Taking the top off a Jeep Wrangler is cool, and the workout required to go topless is part of the charm. But this? We haven’t seen a convertible truck this offbeat since the Dodge Dakota droptop (we’re not making this up).
But Nissan, and its habit of creating niche vehicles for people who didn’t really ask for them, will be quick to point out that the Murano is not a truck or an SUV; it’s a crossover. Hence, the name CrossCabriolet.
They didn’t just cut off the top as a weekend project to amuse themselves; the Murano has been rebodied from the windshield to the rear bumper, sacrificing the rear doors in the process.
Wheelbase is unchanged, while length, width and height all differ by less than an inch compared to the regular Murano. Ground clearance is also similar, yet the CrossCabriolet’s step-in height is 3 inches higher; we’ll assume the higher door sills are for body rigidity purposes.
The CrossCabriolet carries one less person aboard, as the rear bench becomes a loveseat. Obviously, the Murano’s cargo area has been turned into a trunk; it now has a capacity of 12.3 cubic feet, or 348 litres, when the top is up, 7.6 (or 215 litres) when the top is down.
Only one trim level is offered, which means it comes loaded with leather upholstery, heated front seats, a power driver’s seat with position memory, a Bose 7-speaker sound system with volume adjustment whether the top is up or down, a 30-Gb hard drive, a USB port, Bluetooth phone and streaming audio connectivity, a navigation system, a power-adjustable steering column and dual-zone climate control.
Despite the soft top, there are still 6 airbags, and pop-up roll bars have been added. Speaking of the fabric top, it features not one, but two rear glass windows. The CrossCabriolet also benefits from 20-inch alloy wheels with 235/55R20 tires, an intelligent key system, xenon headlights and fog lamps.
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| The Murano has been rebodied from the windshield to the rear bumper, sacrificing the rear doors in the process. (Photo: Nissan) |
But Nissan, and its habit of creating niche vehicles for people who didn’t really ask for them, will be quick to point out that the Murano is not a truck or an SUV; it’s a crossover. Hence, the name CrossCabriolet.
They didn’t just cut off the top as a weekend project to amuse themselves; the Murano has been rebodied from the windshield to the rear bumper, sacrificing the rear doors in the process.
Wheelbase is unchanged, while length, width and height all differ by less than an inch compared to the regular Murano. Ground clearance is also similar, yet the CrossCabriolet’s step-in height is 3 inches higher; we’ll assume the higher door sills are for body rigidity purposes.
The CrossCabriolet carries one less person aboard, as the rear bench becomes a loveseat. Obviously, the Murano’s cargo area has been turned into a trunk; it now has a capacity of 12.3 cubic feet, or 348 litres, when the top is up, 7.6 (or 215 litres) when the top is down.
Only one trim level is offered, which means it comes loaded with leather upholstery, heated front seats, a power driver’s seat with position memory, a Bose 7-speaker sound system with volume adjustment whether the top is up or down, a 30-Gb hard drive, a USB port, Bluetooth phone and streaming audio connectivity, a navigation system, a power-adjustable steering column and dual-zone climate control.
Despite the soft top, there are still 6 airbags, and pop-up roll bars have been added. Speaking of the fabric top, it features not one, but two rear glass windows. The CrossCabriolet also benefits from 20-inch alloy wheels with 235/55R20 tires, an intelligent key system, xenon headlights and fog lamps.
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| The CrossCabriolet carries one less person aboard, as the rear bench becomes a loveseat. (Photo: Nissan) |