If you haven't heard by now, reality shows have taken over your TV set.
Some are OK, some are total and utter drivel and the odd one is good.
There's American Pickers, and Storage Wars, The Real Housewives of somewhere or other, for the sports entertainment fans there is WWE Tough Enough, there's Bridezillas and So You Think You Can Dance Canada (my wife's favourite), although I think she only watches it for the young guys with hard bodies.
Two of my favourites to watch, at least at the beginning just for the weirdos and the crazies are American Idol and America's Got Talent. There is something fun about watching someone try to sing or dance or even juggle chainsaws and live crocodiles at the same time, but who everyone but themselves can see they are terrible. You just know there friends are standing in the back pointing their fingers and laughing their faces off because they were the ones that put them up to auditioning in the first place, all the while knowing they were crap.
But, often amongst the basement-dwelling 400-pound wannabe pole dancers and the 80-year old granny who thinks she is Elvis reincarnated there can be a bit of a gem, a shining light amongst the others if you will.
And that's where the Nissan Murano comes in. It is a surprise. It brought a smile to my face, and it was something even Piers Morgan - if he's being totally honest - would like.
It takes the stage in a nice black tuxedo with a little bling offsetting the dark exterior and as with an odd act or two, although you are not exactly sure what you are going to get, you know you are going to enjoy it.
Usually when someone on the show says "I'm going to do Frank Sinatra" you either end up with your hands in your face wishing someone would tell them how bad they are or you are so busy on the floor laughing your face off.
But on the odd occasion, as with the Murano the performer pulls it off and gets a standing ovation. The Nissan just doesn't disappoint in any way.
It looks good, it feels good when you get inside, it sounds good when you hit the gas and it comes with all the accoutrements that a high-end SUV should have.
The Murano is challenged with appealing to the judges and audiences tastes and when you begin with plush leather seats with dual memory settings as well as dual-zone climate control and heated steering wheel you know your charms are working. The Murano is not a Howie special.
The Murano is silky smooth thanks to its continuously variable transmission and it slips through the gears with ease. Having a quick look around and noticing the power moonroof and rear seat glass-panel roof and heated rear seats everything starts to fall into place.
The Murano is the top of Nissan's SUV line and rightly so.
It has every option you need and more, and the driving feel is quite stately. Seats are comfortable and it makes you want to just relax and drive past where you initially wanted to go. You just sit back and immerse yourself in its talent.
From back to front Nissan has thought of just about everything. The back tailgate door is powered from inside the cabin and there is a button on the rear door to close it with one finger. The back seats lift up by holding a button on either side of the trunk. There are also two buttons for the same purpose to the left of the steering wheel.
Back seat passengers get heated seats and the satellite radio sounds fantastic hooked up to the Bose sound system. LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem, or as my son calls it "Shuffalin'" never sounded so good.
Just like a good performer the Murano provides 260 horsepower, more than enough to tow 3,500 pounds or a half dozen first-week contestants on Biggest Loser.
Among its other talents the Murano came with a navigation system, back up camera, power tilt and scooping wheel with voice-activated Bluetooth. The list goes on.
Among the America's Got Talent contestants the Nissan Murano is a top class act.
It's the one you have waited for amongst the bearded ladies and the people who think putting their hands into their pockets is some kind of never before seen disappearing magic trick.
If the Murano was on the show, it would definitely be going to Hollywood.
Nissan Murano
Vehicle type: 5 door SUV
Transmission 5-speed automatic
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Horsepower: 260 @ 6,000
Torque: 240 @ 4,400
Mileage: 11.7 l/100 km 24 mpg City 8.5 l/100km 33 mph hwy
Price: $49,397
