Nissan Murano

Published · Researched 2026-09-21

Nissan Murano — review

The Murano just did the bravest thing a Nissan can do: it killed the CVT. Whether that bravery pays off depends entirely on which Murano you're buying.

Two different vehicles wear this badge now. The 2021–2024 third generation is the known quantity — comfortable two-row crossover, old 3.5-liter V6, and the Jatco CVT that defined every conversation about it. The complaint file is specific: CVT shudder, AWD fluid leaks, camera and electrical glitches, ABS-actuator recall history, and a water-management cluster — panoramic sunroof drains failing and soaking interiors, corrosion in a liftgate connector, moisture in the headlamps. None of it is mysterious; all of it is checkable. A late third-gen car with documented CVT service is a comfortable, discounted cruiser. One without records is a science experiment.

The 2025+ fourth generation is the bet. Out goes the V6/CVT; in comes a 2.0-liter variable-compression turbo four (241 hp) with a conventional 9-speed automatic. On paper it's the right move — the CVT objection evaporates overnight, and early owner impressions are generally positive. In practice, you've traded a known risk for an unknown one: variable-compression long-term durability has thin evidence everywhere it's been tried, and this engine hasn't been in the Murano long enough for anyone to know. One 2025 complaint alleged sticking acceleration — a single report, not a pattern, but exactly the kind of thing that should make you wait for more data rather than less. The redesign's styling got warm coverage; some of it implied "new engine, problem solved." It isn't solved. It's different. That's the honest framing, and it's worth money to keep it straight.

Here's what the market is telling you: Nissan is putting $4,000–$5,000 in customer cash on new Muranos (September 2026 dealer listings), plus $1,000 loyalty in places. A 2026 starts at $39,010 on paper and leaves the lot for much less. Heavy incentives mean soft demand, and soft demand means you negotiate hard — on new ones, and on used ones, because those incentives drag used values down with them. The Platinum's $53,435 MSRP is fiction; the $44,000–48,000 transaction prices are the reality.

The car itself, either generation, does the Murano thing well: quiet, comfortable, stylish two-row transport with about 909 liters of cargo. Nobody buys it for excitement. People buy it because it's pleasant and — right now — cheap for what it is.

Who should skip it: if you need proven long-term powertrain data, neither generation gives you a clean answer — the old one has the CVT asterisk, the new one has the calendar working against it. If you're buying a 2021–2022 without CVT service records, you're volunteering for the exact failure the forums warned about. And if incentives disappear and prices firm up, the value case weakens — buy the discount, not the car at full price.

Sweet spot: 2024 with full CVT service records — the best of the known quantity, $27k–34k used — or a 2025 bought on heavy incentives if you're comfortable being an early adopter. Years to avoid: 2021–2022 without records, categorically.

The 2025 redesign's cabin is the best argument for the new car: genuinely upscale materials, a wide curved display, and a quietness that embarrasses some luxury badges. Nissan clearly spent the budget here, and it shows in the places your hands and eyes land. The VC-Turbo's 241 hp moves the Murano with easy, linear pull — no CVT drone, no rubber-band feel, just a conventional 9-speed doing conventional things. Around town it's refined; on the highway it's a calm, comfortable mile-eater. If the engine proves durable, this is a genuinely compelling package.

The third generation's cabin, by contrast, is showing its age — fine, but clearly from an earlier era. Its case is purely financial: a 2023–2024 with records at $24k–31k is a lot of comfortable crossover for Camry money. Drive both back to back if you can; the generational leap in refinement is immediately obvious, and it clarifies whether the new engine's unknowns are worth the premium over the old one's knowns.

Pricing, September 2026: new from $39,010 before $4k–5k customer cash — negotiate. Used 2021s $19k–26k; 2024s $27k–34k; 2025s $33k–44k.