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- 2012 Nissan Murano
- Performance
Note: This performance review was created when the 2012 Nissan Murano was new.
Performance: | 8.1 |
The Nissan Murano features a powertrain that reviewers love and ride and handling that they say the competition just can’t match. Though the CrossCabriolet doesn’t drive nearly as well as other convertibles, testers say it drives almost as well as the hardtop Murano, which is a good thing.
Almost every reviewer praises the Nissan Murano's 3.5-liter, 260-horsepower V6 engine. Most also like its standard all-wheel drive and its continuously variable transmission, which is designed to optimize engine speed to achieve better fuel economy than a traditional automatic transmission. The CrossCabriolet includes the same engine, though it’s been tuned to produce an extra five horsepower and eight more pound-feet of torque.
According to the EPA, in front-wheel drive, the hardtop Murano gets 18/24 mpg city/highway, which is not bad for a midsize SUV. The all-wheel drive hardtop Murano gets 18/23 mpg. Due to its extra weight and standard all-wheel drive, the Murano CrossCabriolet nets 17/22 mpg, which is about average for an all-wheel drive SUV.
Reviewers say that the traditional model of the 2012 Nissan Murano is one of the best-handling SUVs in the class. They say it’s composed through turns and doesn’t have as much body lean as other SUVs do.
However, reviewers say that the Murano CrossCabriolet’s handling isn’t quite as good. While it’s still fair for an SUV, some reviewers compare it with other convertibles, and in these comparisons, it looks worse. They say that the cabin vibrates over rough pavement and the CrossCabriolet’s higher center of gravity detracts from its handling.
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