The third-generation Nissan Murano has continued to set sales record sales since its introduction as a 2015 model. That trend is expected to continue throughout 2017 as refinements are made to various content packages – including the addition of Apple CarPlay™ and expanded availability of Driver Attention Alert1.

Now, in addition to the popular crossover's concept car-like styling, premium interior and advanced, purposeful technology, a mid-model year update offers a slate of new and streamlined option packages. The updates to the now designated 2017.5 Murano provide buyers with even more reasons to put Murano at the top of their crossover shopping lists.

A Lightness of Form

With its highly sculptural, highly emotional design, Murano continues to stand out in a crossover field known more for uniformity and utility-based styling than boldness and light. Working to capture the breathtaking spirit and artistry of the original breakthrough Murano, the designers began by concentrating on the vehicle's sculptural qualities.

One of the central constructs for both the exterior and interior was to "elevate your experience," which is counterintuitive to the heaviness and chunkiness of the traditional sport utility vehicle. This helped inspire the push for leading edge aerodynamic and three key elements of Nissan's signature design language – the V-Motion front end, signature boomerang lighting and floating roofline.

The designers sought to create a gravity-like power to pull viewers into the design visually, while defying gravity with a lightness of form through the use of glass and flowing lines. The prominent glass areas of the first-generation Murano were retained and expanded with the current design, including the use of its jet-inspired roof and D-pillars that appear disconnected from the roof that help visually lighten the cabin. The result is a unique floating feeling that can be recognized from far away.

Another key element is the boomerang-style headlights and taillights, which were originally introduced on the Nissan 370Z. For use with Murano, distinctive signature lights were added, accentuating the boomerang shapes, and were slimmed and pushed to extremes to look like they flow with the wind.

The signature headlights, with their LED Daytime Running Light accents, are instantly recognizable at night. While becoming a Murano signature, they were an engineering challenge, requiring extensive tuning to refine the shape and light intensity. The design of the standard LED taillights had to be balanced with the required crossover utility, with the final shape seamlessly integrated into the rear glass, conveying a high-tech quality.

Murano's sculptural bodysides also created an engineering challenge, especially in the strong curvature of the rear fender stampings. While similar in dimensions to the previous generation Murano, the design is slightly lower, wider and longer, enhancing the aerodynamics while not compromising the desired crossover height and stance. The lower rocker panels offer a balance of aerodynamics and ruggedness.

Other critical details, such as the active grille shutter, fender lip moldings, rear bumper surfacing, rear tire deflectors and integrated rear spoiler help achieve a more than 16 percent improvement in overall aerodynamics (versus the previous generation design). The designers and engineers invested three times the normal wind tunnel testing of the Murano to get to its 0.31 coefficient of drag, on par with many sports cars.