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Headturner is a bit of a mixed grille

MURANO: Fit for purpose
MURANO: Fit for purpose
YOU may think the Nissan Murano's design is a triumph.

Or you may think its over-chromed radiator grille would look better on a jukebox and its bulbous rear end is what you'd get from merging a Micra with a tonne of donuts.

What you probably won't think is something in between.

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But love or loathe its bold looks, there's no doubt this is a car fit for purpose.

Much like the BMW X5 and the Porsche Cayenne, the Murano has been designed to give drivers the practical and safety bonuses of an off-roader without the poor road manners.

These so-called crossovers are a sensible evolution of the 4x4 workhorse prompted by the realisation that most of these vehicles will never need any off-road capability at all.

In fact, while perfectly equipped for the school run, with its smooth road tyres and big, shiny alloys, it's difficult to imagine the Murano making it across much more than a slightly-soggy field on sports day.

A £30,000 price tag may seem a lot for a Nissan but it means the Murano is a good deal easier on the wallet than the likes of the Lexus RX300, the BMW X5, the Audi Q7 and the Range Rover Sport.

Cachet

And while it may not have the cachet of those premium offerings, it certainly offers something very similar for quite a lot less cash.

Unlike almost all of its rivals, the Murano comes loaded with kit, including a bird's-eye view satellite navigation system complete with seven-inch screen, colour rear parking camera, full leather upholstery and a very sophisticated Bose hi-fi system complete with a beefy sub-woofer.

The easy-fold down rear seats are just that, springing out of the way to create a cavernous load space and I got quite attached to the push down foot-operated handbrake.

And although I loved the reverse parking camera with its multi-coloured direction guide lines, it's a bit disconcerting to feel like you're playing a video game when you're actually attempting to squeeze nearly two tonnes of steel into a tight spot at Tescos.

So, as a comfortable and safe school-running, load-lugging people carrier, the Murano ticks the boxes. But crossover buyers demand more.

And while anything with the sort of dimensions of this vehicle is going to struggle to produce a sporty drive, I was disappointed with the Murano.

Skittish

The ride is pleasant enough on most roads and quite relaxing on a motorway at speed but as soon as it's pushed on a bumpy road, the Murano becomes alarmingly jiggly and skittish.

Much like a Mercedes ML, it starts to wander off line as soon as the suspension is given any thinking to do. BMW have set the standard here and the Range Rover Sport is also far more fluent.

The 3.5-litre V6 engine from the 350Z makes a welcome reappearance but a horrible variable transmission gearbox conspires with 1800kg to almost totally sap its 245bhp enthusiasm.

The Murano's thirsty too, I managed about 23mpg and there's no diesel either available or planned.

I very much like the Murano's head-turning styling but I can't help feeling the vehicle represents a lost opportunity.

A punchy diesel, a traditional gearbox and a more intelligent suspension set-up would make this a class leader.

A twin turbo 350bhp restyled version planned for next year will certainly be entertaining but, for now, the Murano's striking looks actually conceal a rather ordinary car.

Related stories
Take Note, mums (21/06/2006)
The macho Micra (25/11/2005)
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