Nissan has been making big waves with their stateside SUV portfolio, and the latest utility to hang-ten is the all-new 2025 Murano, which beckoned us to Franklin, Tennessee, for some First Drive impressions.

The Murano’s thorough redesign breaks away from the current trend of “rugged everything,” instead leaning into a sleeker, more contemporary vibe, particularly evident in the front with defining LED elements and an Ariya-like face.

Also reminiscent of their all-electric SUV are the touch-capacitive controls that we still aren’t too crazy about. But we can’t rave enough about Nissan’s Zero Gravity seats, now found in the front and second rows. The standard pair of 12.3-inch screens is also welcomed.

As is the new 241-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo-four, replacing the outgoing V6. Better yet, gone is the CVT automatic, replaced by a nine-speed box.

ALEXANDER KELLUM: “CVTs tend to be noisier, buzzier, whinier, and just less engaging, and this nine-speed looks to remedy that. It’s the same one we’ve seen previously in, like, the Pathfinder. It’s pretty smooth, it’s pretty quiet, it gets the power out there just fine; and with the paddle shifters, getting on the highway or getting around people on the highway is pretty easy.”

A simplified trim structure means the entry-level SV starts around $40,000, with all-wheel drive adding a grand. The SL and Platinum are all-wheel drive only, starting around $47,000 and $50,000 each.

With a radical, stand out styling shift, and a powertrain play we can get behind, we’re looking forward to a full Road Test in the 2025 Nissan Murano. And we’ll have more Quick Spins…soon!