All-new 2015 Nissan Murano earns MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Award

2015 Nissan Murano Press Kit

CHICAGO – MotorWeek, television's original automotive magazine and one of the nation's leading sources for car and truck reviews, has named the 2015 Nissan Murano Best Small Utility in its highly-coveted Drivers' Choice Awards. The all-new Murano – which resets the standard in the midsize crossover segment with breakthrough design, a premium interior and purposeful technology – received the award today at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show.

Each of the last 34 years, MotorWeek has paused midway through the television season to judge the best new cars and trucks of the year.The annual Drivers' Choice Awards are among the industry's highest honors; the awards examine vehicles from a buyer's point-of-view, putting a special emphasis on trends and innovations. Understanding that consumers seek value and reliability, MotorWeek editors aimed to produce a list of winners that can be used as a practical guide for car shopping.

"Following a strong finish to 2014, momentum surrounding the all-new Murano continues to climb into 2015," said Fred Diaz, senior vice president, Nissan Sales & Marketing and Operations, U.S. "The redesigned Murano is not only a great choice due to an incredible balance of style, comfort, innovation and more, but – as validated by this award – also due to its great value and reliability. MotorWeek's Drivers' Choice Awards are among the best and most-coveted in the business, and we're ecstatic to play a part in the celebration of the world's best vehicles."

The all-new third-generation Murano features modern styling, premium interior and advanced, purposeful technology. The breakthrough exterior design projects a sense of refined intensity, creating an immediate "wow" response, while delivering a low 0.31 Cd drag coefficient. The breakthrough exterior design carries into the interior, which offers an engaging social lounge feel through features such as the refined instrument panel, low center console, advanced NASA-inspired Zero Gravity front and outboard rear seating, and the airy atmosphere created by the large windows and oversized Power Panoramic Moonroof.

"Nissan is to be congratulated for making space in their crossover lineup for something truly different," said John Davis, host, Motorweek. "The Murano is not your typical suburban hauler. It mixes great practicality, with high style, at an affordable price, like no other utility. It's a combination that we think consumers will find impossible to ignore."

Premium features and driving assistance technologies abound in the 2015 Murano, including available NissanConnectSM with Navigation and Mobile Apps, 8-inch color display with multi-touch control, Around View® Monitor, Nissan Intelligent Key® with Push Button Ignition, 11-speaker Bose® premium audio system, Moving Object Detection (MOD), Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW), Forward Emergency Braking (FEB) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA).

Every 2015 Murano comes with a standard 260-horsepower 3.5-liter DOHC V6 connected to an advanced Xtronic transmission. Fuel economy has increased 20 percent (over the previous generation) for combined mpg and is rated at 21/28/24 mpg city/highway/combined for both front-wheel and all-wheel drive models.

To view the complete MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Awards list, please visit MotorWeek.org.

About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the Americas media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.

About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 244,500 employees globally, Nissan sold almost 5.2 million vehicles and generated revenue of 10.5 trillion yen (USD 105 billion) in fiscal 2013. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

About MotorWeek
MotorWeek is television's longest running and most respected automotive series. MotorWeek debuted in 1981 and launched a new television genre by becoming the first weekly series to offer consumer-oriented car and truck reviews, do-it-yourself car care tips, and the latest auto industry news. Produced by Maryland Public Television, MotorWeek airs on 92% of PBS stations nationwide, and can also be seen on cable's Velocity and V-me Spanish-language network. The winner of dozens of prestigious automotive journalism awards, MotorWeek is a reliable source of automotive news on television and on the Web at Motorweek.org.

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E-mail: dan.passe@nissan-usa.com