2011 Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet

Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet Reviews-We have to give it up to Nissan for bucking the trend and offering a convertible SUV. The concept behind the Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet isn’t new. Unfortunately, to create the Cross Cabriolet, Nissan had to re-engineer Murano to the point that it is nothing like the four-door SUV except in name and face. The transformation meant creating new front doors and eliminating the rear doors and B-pillars. The lack of rear doors is disappointing as well. The hydraulically operated top mechanism includes an automatic power latch/unlatch system with simple switches located on the center console and driver’s door handle. A small back window and large rear headrests inhibit the rear view. To solve this problem, Nissan added a smaller secondary window a little above the main window. Nissan calls it a rear glass skylight although its only apparent purpose is driver visibility.

The Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet is luxurious. The Murano Cross Cabriolet’s comes standard with a 3.5-liter V-6 producing 265 horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque. Combined with the comfortable chairs, premium materials, and ability to open its top and the Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet comes off as perfect for a leisure Sunday cruise.

Given TTAC’s reputation for lack of restraint when it comes to criticism, I was more than a little surprised to see an invite to the Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet launch in San Diego, California. Especially considering that our initial reaction to images of the world’s first soft-top CUV was

Which leads to a problem: how do you define successful designs for convertible crossovers? Nissan explains that the goal of this car isn’t simply to sell a huge number of convertibles: it’s actually intended as a halo for the Murano line.

Otherwise, new front seats have been fitted to give more visibility from the rear seat, and the interior has been worked over considerably.
The $47,200 Cross Cabriolet is available in a single trim with different color options.
Powered with the same 3.5-liter V-6 as the hardtop Murano LE and equipped with all-wheel-drive standard, the convertible is a two-door four-setter, whereas the hardtop is a four-door five-setter.

Removing the rear passenger doors gives the vehicle a cleaner, more elegant profile, while removing the middle rear seat gives travelers in the back more space and comfort.
It speaks well for the vehicle that despite the annoyance of having to fold down the front passenger seat to enter the rear bucket seats, my 8-year-old son preferred riding in the back 40. In 99% of the vehicles I test, he calls shotgun.

Nissan says the canvas roof on the Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet is the largest convertible top of any production vehicle on the market. The top section of the trunk that serves as the roof's nesting place was jutting out toward the back, prompting one scouting dad to say it looked like a "rad spoiler."

There is no separate warranty for the convertible roof; it's part of Nissan's standard three-year warranty on the Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet. A Nissan spokesman said none of the other early production Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet in the field has experienced the roof problem, adding that my vehicle was not "100% production correct." The Cross Cabriolet is fairly quiet, but not fixed-steel-roof quiet. Driving under overpasses, I was aware of road noise. Even with its convertible roof crooked and unclosed, as I drove through swarms of uniformed scouts at the Firestone Boy Scout Reservation in Brea to swap the Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet for a replacement car, the last words I heard were from a fellow mom: "Oh my gosh.