One evening, I was flipping through television choices, when I saw a Disney special of the Chinese piano virtuoso Lang Lang playing Walt’s famous songbook at London’s Royal Albert Hall. He seemingly made love to his piano as he affected song after song. So, when I saw he would be performing in Carmel, Indiana, fifteen minutes from home, I snatched tickets for my family. Going in the freshly redesigned 2025 Nissan Murano Platinum seemed appropriate.
Lang Lang, always impeccably dressed, always looks like he’s having fun as his fingers dance back and forth across the keys, dwelling just long enough in the bass range to quiver your soul. Parking for the concert, we paused a moment to appreciate the Murano’s stylish futuristic attire that winks at both the original 2003 model and today’s Nissan Ariya EV.
Both look like somebody stole a concept car from an international auto show.
Take a look to see classic Murano cues like the rounded body with upturned rear window line, but also touches from the electric age like thin LED headlamps, wide expanses of black plastic facias, and driving lights hidden into the strakes. A sharp body line traces from the headlights to muscular rear fenders for a modern athletic aesthetic. Chrome detailing adds pizazz around the windows. Silvery LEDs wrap over the hatch. It all hunkers over 21-inch black alloy wheels. Every detail looks “designed” rather than merely applied – if you like that kind of glitz.
It’s possible Steinway’s atelier was involved in the Murano’s interior from the swath of translucent aluminum-look sculpture spanning the dash to the curved stitched vallance that sweeps from pillar to pillar behind twin 12.3-inch flatscreens. As in the Ariya, a simulated wood plank doubles as a touchscreen with climate controls seemingly embedded and lit from within. Push-button gear selection, wireless phone charging, and a flybridge console add convenience.
There’s also luxury in the intricately stitched heated, ventilated, and…massaging front seats. The twin-spoke squircle steering wheel and fold-flat rear seats are heated too. Everybody rides under a panoramic moonroof while enjoying Bose audio. A wide head-up display puts speed, navigation and cruise control status straight ahead. Stay safe with automatic emergency braking, lane centering steering, blind spot warning, and rear cross path detection.
The screens and ambient lighting illuminated the interior like a starship as we approached our parking spot after the concert. Rear sensors and camera keep us from ruining the evening of am ambling family behind us. I was still in the afterglow of how Lang Lang’s hands hover just over the keys during a final breath before going finishing the phrase.
Time to go.
Leaving the last round-about, I made music with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that plays 241 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque – routed to the all-wheel-drive system through a 9-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy is rated 21/27-MPG city/highway, which is good, but there’s no available hybrid to make it better. The big steamrollers at the corners can bam into potholes, but the suspension feels more Infiniti than Nissan. Just avoid fast corners.
I doubt my daughter will ever forget seeing Lang Lang. Neither will her parents. Pure genius. Like Lang Lang, the Murano conveys its elegance with a youthful flair that entices you to indulge again and again. Base Muranos start at $40,470, but reached crescendo at $51,415. Competitors include the Buick Envision, Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-70, and Hyundai Santa Fe.
Storm Forward!