2025 Nissan Murano is a truly affordable all-new luxury SUV

Published 10:34 am Friday, April 11, 2025

It seems like people always forget the Nissan Murano when talking about luxury SUV options, yet the Murano offers a compelling experience that just might save you some money. With an all-new design for 2025, it’s time to take another look at the unexpected luxury and tech in this often-overlooked crossover.

The Nissan Murano is part of a small class of upscale mid-size two-row crossovers, designed to deliver a premium experience at a down-to-earth price. Along with cohorts like the Toyota Venza and Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Nissan Murano is designed for comfort, rather than carrying a soccer team. Nissan has been making the Murano since the 2003 model year, so it’s a mature design that offers a more elegant experience than a more family-oriented SUV.

The reason you want to consider the Murano is the interior. When an automaker builds a mid-size SUV, they make a long list of compromises to put three rows of seats in the vehicle. Most of those compromises come in the second row, which becomes tighter than it needs to be. But when the designers don’t have to accommodate a rarely-if-ever-used third row seat, the second row wins big. That’s the case with the Murano, and as a result the cabin feels spacious and airy, because it is. Then, Nissan knows that with the Murano, they can go a little more upscale to appeal to the empty-nesters and Double-Income-No-Kids buyers who are shopping this sub-segment. So you get some great features like heated and ventilated massaging front seats, dual 12.3-inch dash displays, 64-color ambient lighting, head-up display, and more.

The Murano is powered by a solid 2.0-liter variable compression turbocharged engine paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission. Buyers can choose front-wheel or all-wheel drive. The Murano can tow up to 1,500 pounds.

The Murano carries Nissan’s tech-forward safety story. Along with all the usual advanced safety gear you can find on every 2025 vehicle, the Murano offers Nissan’s ProPILOT Assist driver assistance system, an available 360-degree surround-view camera system, forward-looking camera for “invisible hood” view, and the color head-up display on higher trims. Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 includes automatic emergency braking, automatic high beams, blind spot and rear cross traffic monitor, reverse automatic braking, and lane departure warning.

On the dash, you’ll find dual 12.3-inch monitors for driver information and infotainment. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone integration are included, along with a full Google setup, including maps. A mobile device charging pad in the center console is standard on all trims.

On the road, the Murano is a pleasant luxury ride. It’s not as fast as a Porsche Cayenne, but it’s got decent power. It’s not a sport SUV like a BMW X5 M, but it handles well and corners flat. Mostly you’ll just enjoy a comfortable, quiet ride in an SUV that makes no compromises to meet the needs of people who aren’t ever going to buy it. That right there makes the Murano a great choice if you don’t need to ever carry more than five people.

The base SV trim 2025 Nissan Murano with front-drive is priced at $40,470. The top trim is the Platinum AWD, which has a base price tag of $49,600. All trims have a mandatory $1,390 destination charge, and our test SUV had a bunch of options and accessories that most of us would never buy, although the integrated dash cam is a great value at $365. That means you can get the top trim for right around $52,000 instead of the $55,030 sticker price on the test car.

With only a $10,000 price walk, there’s really no reason not to get the top trim, so you might as well get the Platinum AWD, or at least the mid-range SL AWD starting at $46,650. If you’re looking for that grown-up SUV to celebrate your last kid getting out of college and into their first job, the Nissan Murano is a great choice.

2025 Nissan Murano

Base price: $40,470

Price as tested: $55,030

Type: Midsize Crossover SUV

Engine: 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (241 hp, 260 lbs-ft)

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

EPA estimated mileage: 21/27

Overall length: 192.9 inches

Curb weight: 4,438 pounds

Final assembly: Smyrna, Tennessee