When you’re around cars all day, it’s easy to become jaded. Everyone wants to sit high off the ground, nobody makes truly terrible cars anymore, and literally everything needs to have a screen. But every once in a while, something genuinely surprising comes around that cuts through the foggy, jaded numbness. So far this year, that something-genuinely-surprising is the 2025 Nissan Murano.
We’ve been waiting a long time for an updated Murano. It might’ve been a trailblazer for Nissan back in 2003, but time hasn’t been kind to the Murano, eventually falling by the wayside and languishing in the dusty corners of their dealers for years now. To Nissan’s credit, we were supposed to get an updated Murano a lot sooner; it was supposed to be all-electric, but after Nissan polled a bunch of existing (read: loyal) Murano owners in a focus group, they found of them didn’t want to go electric.
So, Nissan found itself in a bit of a pickle: lose a bunch of loyal current buyers, or lose a bunch of prospective buyers. But two years after the Ariya’s debut and about half a year after my so-so test drive of the Ariya, we now have both. I mean it when I say: I’m genuinely surprised with this 2025 Murano.
How does the 2025 Murano look?
We hadn’t seen anything like the Murano when it debuted back in 2003. The swooping silhouette and ever-so-slightly bulbous proportions were a big break from the typical box-on-wheels norm at the time. Two decades later, boxes-on-wheels are making a comeback, but the fourth-generation Murano sticks to its guns with a swooping silhouette. It trades creases and folds for flowing lines and an almost “SUV coupe” look. Up front, a prominent front grille with LED daytime running lights integrated into the horizontal slats dominates the face, while a few inches further up, an almost Ferrari Daytona-ish trim piece with the Murano logo embossed into the corner connects the headlights.
At the back, a lightbar connects the taillights, and a hidden rear wiper and optional two-tone paint cleanly finish off the look. It looks fresh, interesting, and very Ariya-like. The cherry on top is our tester’s new colour, Aurora Blue Pearl. It’s gorgeous.
What’s it like inside?
The surprises continue inside the 2025 Nissan Murano. It copies-and-pastes the Ariya’s already quite nice layout, but also improves some areas. Everything feels nice to the touch, the twin 12.3-inch displays are much sharper-looking and more responsive, and they’re much better-integrated into the Murano’s overall style. It’s crazy what a trim piece covered in squishy stitched pleather does: the new binnacle hood over the twin displays integrates them beautifully into the dash design, rather than making them appear tacked-on. Way to sweat the small stuff, Nissan.
Keeping the Aria vibes going is the two-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel and the centre stack. This means the Murano loses its smattering of easy-to-use physical switchgear, but it keeps the haptic-feedback panel integrated into the wood trim. Ordinarily, I’d complain about something like this, but it’s a very slick look, it’s actually responsive, and anything that isn’t gloss black trim is an improvement. A P-R-N-D button arrangement, also plucked from the Ariya, replaces the shift lever on the centre console. Say what you will about the mindless simplicity of a traditional shifter, but the new, more compact design results in heaps more storage.
Beyond that, Nissan’s so-called Zero Gravity front and rear seats are incredibly cushy, there’s plenty of headroom and legroom regardless of where you sit, and cargo space comes in at a generous 931 litres with the seats up, expanding to 1,798 when stowed. It’s competitive among two-row midsizers like the Subaru Outback and Toyota Crown Signia; other two-rows like the Honda Passport and Mazda CX-70 blow the Murano out of the water, but those two have the footprint of a three-row SUV.
How does the new Murano drive?
I was a little nervous about this part of the update. The 2025 Murano loses Nissan’s 3.5-litre normally aspirated V6, a proven engine that’s been around basically forever. It was bound to happen, but this one stings because Nissan’s long-running VQ-series of V6 engines are buttery smooth and satisfying to rev out. In its place is a 2.0L turbo-four, 241 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. On paper, it’s less powerful but decently torquier than the V6, and the CVT is replaced by a nine-speed automatic.
But I’m surprised at how much I don’t miss the V6. This is a very rare feat — the only other instance I didn’t mind the move to a turbo-four in this segment is with the revised Volkswagen Atlas. With the 2025 Murano, it’s a welcome upgrade: passing power feels about the same, but it feels much punchier off the line thanks to the extra torque, and the nine-speed auto is far better behaved than the CVT ever was. And of course, all-wheel-drive is standard in Canada.
The new powertrain pairs well with the rest of the new Murano’s road manners — wind and road noise are virtually non-existent, and only the biggest road imperfections make themselves known — and it makes good on its promises of improved fuel economy. Rated at 10.6 L/100 km city, 8.6 highway, and 9.7 combined, I managed a more-than-reasonable 10.2 L/100 km after a fairly even split of highway cruising and stop-and-go traffic.
Final thoughts
Pricing is the final surprise with the 2025 Nissan Murano. It starts at $46,848 for the base-but-still-very-well-equipped SV trim, while this fully loaded Platinum tester sits at the very top of the lineup, at $55,448 as-tested. That’s fabulous value for a roomy and comfortable near-luxury SUV, made even better considering the heaps of thoughtful, thorough, and extensive improvements to this latest Murano. Turns out, not all surprises are shaped like an angry storm trooper.
