Tell us if you’ve heard the one about the automaker that cuts the entry-level trim, raising the cost of entry to a model by a few thousand. Well, here it is again, Nissan doing away with the Murano S for the 2024 model year. That leaves the SV, SL, and Platinum, and a roughly $3,000 jump from the erstwhile S to the new lowest rung on the Murano price ladder. The only other alteration is the SL trim getting a powered panoramic roof standard. Pricing for 2024 after the $1,335 destination fee, and differences from last year, are:
- SV: $39,255 ($760)
- SL: $43,215 ($760)
- Platinum: $47,625 ($1,120)
The destination charge rising from $1,295 to $1,335 is responsible for $40 of the difference.
Every Murano is still powered by a 3.5-liter V6 making 260-horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. A continuously variable transmission belts out power from the engine to the front wheels in standard form. Adding all-wheel drive to any trim puts another $1,700 on the bottom line. Every Murano also gets Nissan Safety Shield 360, which installs automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, automatic high-beam assist, blind spot warning, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert and reverse automatic braking. There’s an intelligent forward collision warning system as well, which Nissan says is a class exclusive.
The first Murano generation spent five years on the market, the second spent six. This generation is entering its tenth model year. That didn’t stop the crossover from taking top spot in the midsize SUV category of this year’s J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey for the fourth year in a row, and the Murano again earned Top Safety Pick+ honors from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Tell us if you’ve heard the one about not fixing what ain’t broke.
The sun has to set eventually, though. Last year, Automotive News‘ future product pipeline section anticipated a remade Murano in for 2024. The updated timeline sees the midsizer revamped for 2025, Nissan’s plate supposedly full next year with the next-gen Kicks and Armada, the refreshed Frontier and Rogue, an addition to the Z lineup, and the end of the Titan pickup. The previous intel figured a new Murano would sit on a reworked version of the current platform and might swap the current powerplant for a turbocharged four-cylinder.
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