The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet failed because it should never have happened – Jalopnik

Throughout automotive history, certain models have advanced the industry, raised the bar and remain iconic today. These are your picks for the most influential car designs of all time, but you won’t find the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet among those listed – and for good reason. What happens when you turn a crossover into a convertible? Not good things, as it turns out.

Nissan’s first crossover SUV, the Murano, was originally launched in 2003. According to Bill Kirrane, the vice president and general manager of Nissan At the time, the first Murano was described as “Nissan’s… goal to develop a car that truly stands out in its class in terms of styling, performance, comfort, convenience and technology – offering an unparalleled level of both fun and functionality.” The Murano was praised by various car shops at the time for its robust V6, good handling and daring style.

Fast forward to 2011, and the bizarre CrossCabriolet (billed as the first-ever four-wheel convertible crossover) was rolling onto dealer lots. It still offered a 3.5-liter V6, which put the driver in control of 245 horsepower, and it had the same adventurous, rounded appearance with one notable difference: the roof was gone. In 2014, just three years after its release, the CrossCabriolet was discontinued because it simply wasn’t connecting with buyers.

Worse, some fundamental aspects of the standard Murano – such as functionality and convenience – were severely hampered by the CrossCabriolet design. Not only did the change from the two-door make it more difficult to enter and exit the backseat, but the soft top could be folded down into what used to be all trunk space. In convertible mode, space was reduced to a total of eight cubic meters of cargo space. This was a far cry from the standard 2011 Murano, which had 31.6 cubic feet of space behind the second row.

Only 6,000 CrossCabriolet models were made, each costing at least $5,000 more than the regular Murano. However, some may be less critical when they look back on this risky design, especially when you can scoop one up at a deep discount today. At $4,600, a 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet could be an ugly duckling for the price of a swan, but only for the right buyer.

Vehicle development is typically both expensive and time-consuming, but people within Nissan have stated that the project was conceived in 2008. Although the CrossCabriolet was a modified Murano, it apparently required extensive work to turn it into a convertible, hence its structural deficiencies. Imagine that you are an engineer at Nissan during this period and that within a few years you are given the assignment to convert the Murano into a two-door convertible. Since there were no plans in advance to send the crossover in this direction, it must have been quite a shock. Another executive at Nissan responded Car week When the CrossCabriolet was first launched, he explained, “Normally, a vehicle like this would never have gotten past the initial planning meeting. Mr. Ghosn liked it.”