2025 Nissan Murano Platinum Review

This week, I bring you what is certain to be a game-changer for Nissan, the all-new 2025 Nissan Murano.  This 5-passenger SUV debuted here in 2003 but hasn’t had a major change since 2014.  Sales peaked in 2016 at 87,000 in the U.S. but have steadily fallen since then to about 14,000 in 2024.  I expect that trend to reverse itself immediately.  This new version picked up 3” in width, giving it a lower, more muscular stance.

This is the top-of-the-line Platinum model, but you can step down to the SV, or the SL, which are less expensive than my test vehicle.  However, even with all the upgrades you’ll learn about today, the SV model starts at just over $40,000, which is pretty amazing for a midsized SUV these days.

Exterior     

Huge changes were made to the 2025 Murano exterior appearance.  It is sleeker, more modern looking, and yet it still maintains some of the heritage of the original Murano, which was one of the first 2-row, midsized, car-based SUVs in America. 

The new, slim LED headlights look great sitting above a new variation of the Nissan V-Motion grill. LED lights on both sides of the grill look terrific at night.  21” alloy wheels are terrific, there is a large spoiler on the rear, and glory be Nissan tucked the rear wiper under the spoiler! 

Finishing out the rear looks is an all-the-way across LED lighting bar that looks fantastic and elegant.  Nissan designers hit a home run with this new body style.

Powertrain   

The huge changes for 2025 extend beneath the hood. The previous six-cylinder is gone and is replaced with a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbo that has 241-horses, but more importantly is Nissan increased torque to 260-pound feet. Before you get all depressed about the six-banger being gone, this new engine feels better than the old one as far as performance. The VC-Turbo engine uses a multi-link system to vary the position of the piston's top dead-center and bottom dead-center. This allows the engine to adjust the compression ratio on demand. The piston arms can change position from low compression, which is turbo friendly, to high compression, which is fuel-efficient.

More good news:  The CVT is GONE.  Like me, many of you hated it, and although they have been very reliable in the last decade or so, I prefer a regular transmission.  For 2025, there is a 9-speed that shifts great and is a nice pairing to the new engine.  It is shiftable from paddles on the steering wheel.

For 2025, all SL and Platinum trim levels are all-wheel drive, which is great in inclement weather, but also makes handling on dry roads better and more responsive.  You can still get a two-wheel version in the SV model.

In other terrific enhancements to the driving experience, this new Murano adopts frequency sensitive dampers in its suspension and switches to electric power steering, something I wish every vehicle would adopt. 

Interior 

Even more upgrades for 2025 involve the interior.  I’ve talked for many years about Nissan’s Zero Gravity seats, designed by NASA and how comfortable they are. These Platinum-level seats are as elegant as you’ll find in SUVs made by Mercedes or Lexus.  They are slightly bolstered, they are quilted at the top, and features two-tone sumptuous leather.  The seats in front are heated and cooled, and in a first, now will massage both the driver and passenger with separate controls.  There are two memory settings for the driver.  Soft touch materials are everywhere you touch and a nice mix of leather and aluminum runs from the door panels and completely across the dash.

As I see a lot these days, two large screens appear to be one huge screen.  First, a new 12.3” gauge cluster is easy to read, and the center of the colorful display is configurable.  Large semi-circles on both sides display a tachometer on the left, and a speedometer on the right. Besides what you choose for the middle area, you can see miles to empty, and the outside temperature.

Also new and much larger is a very simple to use new second 12.3” touchscreen that controls the Bose sound system, vehicle info, settings, wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto, Google Assistant and Google Maps, Wi-Fi hotspot, and a wonderful backup camera with a 360-degree view, plus a front view and a curb view. There is SiriusXM and Alexa, also.  If you prefer not to put your grubby fingers on the touchscreen, everything and be done from the new square-bottomed power tilt and telescoping steering wheel. I was very pleased with how easy everything was to find and operate.

The one negative I found was you had to go into the climate page of the screen to turn on the heated and air conditioned seats.  There should be buttons on both sides of the door panels for this OR they should be on the center console.   

Speaking of, the center console is neat and organized with the push button start, new shift buttons that look great, a button to defeat the start/stop system, a button activate the cameras, a couple of USB-C plugs, a wireless phone charger, and a pair of cup holders. There is a separate switch to change drive modes from Sport, to Standard, to Eco.

In something you don’t always find, the back seat is appointed as nicely as the front seat, and for the first time, the back seats are Zero Gravity as well.  Head and legroom are both good even with a panoramic moon roof.  The back seats are heated, there is a pulldown armrest with cup holders, the rear occupants get air conditioning vents and two USB-C ports, and there are shades you can raise to keep the sun from coming in the rear side windows.

The Murano, being a 5-passenger SUV, has a lot of cargo area in the back and is perfect for those who need more cargo and prefer that to a 3^rd-row seat.  The cargo area with the back seat up is 32.9-cubic feet.  If that is not enough, levers in the cargo area can be pulled to drop the back seat into a very flat load floor, opening up 63.5-cubic feet of cargo.  Under the floor lies a compact spare tire, which is way better than a repair kit.

Features and Options

The Murano Platinum comes with a huge list of standard features such as dual climate-controlled air conditioning, remote start, 64-color ambient lighting, power tailgate, a terrific head-up display with traffic sign recognition, and a huge panoramic moon roof with a power sliding cover.  All the things I listed that were part of the infotainment system comes standard as well.

Also standard is ProPILOT Assist which blends steering assistance with Intelligent Cruise Control, helping the driver stay in the center of the driving lane while maintaining a preset speed and preset distance to the preceding vehicle. ProPILOT Assist can also slow the vehicle to a complete stop and hold the vehicle during traffic jam conditions.

My review vehicle only has one option, and that is a $425 charge for the Champagne Silver paint, which is beautiful by the way.

Safety Features

On the safety front, you get Nissan Safety Shield 360 which includes Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Rear Automatic Braking, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and High Beam Assist. Also standard on all grades is Intelligent Forward Collision Warning and Intelligent Driver Alertness.

Ride and Drive

The Murano rides much better than the last one I reviewed, the new steering is responsive and effortless, and the turning radius is extremely tight.  I was surprised by how well the SUV handled.  Interior quietness is fine, not annoying at all. Visibility all around is exceptional, especially from the driver’s view.

The new engine gives the Murano more acceleration than the last version, but it’s not going to give you a whiplash when you slam the accelerator. Don’t get me wrong, it won’t get you run over and there is plenty of power to merge onto the highway.  I know we all want great fuel economy and a ton of horsepower, but those two generally don’t go together. With the Murano, you get very good mileage of 21 city, 27 highway, and 23 overall.

Verdict

I am very proud of what Nissan has done with the Murano.  It also comes at a good time, when Nissan really needs a hit vehicle to get some momentum going.  At an MSRP of $51,415, this elegant, restyled midsized SUV is just what was needed.