If you do a lot of highway driving, the Murano is for you. The 4 wheel independent suspension positively smoothes out the road, and the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) keeps the engine’s revs in the sweet spot. A traditional automatic transmission shifts from gear to gear in a definite manner, and sometimes it has to kick down a gear to provide the boost you need to accelerate. A CVT operates with pulleys instead of gears, and always matches engine speed to stay in the power band. CVTs are showing up in more and more cars. The combination of smooth power delivery and all-wheel drive is ideal, resulting in great handling, especially at the limits of road holding. The Murano’s CVT doesn’t deliver quick starts off the line, though – it sort of spools up to speed instead of leaping off. No jackrabbit starts with the Murano.
The Murano is also very competent around town, feeling very maneuverable and nimble, despite its size. The more I drove the Murano the more I liked it. At first I wished for more power, but then I realized that I was getting close to the EPA estimates of 20 mpg city/24 mpg highway. A more conservative driver might actually see those numbers in the real world – I just can’t keep my foot off the accelerator.
