At first, you may not even give this car a second look. In fact there’s not even that much to say about it since this is just a face-lift of the existing 3.5-litre, V6 petrol engine. However, this car does give you a chance to really start appreciating what value brands versus luxury brands can offer you.
First off, what’s changed?

The 2012 Murano has a new front grille, new bumpers and a new LED tail light design. It’s also been bolstered by a shapelier body, and wafts around on some 18-inch alloy titanium-finished wheels. To say this car is big is an under-statement. In fact, the only word that I could come up with was “vast” to describe what sitting behind the wheel feels like.

You sit high and you sit comfy and you get to enjoy a bunch of in-car enhancements like a new double panel moonroof complete with power retractable sun shades and tinted glass for UV protection, comfy leather seats that they’ve patterned afresh and a real opulence kind of vibe, even though you’re still aware you’re sitting in a Nissan.

This is Nissan’s “luxury” SUV, so it’s no surprise to find added conveniences like intelligent keyless entry and Bluetooth audio and phone abilities. But it’s the little things that really leave a lasting impression. Things like the 7-inch WVGA touchscreen control, which comes in quite handy since they’ve put the dial controller for this on a different continent to where you need it. And the Bose sound system. And even the rear parking camera. None of this is a surprise, it’s expected, but it’s the way that they’re all just there, with no song or dance, working well together.

The drive is strong and smooth. It’s reliable power, not get-up-and-go fast. That’s the 336Nm of torque. It’s got four-wheel-drive, but I wouldn’t be fooling myself into taking this through the Namib desert or anything like that.

There’s little pretentiousness in this car. There’s little messing about. They wanted to give you a luxury SUV experience, in a reliable, affordable (relatively), comfortable package, and they seem to have succeeded.

When you’re inside this car you think little about its adversaries also competing for your money. Adversaries like the Mercedes M-Class. But why would you? The M-Class costs R120 000 more than the Murano. I say go Japanese.

SPECS
3.5-litre V6 petrol
191kw
336Nm
Seats 5
10.9-litres per 100km
0-100 – 8 seconds
Top Speed – 210km/h