2013 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet Road Test

Introduction

Sometimes you just have to say, "Now we're getting somewhere." Who would have thought, when they came up with the term "crossover" for vehicles that were half car and half SUV, that it would head off under a convertible top? As in, cross over and over again, from truck to car to cabriolet capable of anything. The world's first Gorilla Cabriolet.

At the LA Show where it was revealed in November, Carlos Tavares, chairman of Nissan Americas, put it into fair perspective when he said, "This new CrossCabriolet takes Murano to the next dimension. This first-ever crossover convertible represents not only our commitment to innovative new forms but also the boldness of our decision making."

It was speculated by the jaded at the LA Show that the CrossCabriolet is an answer in search of a question: Who needs it? Well, those who love real convertibles (this one has a canvas top), who want all-wheel drive, who need a back seat and reasonable trunk, and who have gotten used to a high seating position with good command of the road, and don't want to give that up, thank you. For them, the one-of-a-kind Murano should have it all. Including high ground clearance when they want to go bouncing over the boonies and spittin' tobacco over the door with their friends in old Chevy Blazers who've taken a Sawzall to the roof.

But now add a silky and wonderfully fast high-revving V6 that makes 265 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque, and a CVT with manual shifting using Nissan's Adaptive Shift Control, and you've got yourself a car. Or a ragtop sportscar truck. Whichever, watch out.

There will be one price for the CrossCabriolet: $46,390. No options. They're already included. Can't delete them. Leather and wood trim, 20-inch alloy wheels finished in titanium, hard drive navigation with 9.3 gb music storage, rearview monitor, Bose audio system, Bluetooth, heated seats and steering wheel, HID bi-xenon headlamps and LED taillamps, and more. The trunk will hold a decent 12.3 cubic feet when the soft top is up, 7.6 cubic feet when it's down.

Complaints are already coming in that the price is too high, more than a fully-loaded Murano. But a bigger problem than price or the car's weird category might be its mundane looks. It has lines like an SUV. For such an innovative vehicle, it looks like a Murano and they've been around forever. It is what it is: a Murano with the top chopped off. Strengthened, for sure; and lengthened nearly 8 inches in the doors, too (because there are only two of them). Although the wheelbase hasn't been stretched so there's not much rear seat legroom.

And still no new styling to go with the new idea. Said one guy from London on a forum, "It's like a bathtub on wheels, and I like it."

Makes it fair to wonder about Nissan's pronounced boldness in decision-making: bold because they went too far, or not far enough?