First Drive Review
Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn is credited with one of the most quotable statements to come from an auto executive in recent years: “There is no car company problem that can’t be solved by great product.” Ghosn is also cited as the driving force behind the Murano CrossCabriolet, an oddly shaped, oddly conceived convertible SUV.
So what problem does Nissan face that the Murano CrossCabriolet solves? None that we can think of. “This is a blue-ocean idea,” says Larry Dominique, Nissan’s vice-president of product planning, referring to the fact that the CrossCabrio exists in an empty, uncontested space. Indeed, after driving it, some might say it’s an idea best left in the blue ocean.
But not everyone will say that. The Murano CrossCabriolet is merely a vehicle that needs the proper context. Let us explain.
Drivers Will Hate This Car
The tight, tricky mountain roads north of Malibu, California, are clearly not the CrossCabriolet’s proper context, which might be why Nissan left them off the prescribed route of our Santa Monica–based first drive opportunity. Seeking a more comprehensive understanding of the vehicle’s dynamics, though, we amended our route with a detour into the mountains.
With heavy reinforcements around the windshield, along the side sills, laterally through the floorpan, and in the rear bulkhead—as well as in the top mechanisms and motors themselves—the Murano CrossCabriolet is no dainty petunia. It piles about 230 extra pounds onto the scales compared with the regular Murano. We’re no advocates of weight gain, but maybe another 100 or so pounds of bracing would have been a good idea. Both CrossCabrios we drove (preproduction models, we should note) exhibited visible cowl and mirror shake, an indicator that those structural reinforcements do not go far enough.
Furthermore, with so much of that added mass located high in the body, and with the cabrio’s suspension softened to shield flimsier areas of the structure from impacts, a certain amount of tippiness is inevitable. The combination of added mass and increased roll angles overtaxes the 235/55R-20 Toyos, which are unable to muster any tenacity in corners. With its frightful lack of grip, pronounced body lean, and uncommunicative steering—the latter a problem shared with the five-door version—the CrossCabriolet’s twisty-road fun factor ranks somewhere between a moving van and an Amphicar.
Skippers Will Love It (and So Will Their Crews)
The CrossCabriolet’s proper context, then, is down on Pacific Coast Highway. Utterly flat, with 50-mph average speeds, relaxed curves, beautiful views, and balmy coastal breezes, the stretch of PCH that connects Malibu to Santa Monica is perfectly unchallenging. There, the CrossCabriolet floats along as smoothly as Aladdin’s magic rug, with the 3.5-liter V-6 offering plenty of grunt to hustle away from stoplights or dart out of the parking lots belonging to Malibu’s high-end seaside eateries. Enthusiasts will certainly wish for a different transmission, but the CVT provides smooth propulsion in nearly all circumstances.
And there’s not a bad seat in the house: all four seats offer plenty of leg, hip, and shoulder space. Your five-foot-10 author was perfectly happy sitting behind a six-foot-one driver for a spell, and the high hip point provides all passengers an even better view of the sights. There is no optional wind deflector, but putting the windows up mitigates buffeting quite nicely and allows easy conversation.
Compares with…Here’s That Problem Again
With the top up, headroom in back is on par with that of other four-seat convertibles (although nowhere near that of the only other convertible ute on sale here, the purely utilitarian Jeep Wrangler). Also, the glass panel embedded in the fabric top above the rear passengers does much to reduce cabin claustrophobia. If only Nissan could have carved out a little more space in the trunk, which holds a mere 12 cubic feet with the top raised and a paltry eight when the top is down. That’s about right for a convertible but shy of the regular Murano’s minimum capacity by 20 cubes with the top up.
From a features standpoint, the Murano CrossCabriolet is loaded. It is available only in the Murano’s top-dog LE trim level, which comes with voice-activated navigation, leather upholstery, heated seats, seven Bose speakers, a rearview camera, and HID headlamps. But at $47,200 (about $5000 more than the hardtop Murano LE), it doesn’t come cheap. Add $500 if you want to upgrade from the basic black interior to Camel or Cashmere, both of which feature fancier hides.
So who’s going to drive this vehicle? Wealthy women. Nissan says that just over half of Murano buyers are female, and the convertible is expected to find an even higher ratio of female drivers, as many as six of 10. That could explain three of the six exterior colors—Glacier Pearl, Sunset Bronze, and Caribbean (a sort of washed-out teal). Gentlemen, you are hereby limited to Super Black, Platinum Graphite, and Merlot.
Needless Innovation?
Innovation is a necessary pursuit for any company seeking to keep a competitive edge, and that is likely what prompted the eminently quotable Mr. Ghosn to issue the directive that spurred development of this car. If innovation were the end goal, well, there are no other car-based all-wheel-drive convertible crossovers on the market. And there are no cars with seven wheels and an additional engine mounted to the roof. But is the CrossCabriolet a “great product,” to use Ghosn’s words? As likable as it may be in some settings, it’s too compromised to be called great.
