Full disclosure: I don’t own a Nissan. In fact, I’ve never owned a Nissan. Yet I’m impressed year after year with just how safe its vehicles are. Rather than take the time to contemplate what that says about me, I’m going to spend my time considering how it is that Nissan stays on top as an industry leader when it comes to safety. To be honest, its entire lineup is a fantastic example of how to do safety features right on vehicles, but I’m going to keep things simple by focusing on its midsize SUV. Whether you’re interested in a Nissan Murano for sale or simply prefer to stay up to date on the features and options out there in the auto industry, this is a good model to look at.
Safety features on cars are some of the clearest ways the industry keeps innovating and developing new technology. While brands focus a lot on comfort and luxury features, there’s only so much you can do once you have heated and ventilated seats, with a dozen ways to adjust them through various buttons or knobs. If you really want to see how a company like Nissan is pushing the envelope with technology, then I suggest digging into the safety features of the Murano. This is a great example of Nissan’s focus on safety overall, so it serves as an illustration of what the brand does so well.
Fantastic Standard Features
What I love about Nissan, when it comes to safety, is how many features it packs into its models as standard without demanding drivers pay extra. For the Murano, that means the Safety Shield 360 package comes on every version, no matter which trim you choose. This includes a huge selection of safety technology, so let’s take a look at all of it.
Intelligent Forward Collision Warning
First off, we have Intelligent Forward Collision Warning, which can detect things happening up to two cars in front of you. When the system detects sudden deceleration up ahead, it issues a warning and alerts you to slow down.
Intelligent Emergency Braking
Slowing down, particularly when a potential collision is detected, becomes easier thanks to the Intelligent Emergency Braking system. This lets you know if you should slow down based on your distance from the vehicle ahead of you. It can also automatically engage the brakes to help you avoid a crash or lessen the impact if a collision is unavoidable. For the Murano, this system also includes Pedestrian Detection to stop you if a pedestrian is detected crossing in front of you.
Rear Intelligent Emergency Braking
While you’re in reverse, Rear Intelligent Emergency Braking monitors the area directly behind your vehicle to alert you to obstructions you might not notice. It can automatically stop the Murano in order to avoid a collision or lessen an impact if you do not apply the brakes yourself. While a lot of these safety systems are fairly common today, standard Rear Intelligent Emergency Braking is a Nissan specialty.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert
This is a fantastic bit of technology if you’re someone who doesn’t like to back into driveways or parking spaces. While in reverse, this system will watch the area behind your vehicle and to either side. It will then alert you when a vehicle or other object is detected passing behind you so you can avoid a collision with it as you’re backing out.
Blind Spot Warning
One of my favourite pieces of safety technology that the Nissan Murano comes with is Blind Spot Warning. This monitors the area where you can’t easily see another vehicle alongside you. Without a huge number of side mirrors, every vehicle will have some sort of blind spot, and it feels like many drivers like to hide in them on the road. This will warn you when a vehicle is lurking where you might not be able to see it.
Lane Departure Warning
One of the earliest lessons adults teach new drivers is to look where you want to go because you’ll subconsciously steer toward where you’re looking. With Lane Departure Warning, it becomes easier to notice when you’re beginning to drift out of your lane, perhaps because you’ve glanced to the side to see what someone’s doing in another vehicle. On the Murano, this system uses haptic feedback in the steering wheel to let you know that you’re drifting.
Intelligent Lane Intervention
While Lane Departure Warning alerts you when you might be drifting from your lane, this system will actively help keep you there. Intelligent Lane Intervention technology detects lane markings when they’re present and will slow you down if it detects that you’re straying from your lane, so you can safely get back on track.
High Beam Assist
Your high beams are ideal for lighting up the road at night, particularly when there’s a lack of street lights. With High Beam Assist, the Murano will automatically switch from high beams to low beams when oncoming traffic is detected to avoid blinding other drivers, and then the high beams come back on after they’ve passed.
Intelligent Driver Alertness
This system passively monitors your steering patterns to ensure you’re alert and attentive at the wheel. If Intelligent Driver Alertness notices a pattern that indicates you might be getting drowsy, it will alert you and remind you that it might be time to get off the road and take a break––this is great for long road trips.
Available Upgrades and Options
While the standard features on the Murano are all fantastic, there are also a few options you can choose if you want to upgrade. Nearly all of these are provided standard on the second trim level, so you don’t have to spend much more to get the full suite of safety features.
Intelligent Around View Monitor
This system uses a collection of exterior cameras to create a virtual bird’s eye view of the area around your vehicle. It activates while you’re at low speeds to make parking in tight quarters much easier, even when you’re driving a larger SUV like the Murano. There’s also a split-screen function so you can see close-up views from different cameras to avoid specific obstacles.
Intelligent Cruise Control
Like normal cruise control, the available Intelligent Cruise Control system lets you set a speed to travel at and take your foot off the accelerator. However, it adjusts to traffic conditions around you. You set the desired distance you want to keep between yourself and other cars, and this system will help ensure you stay safe.
Traffic Sign Recognition
This system detects and recognizes traffic signs around you, displaying the current speed limit as you travel. Traffic Sign Recognition is perfect if you tend to drive in areas with a lot of unexpected speed changes or where traffic signs are often obstructed by trees and other objects.
Nissan Brings It All Together
You can see how well Nissan bundles these different driver-assist technologies together to create one of the safest midsize SUVs on the road. Nissan is not unique in this approach, but the Murano is just one example from a full lineup that includes some of the best standard safety technologies I’ve ever seen. It’s no wonder that Nissan’s vehicles are so highly rated for safety every year––the 2022 Murano was recently chosen as a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a non-profit road safety organization. If you’re like me and safety is one of the most important things when looking at vehicles, then the Murano is definitely a choice that will let you sleep well at night.
