Last year, The Autopian bought what I think is its coolest company car yet, a 2014 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. This unloved convertible crossover has been through so much in our hands, from failed cop slides and rock crawling to silly modifications and an epic road trip. Now, the CrossCabriolet is currently living with me outside of Chicago. It’s probably the crossover’s first Midwestern winter, and oh my, so many amusing and concerning things have happened to the poor thing.
Our CrossCabriolet journey has been a fun one. These crossovers have always had a poor reputation in the car community. Prospective buyers didn’t seem to care about them, either, considering that Nissan just barely sold more than 6,000 copies of them. But I think all of The Autopian staff has come around on these crossovers. They’re stupid, they’re complicated, and they could break at any moment. But the CrossCabriolet somehow made its way into our hearts.
We picked up our example from a dealership in Texas and then immediately got to work doing shenanigans with it. We had our partner, XPEL, cover exactly half of the CrossCab in paint protection film. We also gave the CrossCab a lift kit, Ford Mustang Tri-Bar wheels, and our friends over at Vredestein hooked it up with Pinza AT tires. We’ve been pretty merciless in our treatment of the CrossCab since then. Jason scratched up its hood by sliding his butt across it while dressed up as a cop. We slammed shopping carts into it, and it also looks like someone drew on the hood with a sharp object.
Then, I took the CrossCab on its hardest test, driving it 4,050 miles across America. I bashed the crossover into bushes, scraped it on trees, beat it into rocks, and took it places that I bet no other CrossCab has been. I showed the poor CVT no restraint and tested the AWD system to its limit. The CrossCab survived all of it and got me back to Illinois safely.
I thought that the CrossCab’s life would get much easier here in the Midwest. I haven’t taken it off-roading, haven’t done any cannonball run-style trips, and it’s been months since the paint has last battled a tree. All the CrossCab has to do is get through a snowy, salty winter. Easy, right?
So far as we can tell from the vehicle’s Carfax, it was a southern vehicle for its whole life. This is probably its first-ever winter in the Midwest. Some parts of the CrossCab aren’t happy in the frigid cold.
The Roof Scares Me
The CrossCab wasn’t anywhere close to perfect when we picked it up. The crossover already had 100,000 miles, and it was clear that those miles were pretty rough. The paint already had plenty of dents, nicks, and scratches. The interior was scuffed, peeling, and worn, and it looked like a dog chewed on a panel.
But the worst of it was the roof. As we’ve reported in the past, the CrossCabriolet’s roof has a darn near 100 percent failure rate because it’s so comically complicated that you’d swear it was made by BMW or Mercedes-Benz, not Nissan. Our example already wasn’t great. David Tracy said that the top fabric’s “fitment is hideous,” that there was evidence of water leaks, and that the top mechanism had a knack for getting stuck.
Jason warned me that the roof had maybe two cycles left in it. Griffin and I opened the roof for off-roading in Sedona, closed it, and then didn’t open it again until we got to the Lone Star/No-Start Lemons Rally in Texas. Weirdly, I noticed that the more I opened and closed the roof, the better it worked. Each and every time I cycled it, the roof system would miss fewer steps and get stuck fewer times. By the end of the Lemons Rally, I had the roof opening and closing without failure. The roof error warning light even extinguished.
So, I ignored Jason’s warnings. So long as it’s at least 32 degrees outside, I will open the roof. I’ve lost count, but the roof has probably been through at least 20 complete cycles by now. The roof is working far better now than it was when I picked up the CrossCab in California.
Yet, I think David really undersold just how bad the roof is. Upon getting the CrossCab into this Midwestern winter, I noticed that the “fitment” got worse. Then, it hit me, the roof might not exactly have poor fitment, but the fabric itself is probably shrinking. I have seen convertible tops shrink before, especially on cars in the southern U.S. that are stored outside. Fabric shrinking is one of the top killers of Smart Fortwo Cabriolet roofs in places like Florida.
I have noticed that the top’s fabric is just barely covering the tops of the roof rails.
So far as I can tell, if it shrinks even just a half centimeter further, the headliner will not have much weather protection. This is probably why there are water stains on the headliner right now. If water hits the top just right, it can get past the fabric.
Now, you might wonder why I care so much about this when I don’t own the car. Well, I’m obsessive, and every time I see the roof, my head is inundated with questions.
This issue has been racking my brain, so I’ve been scouring the Internet to see if I can find other CrossCabs with roof shrinkage. I’ve yet to find another with shrinkage as extreme as ours. Now, I’m questioning if it’s even shrinkage, but something else. I know that some convertible tops can be adjusted to fix fitment issues. I have been looking into this for a couple of months now and haven’t gotten any closer to a clear answer. There’s so much that can go wrong with this roof that I’m not even sure where I’d begin.
It Gets Worse
Another problem is the fact that the roof fabric appears to be brittle. The leading edge of the roof fabric has been tearing off. This is another issue that I’m not sure how to fix. The good news is that our CrossCab doesn’t seem to experience some of the other big issues that these roofs can suffer from, namely, fabric getting threadbare near the rear window.
For now, we’ve all just sort of ignored the condition of the fabric. Thankfully, it is possible to separate the fabric from the roof mechanism. It should technically be possible to replace the fabric if that’s something that we choose to do down the line. I even know of a CrossCab specialist right here in Chicagoland.
James Gilboy wrote an extensive piece concerning the wacky engineering and wild flaws associated with the CrossCab’s roof. In it, he notes that YouTuber Savagegeese doesn’t recommend opening the roof when it’s colder than 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. A Nissan TSB says that you shouldn’t open the roof below 32 degrees. The reasoning is that, if it’s too cold, the fabric might not stow correctly.
Well, I’m stubborn and allow intrusive thoughts to win. I mean, why else do I own so many cars? I open and close the roof whenever I want to, so long as the temperature is 32 degrees or higher.
Though I did break my rule once and opened the roof when it was 30 degrees outside. The system worked just fine. It has gotten to the point that I reflexively open the roof on every single drive so long as it’s not actively snowing and the temperature is at least 32 degrees.
It’s not as crazy as it sounds. The CrossCab’s interior stays pretty warm so long as you keep the windows up when the roof is down. Okay, maybe it is crazy.
It Froze Still
Illinois was recently subjected to a deep freeze. I’m talking several days where temps barely cleared single digits or hovered in the low teens. There were also a few days where nighttime temperatures were below zero. The coldest of those nights was -17 degrees. During that deep freeze, I started the CrossCab when it was -10 outside, and wow, it wasn’t happy. The vehicle did not have power steering for a whole minute as the pump screamed in pain. The power steering fluid must have been like syrup.
I also didn’t have brakes for at least a minute after the power steering finally decided to join in. I just sat there pressing the pedal, and it was rock-hard with maybe a centimeter of movement if I pushed hard. The pedal did work enough to allow me to move the shifter. After a couple of minutes of sitting, I threw it into gear and reversed a bit. I heard a series of scrapes and clunks. Then, a moment later, the brakes worked. I got out, looked behind the wheels, and didn’t see anything immediately obvious that would have caused it.
I have lived in the Midwest my entire life and have driven in every sub-zero winter since I got my license. I’ve never had a car wait minutes to give me brakes before. I didn’t find any obvious issues with the braking system. The brake fluid even tested okay. Maybe the calipers physically froze to the rotors or something?
I Stupidly Tempted Fate With The Roof
Thankfully, temperatures are slowly climbing back to what’s normal for February, but I admit that I did get some cabin fever. Temps got up to 25 degrees the other day, and I let the thoughts win and hit the open button for the top. Oh my, that was a mistake. The top moved in slow motion and then got stuck about four-fifths of the way through the opening. The scary part was that I did give up and hit the close button, but the roof responded by opening further. Uh oh. Then it got stuck on the very last step and wouldn’t close the deck lid. Some furious button mashing and some work with my hands later, and it completed the open cycle. I then became too scared to try to close it.
But I had no choice, I had to get it closed. So, I drove around top down for long enough to warm the car up as much as possible. Luckily, the CrossCab gods were in my favor, because after a 30-minute drive, I pulled over and hit the close button. It completed the close cycle without issue. It didn’t even get stuck while closing. Alright, so I learned my lesson. Our CrossCab is not invincible.
In fairness to the CrossCab, we have been intentionally treating it like crap. It probably hasn’t been washed since Pebble Beach. I know I haven’t washed it since picking it up in California. We sort of want all of the dirt, grime, and road salt to get all caked up on the paint.
Still A Champ
All of that aside, the CrossCab is surviving winter pretty okay. The cabin gets plenty toasty, even in negative temps, and the Vredestein tires haven’t failed me in any winter scenario thus far. The wheel bearing issue that I reported during my road trip is still there and hasn’t really gotten worse, but the team has authorized me to get it fixed, so I’ll do that once it’s warm enough outside. My fuel economy average around home has been an unwavering 17.1 mpg.
Otherwise, I’ve been using it as a winter sled. I take it to doctor appointments, I take it to the airport, and it even brought my tiny bird home after her seizure. It was, unintentionally, also the car Sheryl got to ride home in from the hospital after a surgery.
So, the CrossCab will survive its probably first Midwest winter. It has about 107,000 miles on its odometer and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. Even the CVT is still kicking despite our abuse.
Despite all of this, I’m still in love with this stupid thing. Sure, its roof might be shrinking, and the mechanism will probably fail at the least opportune time, but I can’t help but cheer it on. I shudder to think how much the roof will cost to fix, but I can’t stop opening it because driving the CrossCab makes me smile. The CrossCab and I have been through so much together that I feel like we have a good rapport. Is this the automotive equivalent of Stockholm Syndrome?
Top graphic image: Mercedes Streeter
“I even know of a CrossCab specialist right here in Chicagoland.”
Someone is irrationally devoted enough to this car to become a specialist?
You can’t have a CrossCab and not open the roof, that would just make it a Cross.
Oh, so that’s why it’s called a CrossCab, it’s a Cab that’s cross about being a Murano
DO NOT PRESS THIS BUTTON.
Immediately presses button.
“Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying ‘End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH’, the paint wouldn’t even have time to dry.”
Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time
My ’73 TR6 has a shrinking roof also. I don’t open it in cold weather, as it’s extremely hard to close it when it’s below 50 or so. I’ve had it 10 years, and the 2nd owner had also had it 10 years, though it never left the garage with that owner. So it’s possible the top is either original, or was replaced by the first owner once.
My Spitfire roof is so tight that I can only really close it on quite warm days at this point. But I haven’t actually driven it with the top up in a decade or more, so it doesn’t really matter. I replaced in the late ’90s.
I assume that like my Spitfire, the ability of a Triumph roof to keep the weather on the outside of the car is largely theoretical, even when the roof is brand new. Builds character, right? Especially with a heater that is even MORE theoretical. Though the 2.5L six probably provides more radiant heat than my wee 1.3L four does.
My heater is awesome. I also switched the heater control valve to one from an early ’60s American Motors, which is now so easy to use, I can fine tune the heat. The original ones could barely be turned on or off.
My original-style valve works just fine (it’s not original, but a reproduction of the original) . But like I said, a tiny little engine just doesn’t make much heat, and the heater core is tiny too. But interesting to hear that the TR6 is better – I would have thought given the scuttle is basically the same, that the heater assembly would be too. But that is a LOT more engine.
My 71 TR-6 had the same issue, especially with the side snaps. I could usually only get them fastened when it was warm, which was when you needed to unfasten them.
I have an old Austin Healey project now and it has no top. Plan to keep it that way
Crazy thought: how often do mcc owners typically open and shut their roofs? A good comparison may be people with Sebrings that open theirs? Im not sure I remember seeing the tops off of them almost ever. Same with pt cruisers or beetles or minis. I don’t really even see tops off soft top wranglers that often. The fact that it’s cooperating better the more you use it makes me wonder if it fails through atrophy and cycling it is keeping things moving as expected.
I have long wondered the same thing. Aside from trying to open the roof when it was 25 degrees, the system has worked well, not flawlessly, but well. When it does have an issue opening, I just hit the close button for a second, then hit the open button. The roof will complete the step it missed and finish the cycle without protest.
I put the top down on my BMW all the time. But my days of enjoying driving top down when it is less than about 60F are LONG over, even top down, windblocker up, and butt heat on max. Having wintered in FL nearly a decade, my blood is about as thick as helium at this point. I about froze to death waiting for my metro train at DCA this afternoon.
But back in the day when I had my Saab 900T convertible in Maine, I drove it in the snow top down more than a few times. I never drove my Spitfire in snow, for fear of tinworm infestation. And a heater that is basically a couple of hamsters huffing into a straw, vs. the Swedish blast furnace and heated seats of the Saab. But I put plenty of top down miles on in the 40s and 50s the first decade I had it, when it was my only convertible. As long as the roads were bare and dry, I drove it everywhere.
Not exactly your use case, but since I moved to California, I don’t think I’ve seen a convertible driven with top up more than once. So if the massive reports of roof failure are all from outside of CA, maybe.
I live in the NorCal foothills. I don’t lower the roof on my MW when the temps are below 60°, but see a lot of convertibles top up at temps over 70°. I always want to ask them why they bought a convertible. I’ll admit that I leave the top up when Herself is along and we’re going on the freeway.
As savagegeese were mentioned, I need to share legitimately the funniest car video I’ve ever seen
https://youtu.be/V6vprgDHFw0?si=f5UAdGY7-1QJinhW
He still owns that crosscab with the “PLAYER” license plate.
Another of what I consider as Autopian Writer Car Block. Now many of the occasional writers write about maintenance. I suggest every writer on the regular staff first get the definition of the word and then research the the maintenance requirements for whatever vehicle they happen to own or be driving. Don’t bury an engine in water allow water to enter the engine block and then let it sit for months. I am sure the convertible top problem is 3 result of Nissan owners doing absolutely no maintenance on the convertible top. No lube, no treatment of the fabric, and no consideration of conditions. We should start realizing everything works better if suggested maintenance is followed
Did chatgpt write this for you? You’re not usually this coherent and there’s usually tons of spelling mistakes as you pound the keyboard in anger
I usually use A write so surprised you think I have typos. I’ll give you the coherent argument as not many people are intelligent enough to grasp my brilliant mind. Lol
Roof? Who needs a roof? Or a backseat, or a trunk.
The answer is obvious – NMCC Ute.
The roof got exercise like its target audience and that makes it happy. And same audience doesn’t like the cold either!
New rule- it is ok to leave the top down if temps stay below freezing. Any precipitation will be snow, so can be cleared from the interior without melting into water. When temps are above crossing freezing or above, that’s when you need to think about water damage.
Or just remove the roof entirely, and strip out/waterproof the interior, and enjoy the increase in foolishness
Who knows apparently not who knows. Have you ever seen a tennis ball submerged in dry ice? It shatters.
You are correct, I did not know it gets down to the -110F temps to freeze CO2 into dry ice in the midwest, sounds chilly. I had in mind 0-20F temps, below the freezing point of water, not CO2. Oops, my bad.
I bought my S13 from Florida. I was excited about the crack-free dashboard, because literally every single one I had ever seen in person was cracked.
The first cold day I came out to the car to see the typical crack. I was sad, but I knew I was not alone.
Proper maintenance was not done
With the top down, the CrossCab reminds me of a shortened Youabian Puma.
(Worth looking up.)
That is not a good look.
Be careful! I remember the builder of this thing suing people for criticizing it online.
LOL – what, is he a member of the Trump Administration?
That thing was *hideous*, and I would tell it to that dude’s face.
He tried to sue our own Jason Torchinsky!
https://www.jalopnik.com/man-behind-this-ugly-car-wants-to-sue-because-we-said-h-1610960569/
Truth is an absolute defense to liable and slander, LOL.
There isn’t a judge or jury on the planet who would look at that thing and not think it was ugly. But plenty of lawyers who would take his money to try.
I think it’s great. Just in case you were wondering what kind of nutjob would build such a vehicle… we all know for sure.
My car salesman buddy said there is an ass for every seat. <shrug>
If yours is the ass for the Puma’s seat, contact Mr. Youabian.
Jason can put you in touch with him.
No, no – I would hate to deprive you of the “pleasure”. All yours!
I’m tempted to buy it just to send unhinged Cease and Desist letters.
ROFL! That might be a fun hobby.
Apology. I slammed this car project when you started the storyline. Now i find it funny. Top down in the snow. Whoa.
I used to hate this car but I’m at a point where I saw one parked at dunkin and took a picture because I was so happy to see one of these stupid things
But was the roof down?
It was raining and 30 degrees F and most people aren’t insane like mercedes so no it was not down. Surely bad weather is the only reason a cross cabriolet would not have the top down.
Miata folk recommend turning on the rear defroster with the top stowed to warm things up for a few minutes before putting the top up in the cold. (if equipped)
It probably helps to run the heater for a few minutes to warm the top before trying to fold it down, too.
Your knowledge and wisdom is spot on. Now go somewhere else because that is not what they do here.
Just kidding
About the going somewhere else your advice is brilliant
My NB doesnt allow me to run the rear window defroster with the top down, it turns off automatically even if the button stays pressed. But good advice for warming up the cabin first before putting it down. I am dying for spring weather.
I guess I’ve been doing that for nothing. It’s not really an issue for me, I don’t take it out unless the top is down. I generally leave the top down even when it’s parked. It has been hell on the seats.
The convertible top’s travails make me wonder if it were possible to find a complete top/mechanism in a southern or California junkyard, grab the entire assembly and transplant into this one? At the very least, maybe the canvas might be usable from that one. I’ve done a couple tops on old Saabs and found it easier to pull the whole thing from a junkyard car and swap into the recipient car as a unit.
Given the rest of the important parts are essentially an Altima (and as a result is effectively invincible), the chances are that any Crosscab in a junkyard is there because the top is broken.
Actually the 6,000 sales makes me wonder did they only build 6,000 or are there new ones still in storage somewhere?
5,999 of them are in God’s Waiting Room, FL, with the top firmly up lest it muss the blue-haired driver’s coiffure.
Time to stock up on spray foam.
The stupid cold is scary on machinery. For a bit there, every time I put in the clutch, I heard a horrible squealing like a belt noise for a minute before things woke up from the -10/-20 degree temps.
Back in college, when it was well below zero at my school at the ends of the earth in far DownEast Maine (a regular thing), my ’85 Jetta could be driven slowly around like an automatic with the stick in neutral for a few minutes until the gearbox oil warmed up. <eek> Clutch and brake pedals would be notably stiff too.
I presume you mean the car has Stockholm syndrome. You have abducted it, taken it to the climate equivalent of the Gulag, ignored its cries for help, and yet it keeps doing its roof dance just to make you happy!
I would expect shrinkage to be an issue during a Midwest winter, but not so much in Florida.
I WAS IN THE POOL!!
Okay that’s funny I don’t care who you are
Preach. If I wanted my car to have the roof up I wouldn’t keep buying ones where the roof goes down.
People need to know is this the same feeling you have towards girlfriends?
Just kidding
Is it just because I’ve seen way too many pictures of this thing or does that rear 3/4 view with the top down almost make it look… good?
It’s time to pay your tab and go home before you do something you might regret – the beer goggles are firmly in the on position!!
Studies have shown in most cases when beer goggles really show ugly as pretty is usually results in trying but limp
I do wonder if there’s a shop that could make a replacement fabric top, if you could detach it from the mechanism (or get one from a broken car to use as a template). Maybe in some snazzy fabric pattern. Then inflict it on SWG to change the top out.
If any car screamed for a knock-off Louis Vuitton print roof, this is it.
Using a stylized Autopian A…
Yeah, I can get behind this idea.
I’ll admit that I was wincing at the lack of mechanical sympathy and risk-taking with the convertible roof. I know the point is to treat the car like crap, but KNOWING that the convertible top fabric is, at best, barely hanging onto life, and yet still running the top in freezing-or-subfreezing weather gives me the shakes.
“Lack of mechanical sympathy.” Nailed it. My sister had a Miata that was developing a tear near the rear window. She told everybody that the top was never to be lowered again. Her son and boyfriend both ignored her and ruined the top. Her son never drove the car again and the boyfriend got dumped.
Convertible tops are like tires they are a regular replacement item.
Good quality fabric tops last a LOT longer than vinyl though. But cost a lot more. But for sure, they don’t last forever. My 1-series top is getting to replacement time at 16. That’s gonna leave a mark on the wallet, but the car is well worth the cost. Hopefully soon having a garage for it to live in will buy me a few more years before the inevitable.
Miata replacement tops are at least simple and available.
And DIY replacement is possible
Roof fix-matching color duct tape!
Only (mostly) kidding, not sure duct tape would have the proper flex and stretch in this case.
WestMarine has Sail Repair Tape which is more flexible and stickier, and since it’s West Marine it’s also 10x more expensive than duct tape!
That plays well into the standard joke about a boat being a hole in the water that you pour money into.
And sailing is the art of slowly going nowhere at great expense.
Boat: bring on another thousand.
We can do better, how about the speed tape they use to repair aeroplanes?
FLEX SEAL!
I used flex tape to fix a rip on my Miata’s roof and was very impressed with how well it held up. I had it on there for like a year and a half and it never leaked or came loose.
Flex tape is waterproof and cheap
“Jason scratched up its hood by sliding his butt
acrossinto it while dressed up as a cop.”Saying he slid across it is generous.
Really more of a slow-motion tumble with a hint of scoot.
Really I didn’t think he actually got his butt up there