First Drive of Nissan’s 2011 Murano CrossCabriolet

Having been invited out to the seaside town of Del Mar in California for the presentation of the new Murano CrossCabriolet, we were intrigued at the chance to take Nissan's polarizing convertible out for a spin. That's right, the Murano convertible. How did things play out in California? Interesting, to say the least.

With the Murano CC, Nissan has gone outside the box to create its own niche. Looks aside, the Murano CC has done what it set out to do: garner interest, spur conversation, expand the model range, and change (not necessarily raise) the bar for mid-size crossovers. For all the ups and downs, read on.

It's a crossover...convertible

Nissan's Murano CC is a two-door convertible crossover that sits at the top of the Murano heap, creating a unique halo vehicle for the brand's crossover segment. While the CC's design is a love-it or hate-it affair, there's no doubt that we can all agree on one aspect: it doesn't come off nearly as badly as those photoshops which alluded to an aftermarket convertible conversion.

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Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet: Live Photos from LA Show Plus Video

We're not sure if you've had enough of the new Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet yet, but either way, if you follow the break, you'll find live photos of the Japanese firm's two-door / SUV / convertible mishmash from the Los Angeles motor show floor, along with the first official video of the model with some B-roll footage. If this strange combo has hit a cord with you, click here to read our detailed analysis of the new Murano which is scheduled to reach U.S. dealership early next year.

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LA Show 2010: Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet Tries to Start a New Crossover Niche

In an attempt to one-up Mercedes' 4-door coupe segment, Nissan has created the mass-market 2-door convertible crossover segment. Unwrapped at the LA Show today, the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet, which should appear on lots in early 2011, is a study in being everything to just about everyone.

Nissan says the Murano CossCab resolves the issues surrounding the convertible condition, meaning "everyone loves the convertible experience, no one loves the convertible reality – compromised trunk space, a cramped back seat or none at all, and a lack of flexibility for everyday life."

We shall see, but overall the concept it just about as neat as neat can be: 2 doors (thankfully), a convertible top, AWD, and funkadelic love-me/hate-me styling. It even blends into the Nissan family lineup nicely.

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New Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet: First Official Photo

This just in; We have the first official photograph of Nissan's all-new Murano CrossCabriolet, which has not only lost the standard model's top, but also the rear doors. The four-seater model will have its world premiere at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show later this week and go on sale in the U.S. early next year. For the time being, we don't have much in the way of information on technical specs or prices, but we'll definitely keep you updated if anything new pops up. Follow the jump for a higher resolution picture and the official statement from Nissan.

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Nissan Releases Pricing on Refreshed 2011 Murano

We already took an in-depth look at the mildly facelifted 2011 Murano back in August, but now Nissan has released U.S. pricing for the crossover model which went on sale today nationwide. The manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRP) for the 2011 Murano start at $28,500 for the entry-level front-wheel drive model and top out at $39,140 for a fully equipped all-wheel drive version. All prices don't include destination and other fees

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Official: Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet and Ellure Concept Sedan heading to LA Auto Show

It's officially official; Nissan today confirmed it will be rolling out the long-rumored convertible version of the Murano crossover named CrossCabriolet at the Los Angeles Auto Show in late November. And that's not the only news coming from Nissan's LA motorshow front as the Japanese automaker added it will also lift the covers off a new concept sedan model called the Ellure as well as the production version of the all-new 2011 Quest minivan, pictures of which have already been released.

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2011MY Nissan Murano Crossover gets Modest Facelift

In our previous post, we told you about the dealer presentation of the forthcoming two-door convertible version of the Murano. But that's not the only news we have about Nissan's crossover model as the Japanese carmaker just released details and photos of the refreshed 2011MY Murano for the North American markets.

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Report: Nissan Shows Murano Convertible to Dealers in Las Vegas

The latest news from the unending Murano Convertible saga is that Nissan reportedly showed the car to dealers at a meeting in Las Vegas this month with the company's officials confirming that the oddball crossover will be offered as a two-door model with a retractable soft top.

According to Autonews, an unnamed Nissan retailer that attended the event commented that the vehicle's design is "kind of unusual" and that "it actually looks better with the top down than up."

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Nissan Murano Convertible to Drop in at the LA Auto Show?

For the past couple of years, the folks over at Edmunds' InsideLine have been raving about a convertible version of the Nissan Murano. In August 2008, they reported that a four-door version of the crossover with a soft top would go on sale in the Spring of 2010. In May 2009, the story changed to a two-door convertible version that would arrive at dealers before the summer of 2010.

In the third act, the two-door storyline holds, with the site reporting that the canvas-top Murano will have its world premiere at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show in November and go on sale next Spring.

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2011 Nissan Murano gets Revised Front Styling Due to New Diesel Engine, European Sales Start in September

Back in March, Nissan announced plans to introduce a diesel engine option for the very first time on its European market Murano crossover in September. The need for additional cooling airflow to the diesel engine and radiators meant that the Nissan had to redesign the front end of the Murano which enters the 2011 model year with a reworked fascia sporting a new grille and a reshaped bumper with larger air intakes and different fog lamps.

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Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing Crashes with Lada in Russia [with Videos]

In what could very well be the first documented crash of Mercedes-Benz's $200,000 Gullwing supercar, an SLS AMG had an unfortunate close encounter of the wrong kind with a humble yet destructive, Lada 112 'fastback', somewhere in Moscow.

From the videos of the incident we found on the net, it is revealed that a black Nissan Murano crossover was also somehow involved in the crash.

Interestingly, the license plate number of the car tells us that the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing was a press / demo car used in many photo shoots and videos in Russia (see the last clip after the jump).

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Nissan Murano gets New Diesel Engine with 190HP in Europe

The Nissan Murano crossover's appeal to European buyers will be hugely enhanced in September with the addition of a diesel engine to the line-up. The introduction of the diesel version comes just as Nissan's luxury arm Infiniti, announced the European launch of a new V6 turbo diesel co-developed with Renault for the M sedan and FX / EX SUVs.

Oddly enough though, Nissan opted for an enhanced version of its 2.5-liter dCi four-cylinder diesel for the Murano instead of the group's new 3.0-liter V6 that made its way under the hood of the facelifted 2010 Pathfinder and Navara.

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Nissan to Build Murano SUV in Russia from 2011

Nissan has announced plans to build the Murano SUV at its St Petersburg factory in Russia. The start of production is planned for the beginning of 2011 and these models are for the Russian market only and not for export. Since the start of sales in Russia in November 2005, about 9,000 Muranos have been sold in the country.

The Japanese automaker also said that due to the slight recovery of the automotive market and growth in customer demand, it will increase the St Petersburg plant's staff from 850 to 1,450 employees adding a second shift this June

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