2025 Nissan Murano: Variable Compression to the Mpg Rescue

First seen in the 2019 Infiniti QX50 SUV, Nissan’s 2.0-L VC turbo engine is helping the 2025 Murano get bigger but not dirtier.

March 11, 2025

Sebastian Blanco

The fourth-generation Nissan Murano arrives with new tricks from a variable-compression engine first seen in the 2019 Infiniti QX50. (Nissan)

When it arrived in 2002, the Murano was the first crossover that Nissan North America, Inc. offered in the U.S. and Canada. The fourth-generation version went on sale last fall, and taking a short spin around Metro Detroit this winter proved that Nissan still knows how to make an appealing CUV that balances confident road feel and comfort with plenty of interesting tech under the hood and throughout the powertrain.

The 2025 Nissan Murano now has thinner LED headlights and loses the pronounced chrome V in the grille. (Sebastian Blanco)

That hood sets the curve for a vehicle that’s better proportioned than the outgoing model. Redesigned around Nissan’s concept of energetic elegance, the new Murano now has thinner LED headlights and loses the pronounced chrome V in the grille. Overall, the look is indeed a bit more, well, elegant, which sets the stage nicely for the hidden improvements that follow.

The 2025 Nissan Murano uses a reworked version of the chassis from the outgoing model, which makes the updated 2.0-L VC turbo engine the real story here. (Sebastian Blanco)

The 2025 Nissan Murano uses a reworked version of the chassis from the outgoing model, which makes the updated powerplant the real story here. This one is another sort of Nissan first: a 2.0-L VC turbo engine, here mated with a 9-speed automatic transmission. The VC denotes that this was the world’s first production variable compression engine when it debuted in the 2019 Infiniti QX50 SUV. At the time, Infiniti said developing the VC-T required more than 100 engine prototypes, more than 1.8 million miles of road testing, and more than 30,000 hours on test beds. In the QX50, the VC-T produced 268 hp (200 kW) and 280 lb-ft (380 Nm). The version in the 2025 Murano produces 241 hp (180 kW) and 260 lb-ft (353 Nm) and can tow up to 1,500 lb (680 kg). Compared to the 2024 Murano, the new model got an increase of 20 lb-ft (27 Nm).

The 2025 Murano’s dashboard features dual 12.3-inch displays with a chunky dial to control the available 10-speaker Bose premium audio system. (Sebastian Blanco)

Nissan has two main reasons for using the 2-L VC turbo engine over the 260-hp (194-kW), 3.5-L V6 that was used in the 2024 Murano, despite the engine’s increased complexity. The first is that the VC produces more torque lower in the power band, giving the typical Murano driver more usable power in situations when they’ll use it more. The second is that the engine offers a “massive improvement” in emissions in order to meet new regulations, including U.S. CAFE and global greenhouse gas standards. Idle stop-start is standard.

The Murano’s efficiency improvements won’t show up on the new window sticker, though. The 2024 and 2025 Murano models are both rated at 23 mpg, combined, but the new vehicle weighs 5,600 lb (2,540 kg), around 300-500 lb (136-227 kg) more than it did last year, depending on trim. The new Murano is also 2.6 in (66 mm) wider, at 87.7 in (2,228 mm), and has 8.3 in (211 mm) of ground clearance, 1.4 in (36 mm) more than before. The new Murano has 20-in standard wheels (18-in wheels were standard last year). Nissan said the fuel economy numbers almost hide how much of a difference the new engine makes, both by doing more work and better work. We’d see the hit to the new CUV’s fuel economy numbers if it still used the V6, Nissan said.

Shifting to electric power steering

The 2025 model year is the first Murano with ventilated, massaging front seats. (Nissan)

Nissan engineers also focused their efforts on making the new Murano quieter and more comfortable. By switching from a hydraulic to an electric power steering system, the 2025 Murano doesn’t only get ProPilot Assist (which requires an electric power steering system) but the Murano’s steering wheel airbag module also acts as a damper to reduce vibration. The new system also offers a 4% faster steering ratio and 45% lower stationary steering effort compared to the previous generation, Nissan said. The new Murano also has increased structural rigidity, front to rear, thanks to additional structures in the grille, across the cowl and around the C-pillar.

The 2025 Murano comes with standard 20-inch wheels, compared to the 18-in wheels that were standard last year. (Nissan)

Engineers attacked low-frequency problem noises in the rear hatch area with new frequency-sensitive dampers made by KYB. KYB’s proprietary technology means these aren’t technically adaptive dampers, but they do use a frequency-sensitive valve inside the cylinder that opens and closes with different inputs. With high-frequency inputs (like small road vibrations), the dampers use a softer force to minimize the harshness, while they more dramatically stiffen up the suspension when faced with low-frequency inputs (undulations or larger bumps). As with the rest of the changes Nissan made to the new Murano, the point was to improve the CUV’s driveability, comfort and stability so they’d match what the target audience expects.

The new electric power steering and dampers are immediately noticeable to anyone familiar with the 2024 Murano. The improved handling means the Murano can be larger and still feel reasonably responsive while threading a safe route through rush hour traffic. There aren’t many twisty roads near Detroit, but even so it was clear that the new Murano nails what it’s going for. This is a competitive and comfortable gas-powered CUV with plenty of tech. There’s standard Nissan Safety Shield 360, and ProPILOT Assist and Invisible Hood View are now available. The dash features dual 12.3-in displays with a chunky dial to control the available 10-speaker Bose premium audio system. Many infotainment controls are on the screen, while the HVAC controls are haptic integrated sensors. The 2025 Murano is also the first with ventilated, massaging front seats.

All these engineering improvements make the 2025 Nissan Murano miles – if not “miles per gallon” – better than the 2024 version. Even without a slew of stand-out features to highlight, the Murano proves that sometimes all you need is a little bit more.