Nissan hit a home run when it launched the Murano. The Nissan Murano integrates function and high fashion. It combines sport-utility cargo capacity sporty driving dynamics. It is the quintessential crossover vehicle, an SUV based on a car.

The Murano shares aspects of SUVs and cars. It accelerates like a sports sedan and handles much better than your average midsize SUV. Named after a region of Italy known for its famous glassware, Murano emphasizes refinement and on-road confidence. Getting in and out is easy and the back seats are roomy enough for a couple of basketball players.

Yet, as with an SUV, the driver sits relatively high. Flop the back seats down and there's more than 80 cubic feet of cargo space available, which is a lot. It's much bigger than it looks, bigger than a midsize sedan, nearly as big as a Ford Explorer. You sense this on back roads, a feeling magnified by fenders that fall away and can't be seen from the driver's seat.

Also, while the Toyota and Honda were designed to offer seating for seven, Nissan resisted the temptation to cram three rows of seats where two fit more comfortably. As a result, the Murano accommodates five full-size adults nicely, just like a luxury sedan, and offers a nice, big cargo space.

The Murano was ahead of its time when it was introduced. It eschews the square look of a truck in favor of a modern aerodynamic design. The Murano features a sleek front end with smooth lines front to back, and a greenhouse that slopes rearward, ending in a graceful C-pillar. Inside, the instruments and controls seem to float in pods that appear barely attached to the dashboard.

The 3.5-liter V6 engine, the same basic powerplant used in the 350Z sports car, delivers hearty performance, tuned here to produce 240 horsepower. In short, the Murano scoots. It comes with a continuously variable automatic transmission, or CVT, that's smooth and responsive while offering good gas mileage for the class. Murano shares basic underpinnings with the front-wheel-drive Nissan Altima and Maxima sedans (but not, despite popular misconception, the Nissan 350Z-based Infiniti FX). As a result, its road-tuned suspension delivers smooth and sporty handling. All-wheel drive is available, for good grip and stability in wintry weather and hard rain, and we recommend getting it.

The Murano is unchanged for 2007, except for the addition of a tire-pressure monitor as standard equipment. Nissan freshened Murano's appearance a bit for 2006.