The Nissan Murano is redesigned for 2025, and y’know, it’s pretty good. The issue is, it competes with lots of midsize crossovers, almost all with an off-road bent. Market research will show you that’s what’s popular these days, but Nissan went another direction with the Murano and made it a snazzy urban runabout. It’s a bold move, and one that seems to be working out in some respects, but Nissan made so many that it’s reportedly offering dealers $1,000 to $2,000 apiece to take on new inventory.
Word of the increasing Murano overflow comes from an Automotive News report. It cites Cox Automotive data showing a five-month supply of Muranos at dealers across the United States, a 15% increase over the 133-day supply measured in March. This reportedly has Nissan dialing back the total number of Muranos it expects to build this year, cutting 21% from its May projections down to 47,410.
With Nissan betting more on the refined and elegant ethos of the current-gen car, it was difficult to know how it would fare against the adventure-vibe competition. Nissan Vice President of Model Line Marketing Operations Jeff Pope explained to Automotive News, “Trying to understand what kind of segment share you can get … and the volume that equates to is a little bit more difficult than looking at a traditional segment like Pathfinder. So we got aggressive [and] front-loaded a lot of [Murano] production.”
Ah, yes, the Pathfinder: Nissan’s other midsize crossover that’s doing quite well, actually. Its lane is a little bit clearer, as it targets core buyers in the segment who like the idea of going off-road, whether or not they ever do. We’ve seen that trend spread to essentially every category—heck, even supercars. But not the Murano.
This city-centered Murano redesign may have helped it stand out so far in 2025. Deliveries rose to 8,702 in Q1, an 84% increase over the same period last year. That means it’s digging itself out of the massive hole left by the old Murano, which outsold only the Mazda CX-70 and Toyota Crown Signia in its category in 2024, because those models only first hit the market in 2024.
Leaving the Murano alone for so long is why some Nissan dealers believe they’re in this position. It went a decade without any serious updates before this new model dropped late last year. One retailer who spoke with Automotive News and asked to remain anonymous said, “Nissan let the model age so much that loyal Murano customers left the brand.”
If they ever get those customers back in the showroom, they might like what they find. I enjoyed the Murano for its decisive character when I reviewed it late last year, and with styling like that, it certainly stands out. We’ll just have to see if it’s enough to pluck people away from the four-wheeling five-seaters that everybody is clamoring for.
Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com
From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.
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