EXTERIOR

The Murano's unique styling isn't for everyone, but it helps it to stand out on the road. From the side, it looks all curvy and aggressive, and the rear is well-done with sharp, angled taillights.

As a parent, the Murano is easy to work with. If you have kids in infant-safety seats, the doors are tall enough that you won't bonk your head when getting your child situated. If your kids are in convertible seats, the smaller ones will need a hand opening the door and getting in, but not as much as with a large SUV. If your kids are yet older but still in boosters, no worries; they'll be able to open and close the doors on their own.

The tailgate was easy to use mostly because my test car came with a power liftgate, which I didn't have in my 2006 Murano. If you think this feature is frivolous, let me challenge you with a grocery store parking lot in a snowstorm. Or a hail storm. Or a 2-year-old tantrum-storm. Trust me, this feature is worth it. Once the liftgate is open, there's plenty of room for strollers (even double ones), bags, groceries and lots of other things.

My test car had a 260-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine. This engine does just fine in the power department, and with an EPA-estimated 18/23 mpg city/highway, you'll be glad it's not a whole lot bigger. Thankfully, the Murano uses regular gasoline.

    See also:

    Brightness button
    To change the display brightness, press the button. Pressing the button again will change the display to the day or the night display. If no operation is performed within 5 seconds, the disp ...

    Brake warning light
    or This light functions for both the parking brake and the foot brake systems. Parking brake indicator When the ignition switch is placed in the ON position, the light comes on when the parking ...

    Locking with inside lock knob
    Locking with inside lock knob To lock the door without the key, move the inside lock knob to the lock position 1 then close the door. To unlock, move the inside lock knob to the unlock posit ...