Nissan Murano

The Nissan Murano is an inspired exercise in SUV styling that gleefully overlooks the fact that very few people want nearly two tonnes of soft-roader with a thirsty 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine.

• Comfort

  Again with that disregard for credible off-road ability, the Murano rides very well, and it has the added advantage of extra refinement from that smooth, quieter petrol engine.

  

• Performance

  Nissan chose to de-tune the 3.5-litre V6 that does such emotive work in its 350Z to deal with the extra weight of the Murano. It's still reasonably quick, however, and does it all very smoothly through a slick standard auto ‘box.

  

• Cool

  There is something quite cool about the Murano, both because it remains comparatively rare and because it's been stunningly well styled. But it's also a soft-roader, and that's never going to entirely acceptable.

  

• Quality

  Unlike the more workmanlike SUVs in Nissan's range, the Murano is built for comfort. It feels fairly luxurious and classy as a result, but above and beyond that it seems seriously solid.

  

• Handling

  With a conscious focus on tarmac rather than mud, the Murano is composed and positive on road, with an all-wheel drive system that favours the front wheels only until there's any slippage.

  

• Practicality

  Nissan has this covered. The Murano is massive inside, front and rear, and still has a huge boot. The rear seats fold really easily too, and there's a wealth of bizarre and clever storage solutions throughout the cabin.

  

• Running costs

  Perhaps the Achilles' Heel of the Murano, that 3.5-litre V6 is hopelessly thirsty. Just 12.3L/100km on a combined cycle means it's going to need lots of feeding, and at $50K for the base model it's also not cheap in this sector.