The newly-restyled Nissan Murano went on sale this week. The good news: the MSRP is $1500 lower than the previous model's. The bad news: someone let Subaru's stylists into Nissan's studios. Apparently pissed they had to give up the "flying vagina" on the B9 Tribeca, they surreptitiously altered the front of Nissan's CUV to show the next evolutionary step in the development of the infamous flying-v. While they were at it, they threw in a bunch of insectoid headlights under creased plastic covers. Then they moved to the rear where they designed a derrière that looks like a WRX hatchback with a fanny lift. The only logical explanation is that Nissan discovered their mischief too late to make any corrections before the planned intro date. At least I hope this wasn't intentional!
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With the 350Z and GT-R excluded. The recent offerings from Nissan are brigging me down. Way down!
DT
OK, so the Murano looks even worse. It was awful to begin with.
Let me think of recent successful Nissan designs. Altima. Z. Pathfinder. Maybe the Titan and Frontier. Yep, that’s it.
I don’t see what’s so offensive. Certainly no worse than so many other cars today that look like refugees from a Japanese anime comic book.
What was bad about styling abominations like the Tribeca and the Aztek was that the designs were awkward conglomerations of multiple styles stuck together haphazardly – as if one designer came up with the fenders and the hood and a different designer came up with the front fascia. The Murano was always an odd looking CUV but this one is no odder than most of the other ones out there. The grille looks a little too sci-fi-ish to suit my tastes but it’s not the goofy gaping maw of the 1st generation Tribeca, either.
Nissan design is more and more depressing with each new model released. Both the Versa and Sentra look awkward, the Altima looks like a used bar of soap, the Maxima is a bloated Saturn Ion, the Rogue is just forgettable and this new Murano looks like a Rogue on steroids and wearing a mask. I think the design team is trying to make their cars look as much like an arc in profile as possible.
The 350Z is the best-looking of the bunch, better than the GT-R, but I fear for the next-gen Z with this weird design language Nissan has adopted.
As for the GT-R, it’s in its own race-bred world, a Nissan in name only. As purposeful as it looks, however, I can’t really call it pretty.
I’ve got this great new $1 Store brush and nothing to use it on; now I can buy a Muranonoid and spend every waking moment not driving it scrubbing bugs out of nooks and crannies.
Looks WAY better than the previous grille.
Honestly I like the way it looks better than the old one.
I’m no fan of the Murano but this doesn’t look THAT bad, especially from the back.
I waiting for TTAC’s take on the Honda Pilot concept from the Detroit show. Talk about a hideous, throw up in your mouth front clip! Anyone remember the 80’s movie Short Circuit? It looks like the unholy offspring of Johnny Five and a CUV.
eugh. I had seen these pics before, but thanks for the reminder about how gross this thing is. The current Murano is one of those designs I wanted to grow on me but it never did. I love the Murano interior (current) with the brick red leather/dash. It’s just garbage on the outside, this one is no better in that regard. God that’s ugly.
Who are all these car designers and why are they awful? I think it should be made public who is responsible for any car design.
The New Altima looked weird to me, but it has already grown on me. It has nice curves, whereas the previous gen was just slab-sided (as was the style at that time). The grille has some nice brightwork, not too much. The altima really shines on the inside. The quality is still lower than my 03 Mazda Protege but for Nissan it’s still a big step up.
Nissan makes me want to die though –I dunno about CVTs from other makers, but the Nissan CVT eats my soul whenever I drive my mom’s Altima.
Looks WAY better than the previous grille.
I agree.
With so much competition out there, which includes Toyota’s Venza that takes direct aim at vehicles like the Murano, I think a lot of automakers are going to have a tough time.
Better Now? I don’t think so!
The Murano was elegantly styled before, in fact I thought it was the best looking SUV on the market IMO.
Now this looks like they let the highschool rice team at it. It is just plain hideous now. I agree with Frank. WTF were they thinking?
windswords:
Another robot movie, Disney/Pixar’s Wall*E, comes out soon after the new Pilot. Bug-eyed, boxy chassis. Coincidence?
I like it.
Much more interesting than the previous design.
Agree with the Sajeev Mehta gang. This does look better than the last Murano… from all angles.
Sorry Frank, the mob has spoken: that’s a sharp looking front end.
windswords: When at the show, I was trying to figure out what robot the Pilot looked like. Never figured it out, but you’re right…Johnny Five is ALIVE!
I thought that the Murano and its Infinity cousin were terrible ugly. Nothing has changed. And yes, there are a lot of really ugly cars out there now. The Golden Age has ended.
I think alot of the car manufacturers are trying to hard to redesign or design the models. I’m not really into Nissan SUV line up but man, what happen here, the front looks mess up….
A face only a mother could love???????
Sajeev: Sorry Frank, the mob has spoken: that’s a sharp looking front end.
Uhhh, I think the opinion on this thing is about 50/50 considering the posts so far. The “mob” seems pretty divided. Maybe Nissan’s doing it on purpose, going the BMW route with their “striking” (read “polarizing”) design.
Thanks RF. Thanks to you I’m seeing vagina designss everywhere and everyone thinks I’m weird.
The latest? The new Buell 1125R: http://www.buell.com/1125R/1125R.asp?1125RLocale=en_us …mmm those are nice labial sscoops no? Needs a little vaginoplasty
Looks horrible to me. Not only is the front end overwrought, but the horizontal headlights make the round nose look really chunky. The old vertically arranged ones make the front look MUCH sleeker. The grille in the old one was bad, but this one is infinitely worse. And the squinty rear tail lights are also a bad design choice compared to the vertical ones which gave the Murano a bit less visual weight.
The last car that had a front end that tried this hard was the Aztek.
you guys don’t like Nissans designs? ha ha just think yourself lucky Renault doesn’t have more of a influence
and who doesn’t like the new altima rear?
Well so much for the charge that TTAC is a Japan Fanboy site :). More seriously though, the new Murano isn’t any uglier than most of the CUVs it competes with. Most of them just look stupid.
Anything with “utility vehicle” in it’s description should put function first and form second. Almost none of them do so. For example, horrible blind spots have resulted in deaths which didn’t need to happen.
The whole genre looks like it is built for poseurs to me.
Yep, this thing sure is ugly, yet somehow not as bad as the absolutely hideous previous generation model. It’s a tiny improvement.
wait.. so they went from a rear end that resembled the 350z to one that imitates the rogue? what a step down..
i didn’t like the front of the original so i’m pretty indifferent towards this one. it has potential, but the grill ruins it (much like the previous gen).
it’s definitely refreshes the personality of a car thats fairly commonplace after so long. just not in a good way, imo.
I really, really liked the design of the Murano when it was first introduced, and I still think it aged well and looks among the best of the CUVs (only the Mazda CX-7 beats it, IMO).
The new one is attractive only if you’re a fan of giant Japanese robots and transformers. If you like cars, it’s fugly as a giant fly.
My buddy and I were seriously considering to get each a Murano after we test drove an ’07 model, but this redesign threw us off. Sorry Nissan. You just lost 2 sales. Maybe we’ll consider a used ’07.
Style is subjective, no one opinion is right.
Except here, this thing got hit with the ugly stick, beat with the fugly stick, and broken by the f’in fugly brick.
jthorner: Anything with “utility vehicle” in it’s description should put function first and form second. Almost none of them do so. For example, horrible blind spots have resulted in deaths which didn’t need to happen.
Agreed. Not to mention those insane D-pillars are so swoopy you can’t carry a big box in them without smacking the tailgate’s glass.
Another CUV that won’t get me out of my Aztek.
The front end is plastichrome cheap. One critcism I have of the Aztek is not enough bling, but if the alternative to black plastic/body-colored plastic is hideously-obvious fake chrome, I’ll take the plainer Aztek front.
This is another vehicle whose floor is way too far off the ground and whose ceiling is way too close to the floor.
I am amazed at the tall stuff an Aztek can carry and still allow a closed liftgate.
This thing gets less mileage, has less room,and has that fugly cheap-ass front, as well.
I came to like the original Murano. This revision isn’t going to work for me, though. It lacks the clarity of the original.
One thing I do like about the new one: excellent seats.
Another CUV that won’t get me out of my Aztek. And there you have it. When an Aztek owners calls a car ugly, It's U-G-L-Y
The original Murano was a great balanced design and was going to be a tough act to follow.
With this generation Murano it seems the designers tried too hard to improve on last generations design.
However, the Murano is not in the same league of “uglyness”
as the first generation Tribecca B9 flying “V”.
Anyone remember Nissan’s “Space Van”?