Carscoop je napisal/-a:2009 Nissan Murano - Official Images Leaked?

Friday, November 9, 2007
So lets get straight to the point: do these pictures that found their way into the internet this morning show the actual 2009 Nissan Murano? We think so. We’re not 100% sure but we checked them out and couldn’t find any flaws to support the opposite. We don’t have any information for the time being other than that the new Murano is set to make its debut at the 2007 L.A. Show on November 13 with sales staring in the States during the first quarter of 2008. We’ll update the post as soon as we find more info. Until then, follow the jump for the rest of the pictures.

Back when the wildly popular Nissan Murano debuted in 2002 as a 2003 model, its greatest innovation was obvious: This crossover SUV didn't bother looking like a truck. So, since messing with success is often foolhardy, the nearly all-new 2009 Nissan Murano on display at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show looks a lot like its predecessor.

Underneath the skin the story is a little different. This Murano rides on Nissan's D-platform which first appeared under the 2007 Altima and, for the most part, it's familiar front-drive, unibody stuff. The engine sits transversely in the nose, the strut front suspension mounts to its own subframe cradle, and the independent rear suspension is a multilink design.

What innovation there is comes from the use of lightweight materials like aluminum in the suspension pieces, a new speed-sensitive power rack-and-pinion steering system and a predictable increase in body stiffness.

While overall length grows slightly from the 2007 Murano's 187.6 inches to the 2009 version's 188.5 inches, the wheelbase remains stuck at 111.2 inches and overall width and height grow just a few fractions of an inch. The standard 18-inch wheels are still encased inside P235/65R18 tires while 20-inch wheels and P235/55R20 tires will for the first time become an option. The braking system continues to consist of four discs with help from antilock, brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution systems.

Nissan's justly lauded VQ-Series V6 will again power all versions of the new Murano, and do that with more power than before. Still displacing 3.5 liters, the Murano's DOHC, 24-valve, all-aluminum power plant sees its output swell 25 ponies from 240 to 265 horsepower but peak torque is up a mere 4 pound-feet to 248.

The sole transmission is an upgraded, second-generation version of the Xtronic continuously variable automatic transmission featuring "Adaptive Shift Control" which, Nissan says, "utilizes an advanced, sport-tuned controller with adaptive logic for driving comfort or driving performance as conditions require." Both front- and all-wheel-drive models will again be offered.

While the exterior carries forward established Murano styling themes, no sheet metal is carried over from the previous model and many elements are more aggressively sculpted than before. Details include new wide HID projector headlamps, LED taillights, a new optional top-loading sunroof paired with a skylight over the second row of seats. And yes, it looks something like an overgrown Rogue (which, conversely, looks like a shrunken Murano).

Inside Nissan has constructed the interior around a "mobile suite aesthetic" which includes ambient lighting, a two-tier storage system in the cargo bay, and a new, more ergonomic design for the two rows of seats (there is, once again, no third-row seat). There are six airbags aboard including side seat and side curtain cushions.

However it's the dashboard that will earn the greatest praise inside the Murano. Abandoning the overstyled pod dash of the first Murano, the new version is more conventional with the red-and-white lit instrumentation and a center stack featuring more elegant materials and controls. It's simply a vast improvement.

Considering the specifications, there's nothing about the 2009 Murano that will overwhelm anyone who has driven the 2007 version (there is no 2008 Murano). This is Nissan pushing an already successful vehicle forward through refinement and careful updating — there's nothing radical here.

It might be all-new, but most of it is all familiar. It goes on sale in January in five models ranging from a base front-drive "S" up to a luxurious all-wheel-drive "LE."