The Nissan Murano hasn’t even landed in Japan yet, and it’s already sitting 70mm closer to the ground. A Japanese tuning house has beaten the delivery schedule by months — and the renderings are worth every second of the wait.
Kuhl Racing, known for transforming mainstream SUVs into aggressive street machines, has already sketched out a full tuning package for the fourth-generation Murano. This is happening before a single unit has been officially delivered to Japanese customers, which tells you everything about how seriously the tuning scene is taking this one.
A left-hand-drive American SUV sneaking into Japan through a trade deal
The new Murano is being produced in the United States and is set to enter Japan under a trade arrangement that bypasses standard local testing requirements. Deliveries are currently scheduled for early 2027, making this the rare case of Japan importing a left-hand-drive American SUV — a country where virtually all traffic flows on the left side of the road.
That’s already a bold cultural experiment. But Kuhl Racing isn’t waiting for the culture to catch up. The company has moved straight into design mode, and the results lean hard into a low, wide, street-first aesthetic that completely reframes what this SUV can look like in the right hands.
Sitting at GT-R height — on a family SUV — is exactly as wild as it sounds
The centerpiece of Kuhl’s build is an adjustable suspension kit that drops the Murano between 60 and 70mm. To put that in real terms, the modified Murano would sit at roughly the same ride height as a stock Nissan GT-R R35. I’ll let that sink in for a moment — a family crossover at supercar clearance.
Paired with that drop are forged aftermarket wheels in either 21- or 22-inch sizes. Kuhl is pointing toward two Verz-Wheels options: the VRF01 with a clean seven-spoke design, or the more complex two-piece KCV04 running ten spokes. Kuhl’s own reasoning is straightforward — the Murano’s increased body width gives it the proportions needed to carry larger wheels without looking stretched or awkward.
| Spec / Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Engine | Turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder |
| Power output | 241 hp / 352 Nm (260 lb-ft) |
| Transmission | 9-speed automatic with Intelligent AWD |
| Expected Japan price | ~¥8 million (~$50,100 USD) |
| Suspension drop | 60–70mm (matches stock GT-R ride height) |
| Wheel size options | 21-inch or 22-inch forged alloys |
| Estimated upgrade cost | ~¥2.5 million (~$15,600 USD) |
| Scheduled Japan delivery | Early 2027 |
The aero kit is coming — and the brake upgrade bill is real
Kuhl has confirmed that a full aero package is in development to follow the initial stance kit. Based on what the tuner has previewed, expect a more aggressive front splitter, revised front fascia detailing, deeper side skirts, a low-profile rear wing, and a rear diffuser. These elements follow the same design language Kuhl already applied to the Toyota Crown Estate — which gives us a useful cost reference point.
Drawing from that Crown Estate kit, the body package alone runs approximately ¥776,480 (~$4,900). The AirForce Super Performance suspension comes in around ¥850,000 (~$5,300), and the brake system upgrade adds up to ¥825,000 (~$5,200). Stack those together and you’re looking at roughly ¥2.5 million — about $15,600 on top of the base price — just to get the full Kuhl treatment. That’s a significant investment, and the engine stays completely stock throughout.
No engine tune is the one detail that might divide buyers
Here’s the part of the story that enthusiasts will debate. The fourth-generation Murano has moved away from its predecessor’s smooth V6 and now runs a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder producing 241 hp and 352 Nm of torque. That’s adequate, not exciting — and Kuhl has no confirmed plans to change that number.
So what you’re essentially getting is a visually transformed, aggressively low-slung SUV that still drives exactly like the stock American crossover underneath. For buyers who prioritize aesthetics and stance culture over outright performance, that’s fine. For anyone expecting the lowered look to come with matching attitude from the engine bay, the answer right now is no. Whether that changes as the build develops closer to 2027 remains to be seen.
Japan is paying a premium to import something America already has
Based on North American SL and Platinum trim pricing converted to yen, Kuhl is estimating the Murano will enter the Japanese market at around ¥8 million — roughly $50,100. That slots it directly alongside the Toyota Crown Estate PHEV, the Mazda CX-80, and the Lexus RX. All of which are right-hand drive. All of which are built for the Japanese market by design.
The Murano’s left-hand-drive layout in a right-hand-drive country is genuinely unusual, and it’s one of the most interesting wrinkles in this whole story. Japanese buyers who want the Kuhl-tuned version will be accepting an imported, left-hand-drive crossover with a stock engine, a $15,600 tuning bill on top, and delivery sometime in 2027. The fact that there’s already this much excitement before any of that happens says a lot about Kuhl’s reputation in Japan’s tuning community.
If you’re in Japan and the idea of a Kuhl-tuned, slammed Murano sounds like your next daily driver, now is the time to start watching Kuhl Racing’s official channels closely. These builds tend to move from rendering to reality faster than the delivery trucks — and the early followers always get first access to pricing and build slots.
