2025 Nissan Murano Review: Platinum Brings The Toys, But It's An Expensive Sell

Nissan is in the process of two vital tasks, keeping the company alive, and revamping its entire lineup. Mass market SUVs like the Pathfinder and Kicks are getting glow ups and refinements, and the automaker has fully leaned into its strength of giving cars well-equipped interiors for the money. As for keeping the company alive, that's another question entirely.

The 2025 Nissan Murano is a result of Nissan's revamp efforts. The new generation follows the general styling language of the Ariya electric crossover with its stacked grille and headlight arrangement. It looks good. But will a fresh coat of paint and some interior bells and whistles rescue an entire company from a merger or acquisition into oblivion? The jury is still out.

When a 2025 Nissan Murano Platinum arrived in my parking lot, I was struck by how completely different it looked from the Muranos of the past. Apart from the huge "MURANO" badging, you probably wouldn't guess it was the same model at all.

With its blue leather seats, screens everywhere, and extremely extensive features list, the Murano is trying its best to be a luxury car. And, like the Subaru Outback Touring I spent time in recently, I'm comfortable saying that the Murano accomplished the task. This is a luxurious car, just not from a luxury brand, and that's nothing to be ashamed of.

To an interior and style focused crossover like the Murano, mechanical components aren't really part of the equation as much as they are a means to an end. It's powered by a 2.0-liter four cylinder that makes 241 horsepower through the help of a turbocharger. A 9-speed automatic transfers power to all four wheels. For what it's worth, the drivetrain is entirely adequate for the task at hand. Aside from the occasional growl or purr of the engine, I didn't really think about it very much over the week. It doesn't make itself known. 

What did make itself known, however, was the somewhat poor fuel economy. 23 miles per gallon is the rating the EPA gave it, but on short stop-and-go drives, I saw it dip under 20 miles per gallon a few times. A hybrid drivetrain would not only help with the fuel economy significantly, it would give the Murano more of a quiet and stealthy vibe than it already has.

The inside of the Murano is the real draw. It has heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats, leather over every conceivable surface, 64-color ambient lighting (because why not?), and a heads-up display. It prompted most of my passengers to say "this is really nice," and–better still–all of those features are standard on the Platinum trim. 

The interior also seems well suited towards people who are a little more sensitive to light and temperature. For example, the second row of windows have integrated sunshades that would be perfect for small children, or people trying to avoid harsh light.

Additionally, the HVAC system is wildly efficient. A friend of mine who works with the elderly as her profession noted that the heater would be perfect for the people she cares for, as they are often very specific about temperature. Features like powerful climate control are nice, subtle touches that make the Murano a genuinely pleasant car to be in. 

The Murano's lounge-like interior isn't as swanky as, say a Cadillac Escalade, or as wild as a BMW X6 (is also costs a fraction of either of those SUVs). Still, it's certainly a huge show of effort by Nissan to be taken seriously as an automaker. Still, I have some qualms. Despite the generally plush interior appointments, its still occasionally felt cramped and the seating position feels a little funky; despite my adjustments, that never really went away over my week behind the wheel. It sometimes felt like I was driving an armored personnel carrier with wacky visibility instead of a swanky luxury car.

I'm relatively tall, and it would often feel like I was having my head shoved into the headliner if I didn't sit in a very specific way. Conversely, my shorter passengers felt like they were sitting too low in the seat. The window line is really high, and that results in some ergonomical strangeness.

Layout weirdness and lackluster gas mileage aside, I have no substantive complaints against the Murano. It's a fairly nice luxury car that isn't really trying that hard to be wacky and noticeable, and instead has concentrated its efforts on being serene to drive, and it really was.

With all those luxury features and feelings comes a luxury price tag. The 2025 Nissan Murano Platinum starts at a very un-Nissan $49,600. The non-Platinum front-wheel drive and less lavishly-equipped Murano starts at $40,470. The Murano I was driving had a frankly goofy set of options. 

The painted splash guards were $255. It had a $90 USB charging cable set that I never saw, $510 carpeted floor mats, a "Cargo Package" that consisted of a cargo net and first aid kit (that was $455). The back seats had a $160 tablet holder. The back hatch had a $505 "illuminated scuff plate." Ground lighting will set you back $675. Panoramic headliner lights add $430. The obligatory kickplates with backlighting are $415. Complete the package with a $365 dash cam, $180 spare tire, and a $1,390 destination charge and you end up at the final price of $55,030.

$55 grand is getting into lower-end BMW and Mercedes territory, and its nearly the base price of the much larger Nissan Armada. Are any of those options necessary? That's really up to the customer and their individual tastes, but if it were up to me, I would uncheck a few of those boxes and maybe pick a different trim altogether.

Nissan certainly accomplished a few tasks when it re-birthed the Murano in the wake of its uncertain future. It made a bona-fide luxury car, that likely has some real appeal to people who have money to burn and don't want to look towards the German brand. I would hazard a guess, however, that Nissan isn't going to save the company with a single competent car that still costs a hefty chunk of change to a lot of buyers. I am not an economic expert by any means and Nissan should not hire me to fix all of its financial woes, to be clear.

What I do feel comfortable saying, is that the company needs to make a serious effort in making cars that people actively want to buy. The Murano is a very nice car. There's really nothing wrong with it. Problem is, while polished, it still struggles to stand out in the sea of other luxury SUVs, from about a dozen other brands in what's arguably the most fiercely competitive segment.