Nissan’s latest version of the popular Murano will be on display at the Sydney Motor Show from tomorrow, giving visitors a close-up look at the next generation of the luxury mid-size SUV.

Exterior styling has been heavily redesigned for 2009, with bigger wheel-arches, sharper lines, completely new xenon headlamps, LED taillights, 18-inch rims and all-new front and rear fascias jazzing up the Murano’s body. The end result is a car that, although similar to its predecessor, sports a brand new vibe and a good deal more visual muscle.

On the inside Nissan have cranked up the luxury dial, with new interior styling, standard leather trim, heated seats, Bluetooth phone integration and a 7-inch colour sat-nav screen (with integrated reversing camera) making the Murano’s cockpit a more pleasant place to be. Intelligent keyless entry, push button starter and power tailgate also relegate the tedious “old-tech” methods of manually unlocking, starting and closing up the Murano to the history books. Excellent.

The 2009 Murano’s powertrain carries over from the old model, meaning Nissan’s award-winning VQ35DE 3.5-litre V6 still whirrs away under the bonnet while Nissan’s 4×4-i AWD system takes power to all four corners. The familiar Xtronic CVT gearbox has been updated for 2009 and also features a manual mode, while a new multilink rear suspension improves handling over the old Murano.

Like the outgoing car, the new Murano also features a full complement of electronic safety gear, with Vehicle Dynamic Control, ABS and EBD doing their part to keep the tall SUV out of the Armco. Should they fail, however, you can still count on front and side airbags, curtain airbags and active headrests to keep you in one piece.

Pricing and more specific details have yet to be announced, however we’re sure Nissan will be announcing this information soon - if not at tomorrow’s press day - so stay tuned.

GALLERY » 2009 Nissan Murano