ArcaMax

Who - other than guys like me who test drive cars - does this on public roads? Who does it with a crossover SUV? Meanwhile, how's your butt (and back) feeling after that five-hour drive on the highway?

What matters most, real-world-driving-wise, is how comfortably a vehicle can get up to speed and maintain speed - and how how much speed it has in reserve, available to draw on when the need arises to pull quickly into a busy traffic lane or take advantage of a hole that opened up in traffic to pass a left-land dawdler. The Murano's got that all covered.

In particular, the as-it-sits Murano. With the engine that comes standard. The comparably priced Ford Edge (which I test drove extensively in Arizona at a press event earlier this year) with its smaller, less powerful standard engine, reacts less quickly - needs more time to gather speed. It's not a huge difference on paper - about a second - but on the street, it's a difference you'll notice immediately. Also, the slight lag in delivery - due to the moment it takes for the little (2.0 liter) turbo engine to build the RPMs needed to get the exhaust-gas-driven turbo spooled up and the power boosted.

You can of course upgrade the Edge to V6 power - but it costs extra. And the Edge's top-performing V6 (the 315 hp "EcoBoost" twin turbo 2.7 V6) is only sold in the Sport version of the Edge, which has a starting MSRP of $38,100 - nearly $10k higher than the Murano's base price with its standard V6).

The Murano's CVT automatic transmission is another point of departure in theme - and feel - vs. rivals, which all have conventional automatics. Which shift from one gear to the next. Which means at least some "shift shock" as the transmission goes from first to second and second to third (and so on). This can be softened up (and quieted up) but no one has been able to eliminate the feeling of transition that occurs as a conventional automatic transmission shifts from one gear to the next. CVT automatics do away with shifts - and so, shift shock.

You can accelerate full throttle from a standstill in the Murano with an open cup of coffee in your hand and it won't slosh all over your shirt (or the center console). Nissan has programmed in simulated gear changes, but what you get is RPM differentials - which is a different thing entirely. The CVT-equipped Murano accelerates like a jet engine, in a single continuous building up of speed. It is exactly like the take-off roll of a 757. Nissan CVTs are the best in the business - just like those zero gravity seats.

AT THE CURB

The original Murano had the advantage of being new. Not just a new model - a new idea. The "crossover" SUV - as they came to be known. Not an SUV, not a car. Something in between. Tall and hunky - but not clunky. This was radical stuff 13 years ago, when Nissan unveiled the first Murano. Pretty much the only other such ride on the market at the time was... yup, you guessed it. The Lexus RX. Which was, of course, a Lexus - and priced accordingly.

The original Murano - being sportier in looks and lower in price - created a new niche (mid-sized, mid-priced crossover SUV) that it had pretty much all to itself for several years. (It would take Ford until the '07 model year to get the Edge to market.)

But today? The idea - and the basic look - is no longer new. It's much harder to stand out on looks alone because pretty much everyone is selling crossovers - all sizes, all price ranges. So rather than try to re-invent the wheel, Nissan simply - probably, wisely - choose to refine it a little.

Specifically, by making the new Murano a bit less first-row-centered than the outgoing model - which had lots of room for the driver and front seat passenger (43.6 inches of legroom - a full inch more than in the current Edge) but a comparatively lopsided 36.3 inches inches of legroom in the second row (vs. 40.6 in the Edge). The new Murano ups this to 38.7 inches - still not as much as the Edge, but a lot closer than before. There is also more room for cargo - both behind the second row (39.6 in the new vs. 31.6 in the old) and with the second row folded flat (69.9 cubic feet for the '15 vs. 64 for the '14). The '15 Edge still has more total cargo capacity (73.4 cubic feet) but as with the back seats, it's a closer race now.

You may have noticed the revised side profile - especially, the lower roofline. The previous Murano was more squat - and tall. The new one is stretched, widened - and lowered. It helps to spread out the increased size, visually. The "floating" roof - achieved by using smoked glass for the rear sail panels - is an interesting flourish.

But where the Nissan truly has the edge is when it comes to the ease-of-use of its interior controls, especially the center stack inputs (buttons and knobs) and the standard seven-inch touchscreen LCD monitor. It's all sensibly laid out and you can jump into the thing and go without having to read the manual first. The Ford's system is more inscrutable even once you've learned how to work it, the buttons (especially on the monitor itself) are much too small and awkwardly placed; it's often difficult to accurately input what you're after with the vehicle in motion.

The Nissan's controls are much less fussy - and far less pushy. The Murano - like all Nissans - does notharass you with buzzers if you elect not to buckle up for "safety." A small red light comes on in the gauge cluster. That's all.

Ditto the rest of the Murano's "safety" systems - including the optional collision avoidance system. It does not come on as preemptively (as unnecessarily) as so many other cars' systems (including the Ford's) do. Drive both and see what I mean.

THE REST

Did Nissan make a mistake by not offering up an optional engine in the new Murano? Maybe. Then again, Lexus has never done it - and more than gotten away with it. And two of the the Edge's three engines have turbos (one of them, two of them). Which work like steroids did for Arnold. They pump you up. But when you stop taking them... or when the turbos croak...

No such worries with the Nissan. The V6 ought to outlast the vehicle. Simpler is almost always better when it comes to long-haul durability, as well as over-the-road repair/maintenance costs.

The Murano's arguably weakest point is its pitiful tow rating. It's about the same as several compact (and four cylinder-powered) crossovers. 1500 pounds is sad - for a mid-sized crossover with a powerful V6.

So, what gives? Probably the CVT automatic. Well, it might give (up) if subjected to the loads involved with pulling 3,500 pounds in addition to the Murano itself. There is a reason why CVTs are still found chiefly in lighter-duty stuff, where the object of the exercise is more efficiency (and smoother operation) but not so much in vehicles made for work or even for hard play.

But if you care less about how much it'll pull vs. how your tailbone (and back) feel after hauling the family down to Disneyland...

THE BOTTOM LINE

Both the Edge and the Murano can - should be - be cross-shopped against the Lexus RX. Loaded, either of them comes off looking (cue Mr. T voice) mighty fine, unless you're hung up on the badge and don't mind paying extra for it. The Platinum Murano, for example, comes with a superb Bose nine-speaker audio system, a heated steering wheel, fancy LED headlights, power-sliding rear seats, a 360 degree surround-view exterior camera - et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Point being, there is less and less in the way of meaningful difference between a loaded Nissan and a loaded Lexus. Or a loaded Ford. Go compare the features and options - and then the prices. This is a scurvy truth the luxury car brands would rather you remain unaware of.

========

www.ericpetersautos.com or EPeters952@aol.com for comments.