Specifications
Would suit:
City-based ex-Land Rover Freelander owners.
Price on the road:
£29 995 (about R345 000).
Maximum speed:
198km/h (0-100km/h 8.9sec).
Combined fuel consumption:
12.3 litres/100km/h.
Bother. Just when I begin to strengthen my resolve against urban off-roaders and all they have come - rightly or wrongly - to symbolise (fraudulent utility, the lofty arrogance of their owners, a blithe disregard for endangered lichen and other pollutant-sensitive fungi), along comes Nissan's Murano.
We have grown used (ever since the Land Rover Freelander hit the streets) to SUVs that look like an air-cushioned sports shoe crossed with a medieval jouster's helmet but, with its metallic portcullis grille and squishy, Tonka-tyred stance, the Murano is perhaps the ultimate expression of this Nike-knight aesthetic.
It's a seductive piece of street jewellery, quite possibly the most attractive 4x4 on the market (and this despite looking like a jacked-up Micra from the rear).
The Murano also packs one of my favourite engines: Nissan's 3.5-litre V6, also found in the sensational 350Z. It's been mated to an exceptionally smooth "stepless" automatic gearbox, the first I've tried that didn't feel like it had a permanently slipping clutch.
The ride is Jaguar-wafty (sorry, I do try to keep technical terms to a minimum but sometimes it's the only thing that will do) and it is built to typically Nissan levels of quality (that is, better than Renault, but not quite as good as Toyota).
The interior is vast and it is cheaper and better-equipped than most rivals: automatic air-con, leather, fascia-mounted CD autochanger, satnav, rear-view parking camera and electric sunroof are all standard.*
Surprisingly, given the crowded urban 4x4 market, the Murano has no direct rival. It slips between both Land Rovers (Freelander and Discovery) and BMW's (X3 and X5) while also gently nudging the rumps of the Volvo XC90, Lexus RX300 and VW Touareg.
Then again, Nissan is the master of precision-targeted off-roaders: think such niche-seeking missiles as X-Trail, Terrano, Pathfinder and Patrol, though none has the Murano's sophisticated blend of ride, power and comfort.
Predictably, the Murano can't follow its more robust Nissan stablemates, the Pathfinder and Patrol, off-road. Most of the time its power is channelled to the front wheels but it sends traction to the rear automatically when needed and there is a switch to engage permanent all-wheel-drive.
Out in the countryside, though, even the feeble Freelander would leave the Murano churning like a demented dairy maid in its tyre tracks. Nissan claims the Murano has "the functionality of a 4x4 but the lines of a sports car" - but don't let those pseudo off-road looks fool you.
Sheer loathing
They conned me so well that I found myself struggling in what was a fairly innocuous dirt track. Have a look underneath - as I should have done - and you'll see the Murano has barely more ground clearance than a Mondeo: one rogue rock in a ploughed field and bang goes your twin-piped exhaust.
Of course the Murano could be the greatest toff-roader yet built but still be unable to turn the tide of sheer loathing directed towards such vehicles by some sections of the media.
Between you and me, I loved it. But, weak and prone to public opinion as I am, it will remain an object of regretful fantasy; one of those things - like a World of Leather barca-lounger or a hair transplant - that I secretly covet but know I would never permit myself to buy. - The Independent, London
*In Britain, that is. We'll wait to see what Nissan SA considers good for us.