As you must have noticed. Land Rover is about to launch the new Evoque Convertible, a cabriolet version, and with two doors to the successful Range Rover Evoque. No, it has not been the first SUV two-door roadster. He has had an illustrious predecessor, called Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. The Murano convertible has been one of the biggest failures in the commercial history of Nissan. This is the story of a car that the history books skip over, a story that Land Rover may not have wanted to hear.
Chronicle of a death foretold
The Murano CrossCabriolet is the answer to a question that nobody else did. Its launch was a surprise in 2011.
Not so long ago the launch of the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. It was presented in 2011, and its sales began almost immediately. The concept was revolutionary and on paper the recipe worked. On the basis of a SUV with good sales and reputation, to produce a convertible in comfortable and luxurious to reach a wider audience. It was apparently Carlos Ghosn – newly appointed CEO of the Renault-Nissan alliance – the one who personally ordered its creation. To Piëch went better played with the Veyron.
the design of The Nissan Murano was always personal – that front is not for all audiences – but converted to a car body of two-door, the result was… questionable. was Not a car well provided. , your behind had an excessive thickness, and there was too much sheet to the view. The choice of a light green color for the promotional photos was not the most adequate, and even with its canvas roof in position its appearance improved in a substantial way. For taste colors, but the reception of the CrossCabriolet was not enthusiastic.
engine 3.5 V6, 265 HP moved the four wheels (with parsimony) through a gearbox CVT.
The passenger compartment has lost enough practicality. The Murano was one car wide, which lost a seat, and legroom in the rear row. In addition, the capacity of its trunk was severely reduced due to the structural reinforcements and the mechanism of the hood. Its structural rigidity was not good, and proved in his time said that he looked like a flan when passed over a pothole. Your address is not reported and a weight of 2.016 kg in vacuum were not its dynamics.
When I lived in the united States a tenant of my building was the owner of a unit, in white with canopy and seats in beige. I remember becoming very interested in his car, and his answer surprised me: “it’s the best car I’ve ever had, despite what people might think.” When it was launched to the market in 2011 it was the second Nissan more expensive, only behind the GT-R. Was sold only in the united States, and its price started in a few difficult 42.855 dollars. For its price it was possible to buy an entire BMW Series 5.
Its sales were testimonial. In its first year on sale – the already distant 2011 – sold 1,159 units. 2012 was his best year, with sales of 3.278 units. In 2013, its sales collapsed, with a total of only 1.332 units in the full year. To bad prospects, Nissan ceased its production in 2014 and ranked as an official launch as a bad idea.
Range Rover Evoque Convertible makes the same mistakes on the paper
do you Believe that the Range Rover Convertible will be a success, or it’s a product doomed to failure?
what will Win out in the Range Rover Evoque Convertible? Your version of five-door is a sales success, but the Murano was also. The English have only a four-seater, soft-top and a boot capacity of only 250 litres of capacity, similar to that of a utilitarian. Is a very nice car, and maybe it will save the commercial failure. But we must not forget that it is a machine face and heavy: with its diesel engine of 150 HP has a performance which is poor and booted in nothing less than 54.700€. Its more powerful version exceeds 70,000€.
is A future classic? I think that yes
all in all, I think that the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet could be a future classic. Their commercial success was null, it was a car very expensive and static was at least strange. However, all of its owners are satisfied with the car. Is the answer to a question nobody posed. In the group Renault-Nissan there is a similar car, called the Renault Avantime. Cars that very few companies dare to do. Cars tremendously away from the norm and common sense. Machines that you should abound more in the world.
do Not think that this article is a criticism of the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet, designed to be a tribute. We can only hope that this failure does not deter other manufacturers from going out of your comfort zone and take a risk.
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