IMAGINE if Nissan put a 350Z into the mix and added rear seats, five doors, a higher body and four-wheel drive. Well, it has.

The result is called the Murano, after the famous, sculptured glass from Italy and is sure to be one of the smash hits of the year.

The Murano is the size of a BMW X5 yet will cost less than an equivalently equipped X3 when it goes on sale early next year. Nissan says it takes the 3.5-litre V6 engine from the 350Z, combines this with the Nissan X-Trail's electronic four-wheel drive system, and adds the toughness and versatility of the Patrol.

In the US, where 5,000 are sold every month, it is the Murano's styling that has really grabbed people's attention. The Murano's designers describe it as "sculpture in motion", says Nissan's UK spokeman, Wayne Bruce.

Park a Murano next to a 350Z and the relationship is obvious. And it is not just about big 18-inch alloys pushed to the extremities of the car. There are similarities in the lights, too. The relationship under the bonnet could not be closer with both sharing the same 3.5-litre V6 engine, detuned marginally in the Murano to around 240PS.

However, the Murano does get its own automatic transmission, Xtronic, with a selectable manual mode and when the going gets wet or slippery, the electronic four-wheel drive system anticipates any loss of traction to react much faster, diverting torque as necessary. For the really rough stuff, there's a lock facility to even the torque front and rear as well as Nissan's latest electronic stability system for added traction. Production of the Murano is on one of Nissan's car platforms, not an off-road one and, if the American road test reports are anything to go by, it's a great handling sports utility.

Bearing in mind the American driver loves to wallow in a particularly soft suspension, the ride in the UK should be even better because it is intended to add a specially tuned suspension.

Interior design was a priority when the Murano was conceived.

For once, a car's big dimensions are translated into a big space for passengers, cargo and general stuff. There are storage holes everywhere with the two-tiered lockable one between the front seats big enough for a laptop.

There is also a "floating" centre console, one that becomes accessible to both front and back passengers, and this adds a sense of space, as well as housing the standard DVD satnav.

Another neat feature is the remote flip-down rear seats. And the instrument binnacle moves with the steering column as it's adjusted just like it does on a 350Z.

The Murano makes its first UK appearance at the Sunday Times Motor Show Live.

Updated: 10:21 Friday, May 07, 2004