The Nissan Murano has always been a sport utility crossover vehicle geared for the urban crowd. The Murano SUV is less rugged, sporty and off-road capable and instead more focused on style, comfort and luxury. The term SUV, when referring to the 2017 Nissan Murano, should not stand for sports utility vehicle, but instead, stylish urban vehicle.

According to Nissan, the 2017 Murano is set to be “the most social vehicle we’ve ever built.” Clear on who the Murano customer is, Nissan has focused on creature comfort improvements that keep all passengers relaxed and connected. An open, airy interior with an expanded centre console adds distance between the front seats so interactions between front and back row passengers flow freely. Both front and back seats have USB ports that let everyone plug in to play music or project media on the large, 203 mm (8-inch) touch-screen display up front.

The 2017 Nissan Murano is a plush, luxury crossover, regardless of what trim package you choose. Available in four trims named S, SV, SL and Platinum, even the base S model comes luxuriously appointed for the price. All trim packages look about the same, except for a change in the wheel design. Add the available all-wheel-drive and you’ve got a deluxe ride for five that is capable of handling the frequent, nasty winter weather days.

The Murano has always looked more refined than other SUVs and the 2017 model continues on this path. The floating roof with blacked out pillars and the unique, v-shaped grille that continues up into a curved hood and roofline is unique. The base model starts at $30,748 but it looks far more expensive.

The refined interior is roomy for all and most impressively, quiet. Nissan fitted the Murano front row with “Zero Gravity” seats that take cues from NASA design principles to provide well padded, contoured seats that hold and support the driver and front passenger comfortably on longer road trips. The back seat gets the same attention to comfort as the front seat, making the Murano one of the most comfortable adult-size back seat rows of any crossover.

Under the Murano’s sleek hood sits a 3.5-liter, 260-horsepower V-6 available with either front or all-wheel drive (AWD). The AWD doesn’t come with special buttons for towing or off road. Instead, an automatic system decides when to power all four wheels so that the driver can simply drive without having to worry about losing traction on a slushy or wet day.

Fuel efficiency is rated at 11.2 L/100 km city and 8.4 L/100 km highway. Surprisingly, the AWD version doesn’t sacrifice a single kilometre per litre and rates at the same fuel efficiency numbers as the front wheel drive version.

All 2017 Nissan Murano models come standard with a combination of front airbags, mounted front-seat side bags, side-curtain roof-mounted airbags with an advanced rollover sensor, knee bolster air bags and a driver supplemental knee air bag. Electronic stability control, hill-start assist, front active head restraints, upper tether anchors for three child seats and anti-lock brakes are also standard safety offerings on the 2017 Murano.

The 2017 Nissan Murano is a sleek, comfortable crossover SUV for those who simply want to go to and fro in style with no worries. The model’s user-friendly and relaxed driving stance are a pleasure for those who don’t need all the driving knobs, bells and whistles of other SUVs. Stop by to take one out for a test drive.