Yes, Nissan still makes the Murano. One of the brand’s last holdouts gets some minor updates for 2023, along with a small price hike across all trims.
Don’t worry, it’s not a big increase. All trims receive a $350 price increase for ‘23. Including a $1,295 destination charge, the base Murano S with front-wheel drive now starts at $34,955. Pricing runs all the way up to $48,205 for a loaded Murano Platinum with all-wheel drive.
While the Murano comes with what Nissan describes as an “impressive” list of standard features, it’s not much to brag about, as these features come standard on most family crossovers today: dual-zone climate control, LED headlights and taillights, and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity. The biggest news for the 2023 Murano is the addition of new paint colors and a new Nissan logo! Super Black and Deep Ocean Blue Pearl are all-new colors for 2023. Other than that, it’s the same old Murano. When a car is this old, there isn’t much more a company can do to it without committing to designing and engineering a whole new generation.
And the Murano is old. With the Maxima gone next year, it’s the last vehicle in Nissan’s lineup that hasn’t had a significant overhaul in the past few years. This is the third generation of the Murano. It debuted for the 2015 model year. Other than offering a hybrid model briefly for the 2016 model year, it’s been unchanged since then. The Murano is still powered by the same old 3.5-liter V6 and CVT automatic that we’ve known for years. Nissan keeps it around as nearly all of its competitors become more comfortable, more affordable, more efficient, or a combination of all three.
And yet, Murano sales are okay. Nissan moved some 7,396 Muranos in the second quarter of ‘22, but year-to-date sales (just under 17,000) show a nearly 39-percent drop compared to the year prior. You have to wonder if Nissan even plans a new generation for the Murano, now that both the Rogue and Pathfinder have grown in size.