At first glance, the second generation Murano appears very similar, only with evolved styling. However, styling isn’t the only thing that’s evolved. Underneath and inside, this is a completely different vehicle.

The Murano is built on Nissan’s new “D-Platform” — a proven driver’s chassis that also sits underneath the 2007 Altima sedan and 2008 Altima coupe. The Altima is rated as one of the best handling cars in J. D. Power’s APEAL study and tied for first in Consumer Reports class ratings. The Murano shares all of those attributes underneath its stylish sheetmetal.

There’s also major refinements to its workhorse V6 powerplant, a new advanced Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and a totally new interior.

The 2009 Murano is offered in five models and three trim levels — S, SL and LE — with an advanced all-wheel drive (AWD) system featuring yaw moment control available on all models.

Walkaround: Nissan retained much of the styling characteristics that gave the first Murano its distinctive appearance. Nissan’s fresh, wing-like grille treatment — the new signature look for its crossover line — features wide front headlights with available High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps. The wider, more aggressive stance is coupled with a new, ribbed hood that sweeps gently upwards into the sculpted bodylines. There’s also an all-new, dual panel moonroof with a smooth, unified glass/sheetmetal appearance.

In the rear, the glass hatch has been enlarged and restyled. The French-curved LED taillights now sit horizontally, while silencer-barrel exhausts complete the look.

Interior: The Murano’s functional interior has been upgraded into what Nissan labels a “Mobile Suite.” It’s large, but intentionally designed for only two rows of seating and cargo space. Nissan’s suite concept contends the first row is the living room, second row the reception room, and cargo area the hobby room.

The center stack has been redesigned and a telescoping wheel is standard.

The 60/40 fold-flat rear seat is available with a convenient feature that returns it to the upright position with a button push. Heated seats are available both front and rear.

There’s a variety of cargo storage, including a standard dual-level console, numerous cupholders, lots of cubbies, an extra large glovebox and dual seatback pockets.

The new Murano also features the same available foldaway cargo organizer that debuted in the Rogue. It pops up from the cargo floor with a push of a button and snaps into position. It has removable, vertical, webbed cargo partitions to prevent items like grocery bags from rolling around. It’s also ideal for wet or dirty items due to its easy-clean interior.

Other standard interior features include push button ignition; automatic door locks, dual zone climate controls; Fine Vision gauges; and an AM/FM/CD6/six-speaker audio system with AUX-in jack, VTR jack and MP3/WMA capability.

The Murano offers a huge variety of intuitive, advanced technology options including an Intelligent Key, a Bose premium 11-speaker audio system with an iPod® connector that integrates into the Murano’s standard audio system controls (LE only), a 6-CD in-dash changer, speed-sensitive volume control, a 9.3GB Music Box hard drive, XM Satellite Radio with and XM’s real-time Nav Traffic, Nissan’s new DVD Mobile Entertainment system with a 9-inch roof-mounted screen (up from 6.4 inches), and Nissan’s newest Navigation System with user-friendly graphic interface, menu structure and intelligent search capabilities.

Also available is hands-free Bluetooth, steering wheel controls for cruise and audio functions, RearView Monitor; and voice recognition for audio, HVAC, Bluetooth and Nav.

Under The Hood: Nissan’s lightweight aluminum block and cylinder head VQ DOHC V6 — the same engine found in the Z350, but tuned specifically for the Murano — puts 265 horses to the highway with 248 lb-ft of torque. The engine boasts Nissan’s Variable Induction Control System (NICS), and is married to a new, advanced Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) with Adaptive Shift Control (ACS).

All 2009 Muranos are available in front-wheel drive or with advanced AWD that adjusts to road conditions in a tenth of a second. Nissan’s Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) with a Traction Control System (TCS) is standard on all Murano models. The system provides increased traction in all weather conditions by distributing engine torque depending on the driver’s intended direction and the actual direction of the vehicle.

Behind The Wheel: I had the opportunity to put all configurations of the new Murano through its paces on a run from Scottsdale, Ariz. To Sedona and back — one of my favorite drives — at a press debut event in early December.

Acceleration was stunning — even through the mountains. Thanks to the four-wheel independent suspension, and high performance dual flow path shock absorbers, handling was just excellent. You can just feel the sports car lurking underneath this SUV.

A new twin-orifice speed-sensitive power steering system, similar to the one used in Altima and 350Z, has a nice feel, and delivers the proper level of assistance for both in-town and high-speed driving.

Great braking is courtesy of large 4-wheel vented disc brakes with 4-wheel, 4-channel, 4-sensor ABS with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA).

Whines: While pricing hadn’t been announced when this was written (Late December) there are a number of option packages, and I suspect the base model could get pretty spendy pretty quickly depending on how you trick it out.

Bottom Line: There’s a reason Murano sales have increased steadily every year since it debuted in 2003 as a model year 2004 crossover — in the most crowded of all market segments. The 2009 Nissan Murano is simply a very serious improvement over what was already a pretty great vehicle by any standard. If I were in the market for a mid-size crossover — and there are a lot of choices — this would definitely be on my very short list to own.