2013 Nissan Murano Arrives in Dealerships with 2012 MSRP

Facing stiff competition from a wave of smaller, more efficient crossovers like the all-new Ford Escape and Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, the 2013 Nissan Murano is playing the value card for the new model year: It’s on sale now with an MSRP of $29,960 that’s unchanged from the 2012 version. Which is a good thing, since even at that price point the Murano is the most expensive mainstream five-seat crossover in America, and it’s really not close. Next on the list would be the new Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, coming in at $24,450, while the Ford Edge—like the Murano, right on the borderline between mainstream and premium—opens with a sticker price of $27,525. And keep in mind, even though the latter vehicles are both a few inches shorter than the 2013 Nissan Murano on the outside, they actually deliver a bit more interior volume—so it’s not like you’re getting more vehicle for your money with the Murano.

On the other hand, you are getting some fairly high-value new packages for it, as detailed below.

Oh, and rest assured, the automaker has confirmed the return of the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet for the 2013 model year.

2013 Nissan Murano: Parsing the Packages

Customers will gain in the affordability department to some extent, as the content adjustments for the new selling season include a fresh Value Package on the 2013 Nissan Murano SV. For an MSRP of $2,270, this bundle includes a power rear liftgate, a powered-up Bose audio system with nine speakers (plus dual subwoofers), and Nissan’s latest navigation system; and it all comes at a savings of $830 as compared to adding each option to the Murano separately.

Then, the Murano LE Platinum Edition and Murano SL with navigation also add a number of Nissan’s Star Shield safety technologies. Among them are the usual suspects, ranging from blind-spot and lane-departure warning systems to the automaker’s Moving Object Detection technology. That last feature leverages Nissan's Around View Monitor to detect potential collision hazards within the system’s 360-degree field of view.

Packing a 3.5-liter V6 engine that makes 260 hp and 240 lb.-ft. of torque, and is mated to a cutting-edge Xtronic continuously variable transmission, the 2013 Nissan Murano can be purchased with front- or all-wheel-drive with full pricing details as follows:

Murano S FWD/AWD—$29,960/$31,750

Murano SV FWD/AWD—$32,500/$34,100

Murano SL FWD/AWD—$37,310/$38,910

Murano LE FWD/AWD—$39,150/$40,750

(The MSRP for the 2013 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet—the distinctive drop-top version of the Murano—is still TBD at this time.)