2025 Nissan Murano Review and Test Drive

The redesigned 2025 Murano is a luxury SUV at a mainstream price.

Christian Wardlaw | 

Jun 9, 2025 | 8 min read

Christian Wardlaw

A Nissan in name only, the redesigned 2025 Murano belongs in the automaker's Infiniti luxury brand model lineup. With more attention to the details, I think it would look, feel, and drive like a luxury SUV, giving Infiniti a much-needed rival to the Lexus RX.

Instead, the Murano fights its siblings for attention. The compact Rogue offers nearly as much interior room, and the Pathfinder overlaps with the Murano across its price range. Even the all-electric Ariya is priced about the same, while competitors such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota Crown Signia offer hybrid powertrains in the same price range.

In addition to significant style and sophistication upgrades, the 2025 Nissan Murano features a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, improved infotainment and driver-assistance technology, and thoughtful details more commonly associated with luxury brands. During a week spent living with it, I was impressed enough by the new Murano that I now consider it the best one since the first-generation version.

Still, it should be an Infiniti, not a Nissan.

Christian Wardlaw

About Our 2025 Nissan Murano Review Vehicle

The 2025 Nissan Murano is available in SV, SL, and Platinum trim levels. Base prices range from the low $40,000s to the low $50,000s, including the destination charge for shipping the SUV to a dealership from the Smyrna, Tennessee, factory where Nissan builds it.

For this Murano review, Nissan provided me with a Platinum for testing in Southern California. Optional equipment included premium paint, a package featuring floor and cargo mats, and illumination upgrades, increasing the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $53,950, including the $1,390 destination charge.

Christian Wardlaw

The New 2025 Murano Sticks to the Script

In my opinion, the Nissan Murano has never been conventionally attractive. Instead, I'd call it appealingly distinctive. That's still true of the redesigned 2025 Murano, which boasts the most conservative design in the model's history. Still, there is just enough quirkiness in front to ensure it grabs attention.

Inside, my Murano Platinum test vehicle felt downright decadent. The Ivory Caramel color scheme gave it a luxurious look, and the tasteful design and clean control layout looked sophisticated. Dual 12.3-inch displays, a two-spoke heated steering wheel, ambient lighting, a classy woodgrain climate-system touch panel, and a dramatic center console contributed to the Murano's modern and upscale interior.

Overhead, a panoramic glass moonroof bathed the cabin in natural light. Wrapped in perforated, diamond-patterned, premium leather upholstery, the heated, ventilated, and massaging Zero Gravity front seats proved exceptionally comfortable.

Christian Wardlaw

Nissan employs the same Zero Gravity approach for the rear seats. However, the cushion feels too low and flat to provide adequate leg support for taller adults. Legroom is generous, and rear passengers enjoy air-conditioning vents, heated outboard cushions, and window sunshades.

I found there's plenty of storage space in the new Murano, but the most useful location might be the bin next to the cupholders. It's great for keys, gum, and other small items that might otherwise clutter a cupholder.

My test vehicle's hands-free power liftgate rose to reveal 32.9 cubic-feet of cargo space. Levers in the cargo area conveniently drop the rear seatbacks, which fold nearly flat. Maximum cargo space measures 63.5 cu-ft.

Christian Wardlaw

Mostly Impressive Tech, but the Murano Deserves a Better Stereo

Nissan equips the new Murano with dual 12.3-inch display screens plus standard wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and smartphone charging. Upgrade to the Murano SL or Platinum, and the touchscreen infotainment system includes Alexa Built-in, Google built-in, complimentary three-year subscriptions to NissanConnect services, a Wi-Fi hot spot, and expanded SiriusXM 360L satellite-radio service.

Thanks to Google Assistant, the infotainment system passed my voice recognition testing without trouble. Notably, when listening to satellite radio, the technology suggests stations that play related music, making it easier to discover them. You can also choose to play an artist's station from the SXM interface, though it has to go through Pandora internet radio.

Nissan integrates the stereo-volume knob and radio-tuning switch between the center dashboard air vents. I think this design is excellent, as it provides the analog controls many people appreciate without detracting from the Murano's clean, uncluttered cabin. Unfortunately, I found the 10-speaker Bose audio system disappointing. With all settings centered, it produced too much bass and too little vocal clarity, with evident hiss and distortion.

Christian Wardlaw

Nissan Safety Shield 360 is standard on every 2025 Murano, equipping the SUV with the typical ADAS features you might expect. Notably, the forward-collision-warning system can detect two distinct vehicles ahead to provide earlier alerts, and the blind-spot-monitoring system can actively discourage unsafe lane changes by applying steering resistance.

Nissan also includes rear automatic braking, but this technology refused to let me back out of my angled driveway, thinking I would collide with the street no matter how slowly I went. Worse, it defaults to active each time you start the Murano. So, every time I left the house, I had to cycle through data panels to the correct menu and scroll down to turn the feature off. That was a huge hassle.

ProPilot Assist is also standard, combining adaptive cruise control with lane-centering assistance. With SL and Platinum trim, it includes automatic speed reduction in curves based on the traffic sign recognition system and navigation system data.

Generally, ProPilot Assist worked accurately on straight highways, and I found it more confidence inspiring than I have in other Nissan models. Additionally, drivers can lightly hold the steering wheel and let ProPilot Assist do its thing without being nagged by the system. The tech also worked well when driving toward late-afternoon sun, and reacted smoothly when other motorists cut into the gap ahead of the SUV.

However, I found this version of ProPilot Assist struggles with bends, kinks, and curves. When it disengages, it's easily manageable. But when it drifts too much off-center, and the driver attempts a slight correction, it can resist the input before abruptly handing off steering duties to the driver, who's still actively trying to overcome that resistance. That hand-off feels like a recipe for erratic driving.

Christian Wardlaw

The 2025 Nissan Murano Is Secure but Not Satisfying to Drive

Nissan has replaced the previous Murano's 3.5-liter V6 and continuously variable transmission with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a nine-speed automatic with paddle shifters. The new powerplant is Nissan's VC-Turbo engine, equipped with variable compression ratio technology that allows for maximum performance or fuel economy, depending on the driving situation.

The engine generates 241 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, delivered to the front wheels unless you've chosen a Murano equipped with all-wheel drive. In my Murano Platinum test vehicle, the VC-Turbo had 4,438 pounds to motivate, and the struggle was real. Under hard acceleration from a stop, performance was merely adequate.

Three driving modes are available: Eco, Standard, and Sport. Drive the Murano in Eco or Standard mode, and turbo lag is a problem. Stomp on the accelerator pedal, and you can wait a couple of seconds for the transmission to kick down and the engine to respond. Sport mode helps reduce reaction time and sharpens shifts, but also causes the average fuel-economy number to start dropping.

In typical driving, the Murano exhibits a lazy, relaxed driving character. Again, Sport mode resolves that issue, but introduces unwanted power surges and aggressive transmission downshifts that make it difficult to brake smoothly to a stop. Regardless of which driving mode you choose, you can detect occasional torque steer, but it's relatively subtle.

Official fuel-economy estimates indicate that the 2025 Murano will return 23 mpg in combined city and highway driving. The test vehicle averaged 20.5 mpg on my mountainous Southern California testing loop, which reflects the use of Sport mode for some portions of the drive.

Christian Wardlaw

Murano Platinum models have standard 21-inch wheels wrapped in all-season tires. So equipped, the ride is firm over cracks, heaves, and holes in road surfaces. At higher speeds, the Murano exhibits soft compliance when the road dips, crests, and undulates. The suspension quickly quells vertical body motions but allows lateral movement. This behavior aligns with the SUV's mission, but stands in sharp contrast to its sporty feel at lower speeds.

On the mountain roads near Malibu, the Murano proved predictable, if not particularly rewarding, to drive. The steering wheel is nicely sized and shaped, and provides some feedback from the road surface. However, the steering isn't quick or precise, and the Murano feels nose-heavy but doesn't require mid-corner corrections.

While traveling on the Pacific Coast Highway and the 101 freeway, the Murano's cabin remained remarkably quiet, further underscoring its suitability for a role as an Infiniti.

Christian Wardlaw

Is the 2025 Nissan Murano a Good SUV?

Undoubtedly, the 2025 Murano represents a significant improvement over its predecessor. If you're looking for a more affordable two-row midsize SUV than the Lexus RX or Lincoln Nautilus, consider this Nissan. However, I feel the Murano may struggle to find customers in a segment populated with compelling alternatives, including the more athletic Mazda CX-70 and hybrid-powered Toyota Crown Signia.

Christian Wardlaw

Chris says his first word was "car." For as long as he can remember, he's been obsessed with them. The design. The engineering. The performance. And the purpose. He is a car enthusiast who loves to drive, but is most passionate about the cars, trucks, and SUVs that people actually buy. He began his career as the editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com in the 1990s, and for more than 30 years has created automotive content for CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, the New York Daily News, and others. Chris owns Speedy Daddy Media, has been contributing to Capital One Auto Navigator since 2019, and lives in California with his wife, kids, dog, and 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata.