Today it was a shorter week in the 2025 Nissan Murano Platinum. Sadly I was under the weather and gave myself a longer weekend to rest at home. However, I certainly made up for lost time during the tail end of the week.
My time with the Murano included days of heavier rainfall, where I kept dry in its comfort. I felt very safe, secure, and confident driving around in this SUV. It is a lot smaller than it looks on the outside? walking to it.
The exterior was rugged, yet still stylish for city commuting. This was a handsome looking vehicle. I liked the soft leather and dimpled fabric. It had smaller and less visible audio speakers than most cars, but that did not diminish the quality of sound.
I liked the two-tone tan on cream interior. It added a quiet luxury too it, reminding me of tropical cruise wear, but as upholstery. I recommend adjusting the ambiance lighting to blue, to make both hues pop even more.
I was surprised that the Murano had one of the deepest centre bins on the market. Reaching in, the distance went up to my elbow. If someone needs a car this size, chances are they have plenty to haul, and with the proper binning all that is made easier.
The touch screen infotainment system is smaller than most, but that just means the image is sharper. Under it is a stylish, dark woodgrain, touch operated control panel, mainly for climate control. For the heating and cooling seats you had to go through the actual digital touch screen, click on the single button to be able to edit either. This I found a little cumbersome.
I also thought that there was a slightly excessive amount of information splashed across the dash. It does become a little messy on the Home Screen with the drive computer listing out the average fuel consumption, kilometres taken per hour, the time taken during each driving stint, and the distance. It was a nice to have, but not necessary, much like a view of the lane and all the vehicle’s Blindspot.
The above was the automatic setting, so you can scroll through to discover tire pressure, directional orientation, Apple CarPlay screen, settings, power, or just have a plain lane view.
The infotainment screen was quite compact in relation to size of the cabin, and overall space on the dash. Nonetheless this was one of the easiest cars to sync my phone up to, almost intuitive. It was similarly intuitive when it came to weather and driving conditions. With all the rain we were getting, I never once had to adjust the windshield wipers. They came on as needed and stopped without having to be asked to. And the headlights were just as in sync, switching on during the day when I was under tree cover that diminished my view.
As for the way it drives, it handles chunky, which simultaneously translates to stability, given its larger and wider stance. I felt continuously in command. There is minimal tail whipping, but I did feel some jostling within the seat. A seat that was at least sturdy with targeted lower back lumbar, and extra support from the generous armrest.
There was great power going uphill, and the Nissan did not falter or rollback. It had the power to overtake cars, but does take a bit more gusto to start up. Due to this there were some closer calls, as I didn’t give myself enough room.
I liked all the cameras: overhead, side, and reverse. Each showed a clean image with great detail and focus. I did not like the push button gear shift, all spread out in a row. It felt clumsy, and I found my fingers searching for it.
