What Were They Thinking? -- Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet

The Nissan Murano is a crossover SUV first introduced in the USA for the 2003 model year (Wikipedia entry here.

Model years 2011-2014 saw a convertible version on the American market.  It was not part of the next-generation Murano line introduced for the 2015 model year.  This brief production run suggests that sales were not strong.  Perhaps that might have been due to its unusual concept -- convertible version of what is basically a station wagon body type.  Or maybe the problem was its awkward styling.  

Regular Muranos were tall, like other SUVs, whereas convertibles are expected to be low and racy looking.  So Nissan stylists had the difficult task of making a tall car look racy.  The result was rather odd looking, made even more odd by the rear (backlight) windows on the raised canvas top.

The images below are factory-sourced.

Gallery

The CrossCabriolet was of the second-generation Murano, sold in the USA for model years 2009-14.  Above is a 2009 model standard Murano.

Rear quarter view of a 2011 Murano, the year the CrossCabriolet was introduced..

2011 Murano Cross-Cabriolet.  Regular Muranos had four doors, but these convertibles had only two.  Therefore, most rear-end and rear quarter body panels were new.  As mentioned, the packaging resulted in awkward proportions that can be seen here.

This overhead view clearly shows the dual-backlight arrangement.  The main window is constrained by the aft top frame bar, so the narrow ancillary window was added perhaps in an attempt to improve the driver's rear visibility.  That said, the fairly broad canvas area separating the windows was clearly an obstruction.  Plus, it seemed strange compared to conventional convertible top fenestration.

Seen from the front quarter the car appears chunky, not racy.

Nissan stylists and engineers clearly tried to shape the raised top to appear as sleek as possible.

Top down, the car looks stubby and tall.  Not sporty like a convertible should be.