Nissan described the second-generation Murano, which went on sale in early October 2008, as "all-new", but in fact it's very similar in a lot of ways to the previous model. Where it does differ, the changes are generally for the better, though I can't decide if I think the restyled front (surely inspired by the tastes of the US market) is a step forward.Mechanically, there's no doubt that the evolution has been positive. The 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine (still no diesel, and not likely to be one either) has been uprated to produce 252bhp, and while there's not much about the Murano that makes you want to drive it hard there has definitely been an increase in top speed to 130mph and a reduction in 0-62mph acceleration to 8.1 seconds.But the work on the engine, and on the CVT transmission which we'll look at in more detail shortly, has also caused an improvement in fuel economy and CO2 emissions.Neither of these is what you might call spectacular - you won't find a Hollywood star trading in his or her Toyota Prius in an effort to seem more environmentally sensitive - but at 25.9mpg and 261g/km respectively they are undoubtedly better than before.One thing I really liked about the old Murano was the fact that it was so comfortable, and certainly nothing has been lost there. The new car still doesn't deal with small bumps very well (as if the tyres are much lower-profile than is actually the case) but other than that the ride is excellent, while the seats are superb, and there's enough room around them to allow four occupants to travel very pleasantly over long distances.Four rather than five. You can squeeze three people in the back, but the one in the middle doesn't get much space, and has to do make do with a roof-mounted seatbelt. The ones on either side get belts with height adjustment, like those in the front, and I must say this is an unusual and welcome idea on the part of Nissan's interior designers.As before, the rear seats move forward and fold in one movement, which is good, though they don't fold completely flat. There also isn't as much luggage volume as the size of the car might lead you to expect - the floor is quite high (to make room for the rear axle in this four-wheel drive vehicle), so capacity is limited to 402 litres with the seats in place and 838 litres with both of them folded.Plus points are that the sill is no higher than the floor is, the tailgate can be - but doesn't have to be - operated automatically, and there's a very small but no doubt useful underfloor compartment for storing things you don't want other people to see.Speaking of seeing things, one thing that has not been improved in Muranoland is the visibility, thanks to the enormous windscreen pillars and the barmy rear side windows.You do get a rear camera, which helps a lot, and there's also a kerb camera mounted in the passenger door mirror, but I don't think either of them is a replacement for a sensible amount of glass.Driving the Murano is a pleasure. It doesn't take kindly to being hustled, but it will belt along pretty swiftly as long as you keep things smooth. The steering is excellent, and the noise levels are incredibly low if you're not on full throttle.The quietness takes away the single problem often associated with CVT transmissions. In a car fitted with one of these, the engine revs depend on how hard you're pushing the accelerator pedal, not on how quickly you're travelling, and if you're not used to this it can be disconcerting to find that the car doesn't sound as if it's gaining speed even though it really is. This hardly applies to the Murano, since the sound effects are such a small part of the driving process.The CVT has six ratio holds and you can shift manually between these, but after a couple of experiments I decided I didn't need to. The ratio holds are of most use when you want engine braking while going downhill, and in those conditions the CVT actually uses them even if it's still in automatic mode.There is, to be quite honest, no real justification for the Murano. It can't carry much, you wouldn't take it very far off-road despite its SUV appearance (though it does have a reasonable amount of potential for this), and the lack of a diesel engine option is bound to put off quite a few potential buyers.But it's distinctive, it's very comfortable and it's much better to drive than it might otherwise have been. If I met an owner, I couldn't say that their choice of car had been particularly sensible, but I could see why they made it. Engine 3498 cc, 6 cylinders Power 256 bhp @6000 rpm Torque 246 ib/ft @4400 rpm Transmission 6 speed semi-auto Fuel/CO2 25.9 mpg / 261 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 8.1sec Top speed 130 mph Price From £37590.00 approx Release date 15/05/2010
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