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The shape of the Nissan Murano is designed to blend the look of a car and a truck. The top half of the body is sleek like a car, the bottom half bulky like a truck. The overall look is much sleeker than tall wagon-shaped SUVs, yet still rugged. Murano is named after an island near Venice known for glass sculpture.

Contributing to the Nissan Murano's husky styling are huge 18-inch wheels and tires that come standard. The shapely rear hatchback adds to it. The rear hatch is made out of reinforced plastic because steel won't bend easily to the shape.

As its looks suggest, the Murano is an aerodynamic machine. A low frontal area and a low roof add cruising efficiency, as well as very low wind noise at high speeds.

To finish off the high-fashion look, no less than eight colors are available for the exterior two-tone scheme, with three interior hues to mix and match. The colors were chosen carefully for their luxury look. Among them: Sunlit Copper paint and Cabernet upholstery.

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Climbing into the Nissan Murano is easy, a little easier than climbing into a Honda Pilot . Slide into the driver's seat and you'll find visibility is good and the view rearward is surprisingly not compromised by the stylishly thick D-pillar. The steering wheel feels like it's right in your lap, arranged more like a car rather than an SUV.

Front seats are comfortable and supportive. A big pod juts out from the center dash for audio and climate controls. We weren't crazy about the appearance of the pod, but it does put the controls close to hand. Buttons on the stereo are on the small side, but easy to use. Pressing a preset button, for example, automatically switches from an FM station to an AM station if that's the way you programmed it, saving you from having to press a separate mode switch first. Buttons on the steering wheel make it easy to change volume levels. The navigation display has a new-generation three-dimensional map view, which we find easier to follow. There is a large center console between the front seats, separating the front seats so that no one will confuse this with a minivan interior.

Since the walls and glass of the Nissan Murano curve inward toward its occupants, your expectation is that it might be crowded inside. But because the Murano is a five-seater that's the same size as a seven-seater, the backseat is like a limousine's. I could still cross my legs in the rear seat even though my hip-to-knee dimension is off-the-chart on some automakers' anthropomorphic scales. The rear seatback rake can be adjusted by pulling on a strap. That makes it more comfortable than the second row of the Honda Pilot, where passengers must sit uncomfortably bolt upright.

The rear seats flip forward in one step and hide flush to the floor with clever manual levers, turning the Nissan Murano into a two-seat wagon with a big cargo area. It measures about the same length as the Honda Pilot's with all of its seats down. Murano's load height is now lower than the Pilot's, however. The bulky cargo cover flaps around and takes up room. We'd be inclined to toss it in the garage.