2025 Nissan Murano.

The Nissan Murano is all-new for the 2025 model year, and here it is.

As we had already seen in the many prototype shots published earlier, it does look a lot like the Nissan Ariya. And actually not really more modern than the Ariya we’ve seen since 2022. Inside and out.

The first generation Murano came out in 2002 and it was a completely bold and original design, inside and out, that stood out in a sea of mostly blah SUV shapes. The second generation came out 6 years later and basically looked like a toned-down version of the original design. Something Honda has also done a lot with the Civic. Nissan started something new again with the current generation in 2014.

After 10 years a new generation is finally out. However, the new version is saying goodbye to the super smooth V6. Which will be missed by many. At the same time, the CVT is also leaving and being replaced by a 9-speed automatic. Something many were asking.

But somehow, it doesn’t look that new. The interior is something we’ve seen before. A blend of many other models from Nissan and others. The exterior is really too close to the Ariya, and quite a bit buzier and not as modern looking.

The death of the smooth V6 brings a 3 MPG increase. Was it worth it? Would most people notice in real-life driving? Probably not… as a cruel joke, HWY gas mileage is even worse. Going from 28MPG to 24. 24MPG on the freeway is just really bad in 2024.

After all these years, it seems Nissan could have done better. We’ll see how popular it gets. It will have to compete with a brand new 2026 Honda Passport, With its more rugged looks, it seems the Passport would fit better current taste in SUVs. Murano’s recipe of luxury for less might actually be a bit out of date these days.

It will probably start at over $40,000, which is about the same as the Ariya. And as far as leasing goes, the Ariya will still be much cheaper.

Good luck, I guess…