Currently in its third generation, the Nissan Murano rolls into the 2020 model year largely unchanged from last year when it received a significant mid-life refresh. Nissan has just announced official pricing for the 2020 Murano and, as expected, it's slightly higher than the outgoing model year. The 2020 Nissan Murano S FWD has an MSRP of $31,530. To directly compare, the 2019 Murano S FWD began at $31,370. What does the additional $160 get you? Nothing specific. It's called inflation.

However, the 2020 Murano adds expanded availability of Nissan Safety Shield 360, which consists of six advanced active safety and driver-assist technologies. There are some additional upgrades for 2020 as well, such as reconfigured option packages. SV, SL, and Platinum trim levels also receive upgraded standard equipment.

There's also one new exterior color: Super Black. The most expensive 2020 Murano is the Platinum AWD, which begins at $45,330. It's also important to note that none of the above prices include the $1,045 destination fee, which is attached to all trims. Under the hood lies the familiar and respected naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 producing 260 horsepower and paired to the Xtronic transmission. Yes, it's a CVT. Front-wheel-drive is standard while all-wheel drive can be added to every trim level for an additional $1,600.

The Nissan Murano is part of a crowded and highly competitive mid-size crossover segment. Direct rivals include the Ford Edge, Chevrolet Equinox, Honda Pilot, and Hyundai Santa Fe. Last year, Nissan sold a total of 83,547 Murano crossovers in the US. To compare, Ford sold 134,122 Edge crossovers in the same period. The Honda Pilot? 159,615 units in 2018. Nissan's mid-cycle update certainly helped, but the Murano's basic underpinnings still date back to 2015. We expect a complete redesign to arrive by around 2021.