Murano GTC
VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sajyXow86Yw
It's clear from first sight that the new Murano GT-C is no ordinary SUV. Sure, with its fear-enducing stature and lock-on all-wheel drive transmission, it is as capable outside the urban war zone as it is in it. But while most SUVs are biffabout behemoths, the GT-C is sporty, sleek and compact.
With its swoopy sculptural curves, kerb-grinding 22-inch five-spoke alloys, dark-tinted lights and snarky black grille, it looks like it has escaped straight from a designer's sketch pad on to the road. The cheeky new rear spoiler says: 'Catch me if you can.'
You get the same SUV-but-sporty impression sitting behind the wheel. The dashboard delivers the visual boxiness to trigger subconscious vibes of utility and adventure but the sat nav screen, tinted glass, hi-tech reversing camera and Bose stereo would not look out of place in a Wallpaper* photoshoot.
But the real magic is under the bonnet. Prod the accelerator and head for the curves and you feel like you are in a roadster. Engineers at Nissan Technology Centre Europe in Cranfied, Bedfordshire, have boosted the Murano's motor with the addition of twin turbochargers. The powerplant now has 340PS, compared with the standard model's 234PS.
That means the GT-C's 0-60mph time drops to just seven seconds two seconds faster than the standard model and it will have a top speed of around 140mph. To make sure that the GT-C corners like a roadster, the technicians have stiffened the car's suspension to reduce body roll and generate sharper responses.
Jerry Hardcastle, Director of Customer Oriented Engineering at Nissan Technology Centre Europe says the GT-C is a breakthrough in the race to produce an SUV with sporty performance. There is no longer a need to compromise when you want both a sports car and a 4x4. The GT-C brings together the functionality and go-anywhere versatility of an off-roader and the dynamism and agility of a sports car. You get the best of both cars in one package.
So far, so flexible. But the GT-C offers something even more valuable. You can't touch it or quantify it but you can feel it and enjoy it. The GT-C generates priceless street credibility.
Because it is so modern, so sporty and is a currently unique model, the GT-C creates instant kerbside cachet. Anyone choosing this less obvious 4x4 will come across, like the car itself, as quietly confident.
As Sean Pillot de Chenecey, head of trends analyst Captain Crikey, puts it: "The Murano is rugged on the one hand and sophisticated on the other. It talks and walks a fine line. It marks the point where the sports car and SUV cross over at a price we will all like. This is the kind of 4x4 that a twenty-something will be able to park outside a club and not get laughed at."
The Nissan Murano GT-C is a crossover without compromise: a car for every region, for every reason, for every season. Stepping over the sills and driving off in it is the road-going equivalent of stepping out in a pair of box-fresh, limited edition sneakers.
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Originally Posted by Kamikaze
