Thursday, April 21, 2011

Nissan Murano, The World’s First All-Wheel-Drive Crossover Convertible

                 
                 


          Nissan Murano crossover with a diesel engine option in Europe by this September. The new 2.5-liter four-cylinder diesel engine produces about 190-horsepower and 331.9 lb-ft of torque, and it is mated a six-speed automatic transmission. The new 2011 Nissan Murano 2.5 dCi returns a combined fuel economy of 29 mpg with 210g/km CO2 emissions. Noticeable to the new sheet metal in the 2011 Nissan Murano is the redesigned of the fascia with a new grille and a reshaped bumper to provide larger air intakes to accommodate the diesel engine cooling system.





          The CrossCabriolet is 400 lbs heavier which is to be expected when making any vehicle a convertible. This also helps in giving the CrossCabriolet a lower centre of gravity which in theory should produce a little better performance figures. The Canadian company Magna was hired to build the new hydraulic roofs. The interior space is a bit tighter due to the space taken up by the roof compartment and also the fact that they have taken out the Murano’s rear doors.




          The Murano CrossCabriolet relies on the same 3.5-liter 24–valve V6 engine as found in the Maxima and Altima sedans, as well as in the standard Murano four-door hardtop. Making 265 horsepower and 248 lb-ft. of torque, it is coupled to the all-wheel-drive system taken from that vehicle. Power is sent to the drivetrain by the second-generation, continuously variable transmission, and uses yaw, wheel slip, and steering angle sensors to vary the torque as needed.




            A MacPherson strut front suspension and a Multi-link setup in the rear keep the handling sportier than we would think possible, although you wouldn’t go corner-cutting with the CrossCab like you would with a Mini Cooper thanks to the Murano’s higher ride height. Variable speed sensing power assist keeps the steering in check. Overall, the Convertible weighs about 400 lbs. more than the hardtop, thanks to structural enhancements that are necessary when tearing the roof off the sucka. Curb weight works the scale to 4,438 lbs.. EPA cites mileage numbers of 17-city/22-highway.







          Behind the wheel of the Murano CrossCabriolet found us wanting to cut out of work early, drop the top and cruise for the rest of the day. It’s just plain fun. Tracking nicely along entrance ramps on I-95, Murano sticking fairly well, as the bolstered seats managed to keep us in place. Acceleration was seamless and we thought this was the best version of Nissan’s CVT that we have tried to date. When the sun started to bake our scalps a little too much, closed-roof-relief was just a button push away. 





The Video Review Of Nissan Murano









The Interior Design Of Nissan Murano




          Other technological features for the new 2011 Nissan Murano include 20-inch alloy wheels, power tailgate, rear cameras, a 7-inch touch screen navigation system, HDD 9.3 GB music storage capacity, ipod input, Bluetooth connectivity, and 11 speaker BOSE system.


No comments:

Post a Comment