Can the 2025 Nissan Murano deliver a “road-going sanctuary” experience?

Nissan debuted the new 2025 Nissan Murano at its Nissan Americas Headquarters, with actress and Nissan Brand Ambassador Brie Larson leading the reveal. The crossover will go on sale in early 2025, with pricing to be announced closer to its release.

Related: The 2025 Nissan Kicks returns with bold looks, AWD, and more space

Design is key for the 2025 Nissan Murano

Nissan emphasized the new Murano’s design, highlighting its elegance compared to previous generations. Exterior features include full-width LED tail lights, 21-inch wheels, and two-tone paintwork similar to the current Nissan Kicks. The headlights are powered by what Nissan calls “Crystal Cube headlights,” complemented by LED daytime running lights hidden inside the grille.

The Murano’s interior receives an upmarket treatment

The interior received just as much attention, if not more, with Nissan describing it as a “sanctuary-like experience for everyday commutes, road trips, and beyond.” The front seats, finished in quilted leather on the Platinum trim, are now ventilated and massaging, while rear passengers get sunshades, heated rear seats, and Nissan’s Zero Gravity design for better posture. The second row benefits from more knee room thanks to a thinner front seat design and a 0.8-inch increase in couple distance. Wider-opening rear doors also make it easier to load a child seat.

A panoramic moonroof is standard, as we've come to expect from recent crossovers and SUVs.

A “Murano Glass” dashboard brings occupants a touch of Venice

Unique surfaces are a highlight in the new Murano’s cabin, particularly the dashboard’s “Murano Glass” finish. Named after the Venetian glassworks, the dash features color-shifting graphics and textures that change appearance depending on the light. As for colors, the interior has three themes supposedly inspired by California’s golden hour, along with 64-color ambient lighting.

The 2025 Nissan Murano goes all-digital

The instrument cluster and infotainment system consist of two 12.3-inch displays, with wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto standard on the Murano SV. The SL and Platinum trims take it further, offering built-in Google Maps, Google Assistant, and Play Store integration. On the audio side, the SL and Platinum trims come with a Bose 10-speaker audio system, and Active Sound Cancellation is standard on all trims for enhanced road-trip playlist enjoyment.

There are plenty of charging options, including two front and two rear USB Type-C ports, plus a wireless charger in the front center console.

A thumbs down for the touch panel climate controls and non-standard shifter

One downside is Nissan’s decision to use a capacitive-touch panel for climate controls and a push-button shifter. Few people will prefer taking their eyes off the road to adjust the AC when knobs and buttons have worked better for decades. Hopefully, this will change before the Murano’s release.

2025 Nissan Murano ditches CVT for a 241 hp turbo engine and available AWD

Under the hood, things are less exciting, but Nissan has done away with the much-criticized CVT. The 2025 Murano will be powered by a 2.0-liter VC-Turbo (Variable Compression Turbo) 4-cylinder engine, rated at 241 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque—20 lb-ft more than the outgoing model. The engine is paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission and paddle shifters for maximizing the 241 horses.

The SV trim is available with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, while the SL and Platinum come with standard AWD.

A plethora of safety features keep the Murano on the road

The Nissan Safety Shield 360 suite is standard, offering all the modern safety features, including automatic emergency braking, high beam assist, lane departure warning, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and even rear automatic braking. The 360-degree camera, called the “3D Intelligent Around View” system, returns with a new “Invisible Hood View” feature that provides an unobstructed front view.

An interesting change is the relocation of the side mirrors from the A-pillar to the outer doors, which supposedly improves forward visibility.

Nissan’s ProPILOT Assist self-driving system comes standard

Nissan’s self-driving system, ProPILOT Assist, comes standard on the SV trim. The SL and Platinum trims upgrade to ProPILOT 1.1, though its capabilities still lag behind the more advanced 2.1 version. Hopefully, a future over-the-air update will close this gap.

Final thoughts

It seems Nissan is pushing into the future with their latest offerings. The design language of thin headlights, radical curves, and full-width tail lights extends across nearly all of their models. Interiors, with quilted finishes on higher trims and minimalist aesthetics, also mirror other contemporary offerings.

The big question remains: do we really need more crossovers and SUVs? The market is oversaturated, and Nissan might struggle to stand out. However, with recent recalls from GM, Toyota, Ford, and Jeep, Nissan could find an opportunity in this crowded segment. We’ll have to wait for the 2025 Murano pricing to know for sure.

Related: Nissan ditches the V8 on 2025 Armada—what’s next? We asked their lead powertrain engineer