Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet: Most hated car of 2011?

There’s plenty of time left for a surprising challenger, but the overwhelming front-runner for the dubious honor of “Most Disliked 2011 Car” is the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet.

A report on CNNMoney.com from Fortune Magazine details, “Not since the Mercedes R-class, and, before that, the Pontiac Aztek has the overall verdict been so bruisingly negative. The CrossCabrio has been tarred for being lumpy, dumpy, shaky, and sluggish.”

The Murano CrossCabriolet is an all-wheel-drive Murano crossover in which an automatic folding fabric top replaces the metal roof, and the two rear doors have been eliminated.

It’s billed as the first convertible crossover and has a raised suspension and high deck lid.

The CNNMoney.com author commented the CrossCabrio looks “somewhat like an artichoke on wheels.”

For the record the car seats four and is available only fully-loaded with an MSRP of $47,520.

James Riswick, automotive editor of Edmunds.com, commented: “What on Earth are they thinking?” and added the was “looking for seven-foot furry creature riding shotgun.”

Dan Neil, auto reviewer of Wall Street Journal, said of the CrossCabriolet: “Sluggish, wobbly, weird-looking, with a front-end shake that would mix a good daiquiri, crazy-awful. The CrossCabriolet is like a sorbet of mouse scat.”

Alex Taylor III, the senior-editor-at-large at Fortune Magazine who authored the round-up piece, had the final word:

“While I agree that it is overweight, overpriced, and won’t excite any hot-shoe drivers, the CrossCabrio is praiseworthy in several respects,” he said. “It is more innovative than the R-class, more refined than the Aztek, and more imaginative than just about anything else on the road.”

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