The Nissan Murano is long overdue for an update, and a TFL viewer spotted this one in the wild!
If you’ve been tracking the third-generation Nissan Murano (maybe we need to get a new hobby?), you’ll know it’s been roaming the roads for a full seven years now. That’s certainly not the longest-lived model still on the market — and certainly not the oldest Nissan in production, either — but it’s due for a major overhaul in what’s arguably the second most ferociously competitive segment for any automaker. Midsize SUVs are a critical component to a brand’s lineup, and the Murano is finally getting the update it deserves for the 2025 model year. Before that, though, our friend Harry caught the rear end of this Murano in Phoenix, Arizona.
While we can’t see much of it, we do know this is the 2025 Nissan Murano by way of the roofline, rear fascia and slim taillight design, based on spy shots we’ve seen over the past several months. What’s interesting here, though, is what Nissan appears to be benchmarking. Alongside the Murano, we see a current (soon to be former) Ford Edge. These two directly compete, as they’re midsize, two-row SUVs positioned between a smaller compact (the Rogue/Escape, respectively) and a larger, three-row midsize SUV (the Pathfinder/Explorer). The current and upcoming Nissan Murano also competes against the Chevrolet Blazer, Volkswagen Atlas and Jeep Grand Cherokee, among several others.
On the powertrain front, Nissan and Ford have taken fairly different approaches to this class. The Edge Titanium, shown here, uses a 2.0-liter, twin-scroll turbocharged four-cylinder engine putting out 245 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque. If it maintains its powertrain from the existing generation (as well as the new Pathfinder), this fourth-generation model may end up with a 3.5-liter V6 putting out 284-295 horsepower and around 259 lb-ft of torque.
As far as styling, even just seeing the rear end shows the automaker is going for a sleeker, Ariya-like approach to this model, rather than the truck-like aesthetic the Pathfinder brings to the table.
Nissan could go the hybrid route to distinguish it from the Pathfinder and give its new midsize SUV a longer lease on life before the brand goes fully electric. The brand does sell hybrid models in some overseas markets, though there’s little sign that we’ll see hybridized models in the near future, at least through any official channels or buzz from the rumormill.
While it’s unclear exactly what Nissan may be benchmarking here (performance, vibration and harshness, etc.), seeing the new Murano out in the wild does suggest we’re inching closer to the actual reveal. We should see more in the next few months, and at that point we’ll have more information about what the automaker has up its sleeve.
Right now, Nissan builds the Murano at its Smyrna, Tennessee manufacturing plant, alongside two other popular models: the Rogue and the Altima.
