As the 2000s passed into the 2010s, the world was heading into a post-bling era. Lady Gaga wore a meat dress to the MTV Awards, something called Instagram was launched, and Apple unveiled the iPad, a device that allowed people to look at their 'Grams on a bigger screen. Keeping Up With The Kardashians was a smash hit, and with it came a lust for real affluence that was countered by the fact that the 2008 economic crash had left most people penniless. The new sculpted Bentley Mulsanne took the company up a notch from just being responsible for footballers' whips, and the F10 5-Series brought BMW's mid-sized sedan back into the real world after the E60's Art Deco extravaganze.This was the world that which one of the most bonkers cars of all time was born into. This model claimed to be a world first when launched, but it disappeared shortly after, never to be seen again. It is a perfect analogy for single-minded extravagance, with a clientele of affluent people in mind who wanted something that seemed bespoke and upmarket, while based on a standard everyday model. Was it any good? We'll let you be the judge of that. Is there a great story of how it came into existence? Definitely. The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet Was The World's First AWD Drop-Top Bring A Trailer Look at the Nissan Murano SUV these days, and it doesn't appear to be that trailblazing. But when the first-generation Murano was unveiled for the model year of 2003, it was far more futuristic than the competition. The SUV market was just taking off, and was by and large still dominated by the boxy and utilitarian vehicles that were popular in the '90s. The Murano looked like a concept car, with short overhangs and a sloping hood, along with an integrated grille that ran into wrap-around headlights. The Murano was popular, and Nissan replaced it with the second generation in 2007. The new car followed the same recipe and enjoyed similar success.The new Murano had the kind of similarly edgy design that Nissan does so well, making it stand out from the competition without completely alienating it from the mainstream. But the second Murano had been vastly improved, from its engineering to its interior, to make sure it stayed at the top of the class. Everywhere were sophisticated and high-end finishes and details that made it look a step above its price bracket. Under the sculpted hood is the company's award-winning 3.5-liter V6, mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). The Sensible Murano Would Be The Basis For One Of The Craziest Nissans Ever Front-wheel drive came as standard, with the option of all-wheel drive on all trim levels, and the V6 pumps out a useful 265 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque. The car hits 60 mph in 7.8 seconds and is full of the kind of practicality and safety features that any self-respecting soccer mom or dad would need for their daily duties. In short, Nissan had ticked all the boxes that it needed to with the Murano, and the car pretty much sold itself. It was a true sleeper.But then something very strange happened. Nissan decided to ditch the Murano's practicality, dynamics, affordable price tag, and, some might argue, looks, to create a whole new model: the CrossCabriolet. There was no other car on the market, which should probably tell you all you need to know at this point. The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet Had No Competition Nissan The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet was the world’s first and only all-wheel-drive crossover convertible when it came to market in 2011. The car featured the same V6 as the Murano LE, which was also the same unit that could be found in the Nissan Skyline 350GT and the 350Z. The car shared the interior of the Murano, with standard heated front seats and enough room for four. But while it looked like a Murano with the top chopped off, it had been a major design headache. The Murano Had To Be Completely Redesigned Almost everything from the front fenders back had to be redesigned, not to mention the car turned into a two-door. There had been a lot of thought to try and make it anywhere near as rigid as the hard top (unsuccessfully, said some) and the trunk space had been seriously impeded. The benefit of getting some Florida wind in the hair has resulted in virtually everything in the car being compromised. It looked eye-catching, however, in the sense that it did catch your eye for better or worse, but at the same time, its aesthetics are bespoke and very special - you would be forgiven for thinking you'd just seen something from West Coast Customs rolling down the boulevard. How The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet Came To Be Nissan We cannot corroborate this story, but there is a long-standing rumor of how the CrossCabriolet came to be. Reported by a respected car mag in 2024, the tale goes that the wife of infamous former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn was driving in a Murano and brought up the idea of combining a drop-top experience with this popular, practical model. Ghosn liked the idea and set a group of product planning and engineering gurus at Nissan onto the project, with just two years to completely re-engineer the vehicle into a cabrio. The car was perhaps aimed at those who thought they were a bit too old for a sports car, but liked the idea of a semi-exotic all-wheel-drive drivetrain and a lusty V6 from the company's performance cars. The Murano CrossCabriolet Was Always Going To Be A Niche Product It's hard not to see that the car would always have limited appeal, and such an investment in engineering would always be hard to reclaim. The cabrio was an extra $5000 on top of the price of the hardtop, starting at around $45,000. The other elephant in the room was the fact that the 400-pound heavier cabrio was actually slower than the SUV it was loosely based on, hitting 60 mph in around 8.3 seconds.In the end, just 6,000 units were produced, with sales quietly ending in 2014. Range Rover tried again with the convertible SUV concept with the Evoque, but only lasted for two years. Buying A Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet In 2025 Bring A Trailer The Murano CrossCabriolet is not everyone's cup of tea, but it has a certain quirky appeal. Like most Japanese firms, Nissan has a good reliability reputation, and you do get a tasty 3.5-liter V6, even if it does struggle to overcome the curb weight. We would certainly advise you to get one in a dark color like black, rather than anything too glitzy – the CrossCabriolet doesn't need to be any more showy than it is.The best news if you do fancy one is that the CrossCabriolet is cheap to buy in 2025. A 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet with 91,000 miles on the clock sold on Bringatrailer in 2025 for just $6,607. Another 2011 car, with an attractive tan interior and just 56,000 miles, sold for $11,250. The average price of Murano CrossCabriolets in 2011 is $11,569, says Classic.com.Source: Classic.com