The 2025 Nissan Murano has secured the prestigious IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, marking it as the safest iteration of Nissan’s mid-size crossover to date. Announced on June 11, 2025, this accolade from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) highlights the fourth-generation Murano’s exceptional performance in rigorous crash tests and advanced safety feature evaluations. Through meticulous engineering, innovative airbag technology, and robust structural design, Nissan overcame significant challenges to elevate the Murano’s safety standards. This article delves into the engineering feats behind the award, the Murano’s safety features, and its place in the competitive SUV market, drawing on insights from autoevolution.com and enthusiast sentiment.
IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+: A Grueling Achievement
The IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ is reserved for vehicles excelling in a battery of tests, including small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side-impact, and rear-impact crash simulations, alongside evaluations of pedestrian detection and headlight performance. The 2025 Murano, tested at the IIHS’s $40 million Vehicle Research Center near Detroit, underwent approximately 400 crash scenarios annually, replicating real-world collisions. Nissan’s senior safety performance engineer, Derrick Diver, emphasized the team’s goal: “We set targets to achieve the highest possible ratings from the outset,” per autoevolution.com.
The Murano’s success stems from its reinforced structure, optimized crumple zones, and advanced safety systems. X posts celebrated the achievement, with @MJNissan proclaiming, “Style, safety & performance—all in one!” and @KellyAuto linking to IIHS’s detailed crash test results, underscoring the Murano’s robust performance.
Engineering the Safest Murano
Nissan’s safety efforts focused on several key areas:
- Structural Integrity: The Murano’s fourth-generation (Z53) platform, a refined evolution of its predecessor, features high-strength steel in critical areas, enhancing rigidity while managing crash energy. Diver noted that “physics is the toughest opponent,” requiring precise calibration of crumple zones to protect occupants, per autoevolution.com.
- Airbag Innovation: The Murano’s airbags deploy in just 10 milliseconds, a critical factor in mitigating injury. During IIHS tests, dummies’ heads are painted red to assess contact with curtain airbags, ensuring optimal positioning. Nissan’s engineers fine-tuned airbag deployment to minimize head and neck injuries, earning high marks in side-impact tests.
- Crash Test Rigor: At Nissan’s $122 million Arizona proving grounds and Farmington Hills, Michigan, facilities, the Murano endured thousands of simulated crashes. These tests, costing $2,000-$4,000 per frontal collision, validated the SUV’s ability to withstand small overlap crashes, where only 25% of the vehicle’s front end hits a barrier, per autoevolution.com.
Customer feedback reinforced Nissan’s efforts, with Diver citing “notes of gratitude” from owners surviving real-world crashes, highlighting the Murano’s life-saving potential, per autoevolution.com.
Advanced Safety Features
The 2025 Murano comes equipped with Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 suite as standard, contributing to its TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating. Key features include:
- Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection: Earned “Good” IIHS ratings for preventing collisions at 12 and 25 mph.
- Lane Departure Warning and Blind-Spot Monitoring: Enhanced driver awareness, reducing side-impact risks.
- High-Beam Assist and LED Headlights: Achieved top marks for illumination and glare control, improving nighttime safety.
- ProPILOT Assist: Optional semi-autonomous driving tech, standard on SL and Platinum trims, aids in highway stability, per caranddriver.com.
These features align with IIHS’s stringent 2025 criteria, requiring “Good” or “Acceptable” ratings across all crash tests and advanced safety systems. X user @evshift shared crash test footage, emphasizing the Murano’s “impressive safety tech,” while @GeeksRoom called it “el Murano más seguro de la historia.”
Powertrain and Design: Safety Meets Style
The 2025 Murano, built at Nissan’s Smyrna, Tennessee, plant, replaces its 3.5-liter V6 with a 2.0-liter VC-Turbo inline-four, producing 241 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque—a 19 hp drop but a 20 lb-ft gain, paired with a nine-speed automatic, ditching the maligned CVT, per autos.yahoo.com. This powertrain, while controversial for reliability concerns under NHTSA investigation, supports the Murano’s 23 mpg combined EPA rating, unchanged from 2024, per edmunds.com.
Styling draws from the Nissan Ariya, with a sleek grille, full-width LED taillights, and a two-tone paint option, evoking luxury rivals like the Genesis GV70, per caranddriver.com. The interior, featuring dual 12.3-inch displays with Google Built-In, wireless CarPlay, and massaging seats, elevates its premium appeal, though haptic climate controls drew criticism for usability, per motor1.com. X post @sydney_ev praised the “Ariya-inspired cabin,” but @Lonso0 noted, “Haptic buttons are a pain.”
Competitive Landscape
The Murano, priced from $40,470 for the SV trim to $49,600 for the Platinum AWD, competes in the mid-size two-row SUV segment:
- Hyundai Santa Fe: Starts at $34,950, offers a 277-hp turbo-four and hybrid options, with 36 mpg but less premium styling, per theglobeandmail.com.
- Mazda CX-70: Priced from $40,445, delivers 280 hp and sporty handling, but its 25 mpg trails hybrids, per businessinsider.com.
- Toyota Crown Signia: A hybrid-only option at $43,590, achieves 38 mpg but lacks the Murano’s power, per theglobeandmail.com.
- Genesis GV70: Starts at $45,000, offers 300 hp and luxury flair, but lacks the Murano’s standard safety suite, per autoevolution.com.
The Murano’s TOP SAFETY PICK+ gives it an edge over the Santa Fe (TOP SAFETY PICK) and CX-70 (no 2025 award), though its gas-only powertrain lags behind hybrid competitors, per iihs.org. X user @JunaidSamodien_ called the Murano’s safety “a game-changer,” but @AutoSpies noted, “No hybrid hurts in 2025.”
Challenges and Criticisms
Despite its safety accolades, the Murano faces hurdles:
- Engine Reliability: The 2.0-liter VC-Turbo’s stalling issues, reported in the Infiniti QX50, raise concerns, with NHTSA probes ongoing, per jalopnik.com.
- No Electrification: Unlike rivals offering hybrids or PHEVs, the Murano’s gas-only setup limits appeal in eco-conscious markets, per theglobeandmail.com.
- Pricing: At $53,525 for a loaded Platinum, it nears luxury territory without matching the GV70’s refinement, per autos.yahoo.com.
- Recalls: A January 2025 recall for 2025 Murano brake calipers, affecting units built January 27-30, 2025, underscores quality risks, per autoevolution.com.
Nissan’s financial struggles, including a failed Honda merger and bankruptcy risks, add pressure, per autoevolution.com.
Market Context and Nissan’s Strategy
The 2025 Murano, launched in North America after a global preview on October 16, 2024, targets premium mid-size SUV buyers, with 145,000 third-gen units sold since 2020, per autoevolution.com. Its IIHS award, announced amid China’s rare-earth export limits impacting U.S. automakers, bolsters Nissan’s reputation during supply chain challenges, trending on X as a trade leverage issue. Production at Smyrna aims for 6,700 units monthly by March 2025, with deliveries starting early 2025, per autoevolution.com.
Nissan’s broader lineup, including the 2025 Kicks and Ariya, shares the Murano’s safety focus, with the Ariya’s CMF-EV platform influencing its design, per autoevolution.com. However, declining Canadian sales (4,411 in 2023) reflect growing competition, per theglobeandmail.com.
Who’s It For?
The 2025 Murano appeals to safety-conscious families and empty nesters seeking a premium two-row SUV with bold styling and advanced tech. Its $40,470 starting price undercuts the Genesis GV70 but exceeds the Hyundai Santa Fe, offering a balance of luxury and safety. Eco-minded buyers may prefer hybrid rivals, while performance enthusiasts might eye the Mazda CX-70.
Conclusion
The 2025 Nissan Murano’s IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, announced June 11, 2025, crowns it Nissan’s safest SUV yet, achieved through rigorous crash testing, rapid airbag deployment, and a fortified structure. Its Safety Shield 360 suite, 241-hp VC-Turbo engine, and Ariya-inspired design elevate its mid-size crossover appeal, priced from $40,470. Despite challenges—reliability concerns, no hybrid option, and a recent recall—the Murano’s safety edge and premium features position it strongly against the Hyundai Santa Fe and Mazda CX-70. As Nissan navigates financial and market pressures, the 2025 Murano’s TOP SAFETY PICK+ is a testament to its engineering prowess and commitment to occupant protection.
