Used 2021 Nissan Murano

Nissan’s 2021 Murano enters the new year right smack in the middle of the hottest market segment in the U.S. As a midsize SUV, the Murano’s refined, comfortable nature has placed it a small cut above many other 2-row midsized SUVs in the past, like the Ford Edge, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Chevy’s Blazer. But now, with the competition updated, the Murano lags behind some newcomers and freshened staples. These include the Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota’s new Venza, Honda’s Passport, and Volkswagen’s roomy Atlas Cross Sport.

Still, the Murano offers a premium feel and creamy ride quality, though the continuously variable transmission (CVT) can drone more than a conventional 6- or 7-speed automatic when pressed. Thankfully, a 3.5-liter V6 engine worth 260 horsepower belts out plenty of oomph, even if parked in front of a transmission that causes some droning. The Murano also offers a sleeker, less off-road-ready look for those uninterested in portraying themselves as lumberjacks ready to fell a forest. The 2021 Murano gives plenty of room for passengers and cargo, and that’s really what matters in the wilds of suburbia. And with a full package of active safety features standard across the range of four trim levels.

The new 2021 Murano drives comfortably and a bit more luxe than you might think a mainstream brand’s product would. The Murano’s suspension deals with bumps and potholes with calm composure. You can easily eat up the miles on the interstate and enjoy a lack of fuss on city streets.

Under the hood, the Murano’s standard 260 horsepower V6 has plenty of punch, meted out via Nissan’s continuously variable transmission (CVT), the only transmission available in the 2021 Murano.

While some automakers’ CVTs come under criticism for putting a giant wet blanket on performance and acceleration, Nissan has found the secret sauce to make feel it both quick under full throttle and relaxing at steady-state speeds. It mimics traditional shifts fairly well, and though there are no shift paddles on the steering wheel, you can create virtual shifts by placing the transmission lever in manual mode. We also noticed this characteristic in a recent Nissan Pathfinder, which uses the same CVT. The only caveat here is that long highway inclines or long-duration acceleration runs will have the engine parked at a high rpm for much longer than a transmission with actual gears and can cause droning from the engine, which might become tiresome.

One other caveat and a result of the excellent ride comfort is that the Murano’s handling agility suffers because of the relative cushiness, so driving fun is not high on its list of talents. Also, visibility suffers a bit due to the Murano’s substantial rear blind spots.

The Murano’s roominess is perhaps forgotten because it does not offer a third row of seats. But most SUVs of this size with a third row suffer just to make that claim. If you need a third row, there’s the longer and larger Pathfinder. So, the Murano provides better-than-average space for the rear passenger that it does accommodate. What a concept. With that second row of seats stowed, the Murano offers 67 cubic feet of cargo space, which is slightly shy of what you’ll find in a Honda Passport, Subaru Outback, or Ford Edge, but still plenty for most buyers’ needs.

The Murano’s driver and passenger seats offer good comfort and range of position, and they’re improved when clad in the leather that comes in the two higher trims. Ergonomically, one or two controls are placed strangely (like the audio volume buttons at the lower left on the steering wheel).

Nissan put design at the forefront of the original Murano’s mission in 2003, and this continues today. Among the first crossover SUVs that avoided the 2-box traditional utility format, the Murano has, through all its generations, always accented curvy, organic lines peppered with interesting details and trim shapes. This current generation in production since 2015 uses what Nissan calls a “floating roof” and Nissan’s “V-Motion” front end design. Other recent updates include LED headlights and taillights. Murano S and SV come with 18-inch wheels, while SL and Platinum trim levels get 20-inch wheels.

COMFORT AND REFINEMENT
While it offers all-wheel drive for better all-weather traction, the main focus of a Nissan Murano is comfort and refinement. It delivers both in spades.

STANDARD V6 ENGINE
The 2021 Nissan Murano’s 3.5-liter, 260 horsepower V6 has been in production for a very long time, but it is in no way outdated. It’s powerful, smooth, does not rely on a turbocharger to make its power, and has a long track record of reliability.

The 2021 Murano comes in four trim levels: S, SV, SL, and the top-line Platinum (plus the option of all-wheel drive for each). The least expensive Murano S has dual-zone climate control, push-button start, and an 8-inch touch display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity in addition to a 6-speaker AM/FM/CD/Bluetooth audio system with USB and auxiliary inputs, but all Muranos now come equipped with Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 suite comprising automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, lane departure warning, and high-beam assist. This now also includes Rear Automatic Braking (or automatic emergency braking when reversing).

Muranos in S and SL trims come with basic cloth seats, so to bring things up to what should probably be the segment standard, we’d opt for the SV, which adds power front seats and the option of Prima-Tex faux leather, roof rails, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a universal garage remote.

Packaged as trim levels reflecting additional options, going from the base Murano S ($32,510) to the Murano SV ($35,640) adds a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated outside mirrors, LED fog lamps, power front seats, adaptive cruise control, and light-colored wood interior trim.

Jumping to the SL ($40,010) adds a heated steering wheel, 20-inch wheels, driver’s seat position memory, leather seats, heated front and rear seats, up-level 11-speaker Bose audio system, Nissan’s Around View camera system (shows an overhead view of the car which eases parking maneuvers), a power liftgate and traffic sign recognition.

The most expensive 2021 Murano (at $44,060), the Platinum trim encroaches on the luxury SUV space with semi-aniline leather seats with diamond-quilted inserts, a dual-panel moonroof, power-adjusting steering wheel, heated and cooled front seats, and NissanConnect Services, which allows you to control functions such as locking the vehicle remotely from your phone.

Nissan’s 3.5-liter V6 makes 260 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque. It easily moves the Murano with gusto, does not require 91 octane premium fuel (87 octane is just fine), and does not have start/stop system that shuts off the engine at stoplights and stop signs.

This engine is mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission, which does not have traditional gears. CVTs are efficient but tend to drone, especially under hard acceleration. However, Nissan has honed its CVTs better than some other manufacturers, and this one feels close to a traditional automatic, except on only the longest highway grades when a high engine speed is maintained to ascend inclines.

Muranos come standard with front-wheel drive, and all trims can be optioned with all-wheel drive for $1,550. However, due to the CVT, the Murano can only tow a puny 1,500 pounds, which is very low for any SUV. Jeep’s Grand Cherokee with its base V6 engine can pull 6,200 pounds, while a Honda Passport with all-wheel drive can tow 5,000 pounds (and 3,500 with front-wheel drive).

3.5-liter V6
260 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
240 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 20/28 mpg