Spotted Testing: 2015 Nissan Murano

Three weeks ago, at the New York International Auto Show, Nissan unveiled the 2015 Murano. The Murano has always been a crossover with more curvaceous lines than the rest of its peers and this new version is no exception. As it was so soon after the NY Auto Show, I was caught off guard today during a trip from Indianapolis, IN to Columbus, OH by these two 2015 Murano prototypes cruising on I-70 with no camouflage. The silver one looked fairly complete and wearing all of its trim, while the black one had clearly been taped up with plastic previously and was missing several exterior trim pieces. You can clearly see the “floating roof” treatment that Nissan is trying out with this model by blacking out part of the D-pillar.

The 2015 Murano will be powered by a carryover 3.5 liter VQ-V6 producing 260 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque. An updated version of Nissan's Xtronic continuously variable transmission will contribute to the reported 20% gain in fuel economy over the existing model.

The 2015 Nissan Murano goes on sale late this year.