Murano a practicality that regular cars don't have, although the non-4x4 versions will obviously have some limitations. So yes, you can take it places your Cube won't go. The interior is very American-big, overstuffed sofas for seats made out of something resembling leather (velour is an option) with limited lateral support; plenty of passenger space, though not masses of luggage space; lots of plastic; and, though it does have a camera for reversing, a clever key, and an extra side mirror on the passenger's side, not too much imagination.

As for performance, the car's bulkiness should work against it, but it does 0-100kph in less than eight seconds and it cruises very nicely at 150kph. The price tag is ¥2.85 million for the 2WD, 2.5-liter model and ¥3.75 million for the 4x4, 3.5-liter version

So, a bit of a mélange there. Let's dig a little deeper. First, the design. Externally, the Murano sends out a challenge to the rest of the class: You can be tough without having cauliflower ears. It really is a great looking car. (I'll avoid mentioning the fact that you can buy it in "café latte.") Nissan's exterior designers have been outdoing themselves in the last few years, and the Murano is a real looker-that butch grill, the curving rear lights, the nice butt, the sweeping side lines.

But step inside and it's, "Wow! This is dull." As a chap who's quite partial to the Yankee auto creed of "build 'em big," I do have a soft spot for American vehicles. However, their interiors are usually modeled on Las Vegas brothels and love hotel headboards. It's hard to understand how Nissan can get so many things right on a car (the exterior, the ride, the engine) and continually mess up their insides. And not only on this one. The Nissan Skyline 350GT, for example, is an awesome car, but the cabin is tacky. On the Murano, the dials are right in your face (as, for some reason, is the steering wheel), and the heater/stereo/navigator controls are just pathetic. The heating vents were put where there was a space, not where you need them. While the Murano does have a decent navigation system, a CD player and an MD player, the truth is that when you're sitting behind the wheel, you are not thinking, "I look good in this." You are, in fact, thinking, "I hope my date's got less taste than Nissan."

The Murano's aggressive snout encloses an in-your-face dash

But when you drive the Murano, all is almost forgiven. The 3.5-liter engine is fantastic and the ride is unbelievably smooth on all surfaces. Of course, despite its SUV status, it is not a sports car; it's a sporty truck really. You will not be throwing this vehicle around country lanes-for a start, you'd fall out of your seat. If you want to do that, buy a sexy sports wagon like the 4x4 3.5-liter Nissan Stagea.

Photos by William Bonds

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