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Comments
regarding the mileage....
Highway - 24 (without A/C)
- 21 (with A/C)
City - 19(did not notice in detail)
And i guess the mileage calculator onboard shows 1 to 2 miles more than the actual mileage.
And congrats!
Steve, Host
Complete speculation:
Perhaps whatever makes the popping noise in the rear shocks wears down a little on each bump until it is gone?
Perhaps the popping noise is air trapped in the sheath that surrounds the shock, and reassembly with a sheath that is slightly loose elminates the noise by providing venting?
Anybody else have ideas?
2003 Nissan Murano
Steve, Host
Luckily, they found an identical vehicle arriving fresh off the boat. (Hey, this color/configuration was scarce up to this point?!?) They missed getting it routed directly here, but were able to swap with the receiving dealer. Whew! The nice thing is that this one won't have any demo miles on it.
That one trip was a 400 hundred mile jaunt to Toronto. Before leaving, I programmed in the destination and let the system guide me (eventhough I had a general sense of where to turn at each point along the way). The system was flawless and accurate. Even when I strayed from the designated route, it quickly recalculated and gave me updated directions.
The "birds eye view" option on the Nissan nav system is really great. It gives you an almost 3D view of the route ahead so you can make visual connections with landmarks or intersections.
The address book function is extremely helpful. Once addresses are programmed in, you can call them up with one or two cursor moves. This allowed me, for example, to simply call up my "home address" before departing from Toronto to have the system automatically begin routing me for my return trip.
The voice prompt is a pleasant "female" voice, though it would be nice to have a choice of voices. When the radio/CD/tape is operating, the voice prompt feature reduces the music volume (but does not totally mute it) and overlays the voice prompt on top of it.
Like I said, I'm still learning the capabilities of the system, including auxiliary features like locating restaurants by cuisine type and general location (great when you just have to have African or Thai food on the go).
Finally, the 7-inch screen is big and easy to read in almost any light. If you are wearing polarized sunglasses, however, you may "loose" parts of the screen image. Another feature of the Murano's screen that I really appreciate is the fact that all system read-outs (radio station, HVAC, outside temp, navigation) are on a single screen. So, you only have to look in one direction to get a quick read of all the info you need.
One final note. I live in a really small Western NY town, so I didn't expect the system to have detailed street information (all of the disclaimers say that detailed info is available primarily for large metropolitan areas). However, even some of the smallest local streets are listed in the system. Eventhough the system may designate the street as "Street Name Unknown" the local maps are complete and accurate (though I'm not likely to get lost around here :-) ).
A navigation system was a "must have" when I set out to purchase my current car. The Nissan navigation system hasn't disappointed. It's accurate, helpful and even fun. And the Murano is a blast. Great combination!
So far, the only complaint we can muster is that the driver's seat seems to "rock back" slightly on acceleration; don't know if the seat is loose, or what. The movement is slight but a bit unsettling if you aren't initially aware of it.
Otherwise, its an outstanding vehicle and we remain really pleased with our purchase. We're averaging 20 mpg on premium fuel in an equal mix of city/highway driving. The NAV system turned out to be much more than a "toy"; we have grown somewhat dependent upon it and use it often.
A recent poster speculated that the odometer may be off because he drove a known route and came up with a fairly significant discrepancy (something like 1.5 miles short over a 15 mile route). If this is accurate, then the Murano is getting better mileage than indicated and we may have an issue to address with Nissan regarding the odometer calibration.
Could one of you folks with the Nav system do a little test and compare the Nav's mileage vs the the odometer mileage over a known route (say 10 miles or so) and let us know what you find?
I have one (SE AWD)on order and the better gas mileage was actually one of my major deciding factors. Just curious!
I have noticed on my SL that the front seat also rocks a bit. Not checked the bolts yet but will do so. It does not feel like a normal amount of play but who knows.
While this is lower than anticipated, it is almost within the EPA estimates for city driving. I'm sure it will improve as we get used to each other and I decide to do slightly less, ummmm, spirited driving.
With the vehicle running, turn off the entire HVAC system.
Then hit the mode button and you can select where you want the air to come in from with each successive push of the mode button.
This seems to open the vents for outside air but not turn on the fans or air conditioning compressor.
I don't think you can select the recirculate mode without the A/C on. If you can, I haven't figured out how.
If you select outside air, then you have control over the A/C unit.
I'm not so sure I like the newfangled automatic climate systems. It sure is nice to keep the system from blowing on you until after the engine is warm enough, but you lose some features, like the ability to "mostly recirculate".
Twenty years ago, my Toyota had a slider to control how much fresh air to bring in versus recirculating internal air. It also had a separate A/C button. Both controls were independent, thus you could bring in just enough fresh air to avoid fogging the windows without robbing performance to feed the A/C system. I don't understand why they just didn't add a circuit to regulate the fan speed based on engine temperature and leave the rest they way it was.
Oh well. Now I'm feeling old.
Memory seats are very pleasant if you have two regular drivers of very different sizes.
Traction control might be less of a luxury in the Great White North. However, I'm guessing you folks up there probably know how to drive on snow and ice from birth. :-)
Not here in Lotusland (Vancouver). The tiniest sprinkle of the white stuff and Vancouverites do silly things behind the wheel!
also, yesterday's new york times, sports section has a very glowing review of the infinity fx. in fact, its is just about saying, why buy any other luxury suv. it also compliments by association some of the other nissan products. any comments.
And you gotta testdrive the FX, it rocks!
1) HOw is the handling? I test drove the Murano yesterday and it felt like a sedan. I've never had a SUV or wagon before and was a bit worried that the Murano would be difficult for me to drive.
2) MPG? I know it is listed at an amazing 20/25, but I've seen some comments in this thread about the Murano getting a lot less.
3) Is the Murano really a SUV? Seems more like a tall wagon to me - like a Subarau outback. How high are the bumpers on the Murano? I ask this because, the Outback and other 4-wheel wagons are usually at the same level as regular autos.
Funny, I started out looking at a Infiniti G35. But, while I was waiting for the salesperson, I feel in love with the Infiniti variant. I then wandered over to the Nissan dealer and drove the Murano.
Murano Pros
MPG
Size (barely)
Slight price adv
Cheaper tires in long run
Looks
FX35 Pros
Resale value
Warranty
Infiniti Service
Thoughts?
For similiarly equipped, I thought there was a $4-5,000 difference between the two?
We live in SoCal, so there is no other real need for 4WD. Thanks.
In other words, is 4WD worth the extra cost here?
Only one available the ad said. Fully loaded
with NAV for $37315 on sale for $32315. How about them apples.
However, in answer to your question, most of the reviews I've read say that there may be a SLIGHT improvement with AWD, but not much. You'll loose a bit of MPG, gain weight and complexity, and cost. But, ultimately, the AWD would be nice to have for an emergency situation.
1) I previously drove a little GT hatchback. It wasn't a performance demon, but it handled curves very nicely, and if it wasn't for back surgery I'd still be driving it. Many of the SUV-type vehicles I test-drove felt ungainly, top heavy, and ponderous. The ones with more power still felt clumsy or trucklike. The Murano drove like my hatchback; it was very planted and surefooted when cornering, and body roll was minimal--yet unlike my car it handled rough railroad crossings without shaking my fillings out. The controls came readily to hand, and I suspect the steering ratios were probably not too different.
2) City MPG has been lackluster, but I haven't done the math or any measured tests to see if it is accurate. We've had a lot of cold weather and I let it idle while I brush snow off of it, so that adds up. On the highway it is very frugal for a vehicle this size and mass. I think the CVT makes gas consumption directly proportional to the amount of right foot you use.
3) I haven't measured the bumpers but they appear to be about the same height as my wife's small sedan. Call it what you will: SUV, truck, minivan, tall station wagon, AMC Gremlin mutation. Personally, I think the Murano is most like a two-row minivan with conventional rear doors, particularly from the perspective of looking out front from the driver's seat. What you call it is irrelevant... the form has incredible utility for hauling people in comfort or a reasonable amount of cargo. The style is a little too eclectic for some, but it sets it apart from most anything else on the road and makes it easier to find in the parking lot.
Obviously I'm enthusiastic about the Murano, but you should also know that I didn't really want to replace my other car and I went shopping with a bias against SUVs, trucks, and minivans.
If you are considering the Murano, you should really go test-drive some of its competition and see for yourself what the difference in handling is (and how badly some very popular SUVs handle turns!)
Bigheadtooler - if an FX35 has an invoice of around $32000 - then it is about $2000 above invoice at 6%.
He has already been quoted by dealers here in L.A. for $400 above invoice and less for a Murano.
Thank you though for the info on the FX35, interestingly enough, his wife liked the FX35 better (superior interior to the Murano). Also, we all went to go look at the FX35 and a Nissan dealership was right next door. A couple first went to the Infiniti dealership to look at the FX35, then went to the Nissan dealership to look at the Murano. After the wife looked at the Murano, she dragged the husband back to the Infiniti dealership.
Why do you think so many here are reporting poor MPG around town? This is not a make or break thing for me because I've basically decided on the Murano. But, I'm curious as to what the issue might be.
Steve, Host
I am looking to get a hitch installed and would appreciate any advice. Hidden-hitch vs factory? Mainly interested in a little extra cargo space offered by a basket. Any thoughts on going the roof rack route instead?
Thanks
Ken
I had identified a vehicle 360miles away with all these options. At the last minute, they told me that this vehicle had its rear end swapped out to an existing customers vehicle. Later the parts were replaced via the manufacturer. But the dealer opted to skip this and do dealer trade at another site.
We picked up the vehicle last friday at 7pm. The next morning I called them with the bad news: they don't have the Cold Pkg installed.
This afternoon I'm supposed to find out how they want to resolve this. I told them up front we would not consider being paid for the uninstalled option. I said they'd either have to install the Pkg (though it probably won't be possible unless the components (like wiring to the mirrors) were preinstalled) or swap this for another vehicle as was originally agreed.
I like my dealer but he may have a tough time finding a vehicle with the same specs we agreed on.
I would even see a drop of 10-15% with just the cross bars up there and no bikes (when I was too lazy to take them off)!
Now of course I have no idea what towing a trailer would do to your mileage but I'm going with the towing on my Murano for it's overall increased flexibility.
Now, compare the odds of (1) the seats being put back together with everything taut and shaped correctly and no lumps or weak spots or injury to the leather and everything wired up correctly and all the safety stuff in the seat still working vs. (2) a mechanic being able to bolt the rear suspension back together correctly.
My money would be on the suspension.
If the vehicle with the replaced suspension was never itself damaged, e.g. it was just raided for parts, then I don't see what is the big issue. Somebody bolts the parts together in Japan or somebody bolts the parts together in USA, they still put the same parts together in the same order and tighten it to the same torque specifications.
(I'm biased because I had the suspension on my Murano worked on to eliminate a popping sound, and it has been working perfectly since then.)
If somebody pulled the wheel off and put another matching wheel on before they sell it to you, does that reduce the value of the car? Did you somehow get less than a new vehicle?
If the service work performed on the vehicle bothers you (which is fine, that's your choice) perhaps you should consider negotiating for it. How about the Nissan dealer provide a discount on the Nissan extended warranty so that the repair is covered for five years instead of the stock 3?
Steve, Host
I did have my wife and two teenage kids with me so maybe the rack itself isn't responsible for all the decrease, there's some additional weight as well.
The other issue was that the racks (loaded or empty)make a lot of wind noise (especially noticeable if the sunroof shade is open, less so if closed).
I'm going to get a trailer hitch mounted bike rack for the Murano (if it ever gets here)!
I've been told that extended warranties are mostly profit and would therefore be little expense to them. So if they offered that vehicle with their best extended warranty, that would be fine.
(I would have considered purchasing an extended warranty anyhow, but there were too many disclaimers re: nav, electronics, etc. even on their Gold warranty.)
At this point, they've determined that installing the Cold Pkg is not feasible (they talked to the factory/parts folks).
This afternoon we will arrive at a solution, though I'm the only one who's offered any:
- _no_ to cash-back for the mistake, or
- replace the vehicle, or
- <eliminated> install the Cold Pkg.
I'll get to sit down with the sales guy, his mgr, and dealership owner today, I suppose. I know we all want to solve this quickly, so I don't know how many options (i.e. properly configured cars) they have. This is not the quick, low-key purchase experience that I'd hoped for, but it's at least been pleasant.
In the meantime, I'm driving it like I own it. I'll be taking it golfing the rest of the week.
On a more positive note, we really like the Murano. And the nav is more than I'd ever expected. I was a little iffy before, but I wouldn't do without it now. We live in a not so big town (Huntsville, AL) that happens to be fully mapped, so that may color my opinion on the nav.
On an unrelated issue, before I decided to go for this sort of vehicle, I was looked at sports sedans. I test drove a G35 hours before driving the Nissan. I have to say that the interior on the Murano (which has gotten criticized by some media sources) is nicer than most of the fancy sedans I looked at. I'm totally in love with the seats and the headroom.