2015 Nissan Murano Takes A Grilling

HOW DOES Sir like his steak? Rare, medium or well-done? Semantically, steak is easy to understand. Aesthetically, steak is powerful and indulgent. In this way, a tenderloin Audi A8 and a T-bone Dodge Ram might be considered automotive steaks. Different cuts maybe, but clearly defined products from established breeds. Things get harder as you move down the food-chain. Nissan, for example, does without the R&D diet of Audi or the Dodge pedigree. They have the odd prime cut in the range, such as the beefy GT-R, but also cars like the offal Datsun with its gristly safety record. So thank Heavens for the burger trend.

This uncouth sandwich has infiltrated every high street, drawing stampedes of customers seeking artisanal patties served by chaps in beards. The guilty pleasure of the Golden Arches has been gentrified, and we witness the cultural paradox of burger connoisseurship. It has saved the bacon of brands like Nissan.

No longer does the success of a company depend solely on the quality of the meat. The patty of the Nissan Murano blends comfort, reliability, flexibility and efficiency to compensate its middling pedigree. The quality might be quotidian, but it stays appealing thanks to the presentation of the platter, using busy design language to distract. Good materials, like good meat, costs money, and designers, like baps, are relatively cheap. Nissan knows that the first bite is taken by the eye, but I prefer something rarer.