The Nissan Murano Convertible debuts in L.A., this week, and will go on sale early in 2011.
Nissan has shown a flair for the non-traditional, especially when it comes to design. Just witness its Murano and Infiniti FX crossovers, which showed you didn’t have to build a boxy, SUV-like product to win consumers over.
But, as TheDetroitBureau.com reported earlier this year, Nissan seemed to be stretching things to the limits with its idea of rolling out a Murano-based convertible. Would it be as awkward and ungainly as the unloved Chevrolet SSR, the less-than compelling pickup-convertible combination that fell flat on its face a few years back?
A number of our media colleagues tried to imagine what the Nissan Murano Convertible might look like, and, indeed, they came up with some decidedly ungainly ideas, including center-mounted rollbars, that just wouldn’t have made for a very attractive offering.
But, it turns out, what Nissan is billing as “the world’s first all-wheel-drive convertible crossover” is a surprisingly stylish and reasonably elegant design.
Nissan’s claim may actually be challenged, at least if you consider the ungainly Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible the first ragtop crossover. But visually, the Japanese maker has clearly come up with the better solution.
After one gets used to the idea of having such a massive open top, the next thing to notice is the switch to a two-door body. But from the image released by Nissan – in anticipation of the Murano Convertible’s official launch at the Los Angeles Auto Show, this week – it appears it won’t take much effort to climb into the positively cavernous back seat.
Gone, of course, is the big crossover’s rear cargo compartment. It remains to be seen exactly how much space will be available in the Murano Convertible’s trunk, though we’re hoping for more than with the Infiniti G ragtop, which barely holds more than a woman’s purse.
Nissan’s advance press release suggests the new crossover convertible “delivers the open-air exhilaration of a convertible while extending the versatility of the Murano in exciting new ways.”
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, no, the Nissan Murano Convertible is not just a styling exercise. It’s the real thing. And it will go on sale just in time for open air motorizing season next year.