Nissan Murano 2005 and earlier

dklanecky

I don't notice any difference in performance, but then I'm not doing burnouts with the Murano:-)

That said, I do occasionally turn off the TCS system and kick it down to Ds for a little fun.

Those MPG numbers are based on what I would consider slightly agressive driving, but certainly nothing that would get me a ticket.

Whoops, just jinxed myself!

njexpress

That sounds good! Apart from what the RX folks claim, I see tha the MO has a better "feel" when accelerating and I really like that. It sounds reassuring thet there's no diff. noticed. BTW, Lexus does claim that it can run on regular with understandable results, of course! This is good info, Thanks again!
--NJExpress!

bowke28

murano only RECCOMMENDS premium...does not require it...the HP rating is based on regular fuel.

dweiser

My Mo seems to be happy on any of the three grades of fuel.

jaylin

is it good to buy extended warranty from dealer. any suggestions re type of warranty and prices paid. is this a factry fixed price or can it be negotiated

stever

Good showning by the Murano:

WTOL

Steve, Host

Kirstie_H

Don't forget tonight's member-to-member chat -- Our topic tonight is "Warranties: Are they worth it?"



http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/townhallchat.html

6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET. Drop by for live chat with other members. Hope you can join us!

kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host

htn123

farkel4251, I got mine from Xpel for $300 including tax. Installed it myself. Took about 3 hours, but it turned out great. I can hardly tell that the film is there.
 If you are going to do it yourself, here is a little tip. After you have finished install it and found a small bubble or small pocket of water, don't try to peel it back. Pain in the rear to get the film back again, cause the dawn thing stretch. Just get a small needle and poke a small hole to get the water or air out. Then just use the squezze to press the film in place. The film will stress and the glue will cover the little hole, won't even notice it's there.

jdm2298

My wife and I purchased a Sheer Silver SL FWD with Cafe Latte leather interior about 3 weeks ago. I have to say I love this thing! I took me a while to talk my wife into the Murano. She initially wanted a Pilot. Once she drove the Murano she was hooked. The Cafe Latte interior color is a great looking color, but since it is very light it will show dirt. We are about to roll 1000 miles and have had no problems to date.

jaylin

re: town hall meeting on sep 17th by host kristie_h.
 hai for those of us who could not participate, is it possible to post the discussion as a separate thread?
any discussion re usefulness and price paid would be good. thanks

stever

Ordinarily transcripts aren't kept unless there's a special guest (link).

You may want to look at the Extended Warranties discussion.

Check out this recent CNN Money article too:

The rip-off room

Anyone price one for the Murano recently?

Steve, Host

economou

Does anyone know how I can replce the In-Cabin filter on my own?

Thanks............

dklanecky

I'll share the two pages from the service manual.

(They're ATC 137 and IP 13, if you have the service manual.)

I'll send them to you if you have a public e-mail address.

ek01

Can anyone tell me if it is permissible or recommended to shift into Ds from D when the vehicle is in motion. I have been doing this on highways for either merging or passing. I was reading the vehicle manual last night and there is no mention of whether this is okay for the transmission. Thanks.

dowam

I think that is the purpose of the sport mode. I do the same thing. In fact, when I was test driving it the dealer told me to check that out. I assume that it is fine, it is like dropping into d2 on automatics.

dklanecky

Your not actually shifting "gears" with the Murano's computer controlled CVT. Your just telling the computer to bring up the rpms into a different program for a given throttle input/speed.

I haven't tested it yet (I'm a little bit of a chicken with a $35k vehicle) but I suspect you'll hit the rev limiter if you were going 75 mph in D and "downshifted" to Ds.

I don't think the computer won't let you destroy the engine or CVT transmission.

This opinion is based on my experiences with my Murano driving pretty agressively (read flooring it until it gets close to redline) starting off in L, then moving to Ds, then to D.

It really moves out!

Suprises a lot of people at traffic lights when we're seeing lanes merge, etc.

dweiser

I often "shift" into Ds from D instead of applying the brakes (has the same effect) on the twisty mountain roads where I live. Works great.

muranoman

I was wondering I've seen a lot of
women driving the Murano.
Is it more of a "chick" car or guys car?

What do you think?

cgaines

When buying my Murano, I asked my husband if it was a chick car. His opinion ask difinitely not!
I have all males in my house and need something that everyone would drive. Women like sporty cars also.My sons high school football team thinks my Black SL with front tinted window is
"tight".

lmacmil

My casual observation is that more women drive SUVs in general. If they have kids and don't want a minivan, the SUV is the other logical choice. Among SUVs, I think the RX300 is closer to a "chick car" (no offense to any females reading this) than anything.

dmmakoski

Murano: guy
RX: gal

lumbar

I personally don't think of it as a "chick" car but have yet to see one (out of say 8-10 vehicles) driven by a guy. It's odd because I would think, strictly IMO, that women would be more bothered by its weakest feature-that awful front grill. But I think "Imacmil" is right, more women generally drive SUVs and this is a reflection of that.

njexpress

My wife will be the primary driver of this vehicle although, I would ride it to work twice a week. I don't wanna drive it more than twice since my one way commute it 55 miles - not because somebody might think it's a chic's car.
If I drive it, It's a guy's car, That's it ;0)
For those who think it's a chic car, go get a Peterbilt!!!!
Overall, I would think it is a great family car and to me, it is as much of a chic's car as it is a guy's car ;0) My final Short list was an RX and a MO and we decided unequivocally that the Mo is far nicer in styling and value!!
Good Luck.

1sttimevolvo1

I think that a lot of women are drawn to the `cross-over' utes because they feel that they can have an suv that doesn't feel big and cumbersome like a suburban or even an explorer, yet they sit higher than they would in a sedan. I know there's not much difference in the size of an explorer, but most cross-over utes have sleeker lines that make them `appear' smaller.
A lot of women don't like the stereo-type associated with a minivan.
Our XC90 was mainly my wife's decision, (although I really liked it as well, too) because it will be the car she drives, although we will use it on trips and weekends. Ultimately, they're appealing to both men and women, whereas the `traditional' suv tends to be a man thing. I know there are some women who like the traditional suv as well, that's why I used the phrase `tends to be'.
Just my 2 cents......

brelan

Toronto is full of MO's(four just on my street) and I see just as many men driving as women. My husband doesn't get to drive because he can't get me to give up the drivers seat!

clpurnell

my wife thought it was too feminine for me so we got an FX35. Now she drives the FX all the time. I think I got duped on that one

andytruck

I have had my Murano for two months now and it is a great car. Surprised by the good mileage. Several long road trips during which I consistently got 26 miles per gallon. About 20 daily city driving.

On the guy/gal question - it looks like about equal numbers of men and women drivers in Los Angeles, though the black color definitely seems to be the guys' choice.

dowam

Well I guess I am glad to be driving a black one!

stever

Tidester pulled some strings :-)

Check out the Extended Warranties discussion for the transcript of the recent extended warranty chat (starts at post 127).

Steve, Host

dardson1

I (a boy person) love the way this car looks (almost). The rear kinda sticks its tongue out and says "goodbye" to those behind. The profile is supreme with the big tires, wheel wells, and aggressive stance that looks like it's ready to pounce. Nissan hit the mark. It doesn't look too tall for its length like the RX330. Then you get to that toothy smile that overwhelms the front. It reminds me of that ugly face on a Toyota Avalon. This otherwise terrific design deserves a nose that goes with the body, IMHO.

mmms

Well I have to finally get "off the pot". My lease is coming due and I think I got it narrowed down to the Pilot or Murano. I have been reading the feedback for some time, but I guess I have to ask, which one and any regrets, and would they switch. I posed this question on the

dowam

I had the same question when I was looking around. I ultimately decided on the murano for a few reasons. I felt the interior of the pilot wasnt up to par with pricing. I thought it was a bit generic. Also, the pilot seems like more of a family vehicle, which isnt bad, just not what I was looking for. The ride in the murano is better, smoother and it accelerates faster. Plus the styling of the murano I like much better, sportier. I got a dealership down to a really good price so I went with the murano. Honda is going to keep tryiny to sell the pilots at as close to invoice as possible, especially considering the 04s are the only ones on the lots around here.

Good luck, I am sure you will be happy with either vehicle. Oh yeah, the pilots wheels look to small, in my humble opinion.

dardson1

I suppose that on paper these cars look similar. Honda certainly makes fine vehicles. I've never driven either; but the Pilot looks so much like a CR-V I have to look to see if it has a tire on the back to tell the difference. The Murano is the best attempt I've seen at making a wagonish kinda utility vehicle look like a handsome and sporty car. For me, the Pilot would have to be way, way better to overcome its utterly bland styling.

superdavid

Bought the Murano two weeks ago, SL AWD with all the options except the NAV and traction control. It is very stylish car, very roomy and the CVT drives like a dream, smooth like hell. I have many people turn their heads with I drive it. Murano is like 5, 6K cheaper than MDX and RX330, both of them maybe better car but very ordinary looking.
The Murano still kind of tall to my liking (this is my first SUV), but I guess I will get used to it.
My only complain is the gasmileage, got 12.5 MPG from my first tank, based on N.Y.C. local heavy traffic with A/C on.

cgaines

Your gas mileage will get better as the engine breaks in. It was about 2500-3000 miles for me.
Still love my murano.

dowam

Yeah, mine was at about 12.5 when I first bought it, not after 500 some odd miles it is at 14.5. I am hoping that will bump up to around 19 or 20 some time, which would be the same as the GTI I traded in!

kyim67

After 8 months, my Murano gets 18.6 city driving using 89 octane gas.

superdavid

Thanks for the info. I only have 200 miles on my Murano (I only drive it during weekend). Hopefully the MPG will improve now that I am using premium gas. (Don't know what kind of gas the dealer put in for my first tank).
Later.

shued

I see you compare Murano with MDX or RX330, why not compare Murano with Pilot or Highlander? Then figure out what the price difference. I will recommend to compare Infinite version of Murano with MDX or RX330.

superdavid

I just feel Murano is about the same class with MDX and RX. Like I say, both are better car than the Murano.
If you really want to compare Highlander and Pilot with equivalent features, fully loaded Highlander is more expensive than Murano and the Pilot about the same, but both car I don't like their typical 4x4 truck like styling.
Again, this is only my personal opinion. If you really want to compare these cars, see Edmund's car comparison feature.

superdavid

When should I get my Murano the first oil change?
The car dealer salesman told me @3000 miles, but my friends told me should be done @1000 miles.

rbb181

I'm considering a Murano or an Odyssey. This may seem strange but here is how i came to this..

Need a vehicle with Higher seating position than a car or wagon and have a tight suspension/excellent handling, good accelaration ( 0-60 ~ 8 sec ) and excellent safety ratings and Braking.

Other vehicles considered - Pilot, Highlander and new Sienna - Budget is around 28-30k max.

Not considering any other make/model due to Size, Higher Price, Reliability and Resale values.

Having seven seating/extra room may be useful
once in a while. Same with having a 4 wheel drive. These are not must have features

After reading the reviews it looks to me that
Pilot/Highlander have a much softer suspension
than the Murano.

Also it seems from reviews that Odyssey has a
tighter suspension than Pilot.. How does Odyssey
handling/suspension compare to Murano SL

Am i thinking correctly or some has different views. Any feedback would be highly appreciated.

I've not driven the Murano or 04 Sienna

Thanks
Raj

nortsr1

What does the manual tell you?

dowam

Test drive the murano. What others say about suspension doesnt necessarily coincide with what you are going to think of it. The Murano SL is a really comfortable ride. Of course I was driving in a vehicle with a sportier suspension before I bought the murano.

bowke28

if the murano, in your mind, compares closer to the acura and lexus...wouldnt logic dictate that its now a no-brainer based on price?

dweiser

Well, you asked. I'm old-fashioned but think it's not a bad idea to get your first oil change around 500 miles on the odometer. I guess 1,000 miles would be o.k. too. I believe there are metal parts (filings, etc.) from the manufacturing process that you don't want circulating inside your engine (oil) so I always change the oil AND filter the first 500 miles (or so) on every new car. Some may say this is silly and environmentally wrong. When I bought my Mo I negotiated for 5 free oil & filter changes.

superdavid

dweiser, thanks for the info. I will do my first oil change @1000 miles.

junebug56

I test drove the Murano yesterday and I was quite impressed. The smoothness, quickness, quietness of the cabin, and the storage configurations were great! How has your experience been with the car-those who have purchased it? How is your gas mileage? How about problems? I think it has a lot on it equipmentwise, compared to the other models.
Any info would be appreciated. I drove a model without traction control. Has anyone had any problems without the traction control? It rains a lot in Florida. Thanks!!

dmmakoski

How has your experience been with the car-those who have purchased it?
The car been great! It's like a 350Z with a big trunk.

How is your gas mileage?
21.8 MPG w 3000 miles on her.

How about problems?
If I were to nit pick, some rattles in the windows.

I have traction control. Here in the Norteast It is worth it. Plus got all options except chrome wheels.

You will love this car.

dweiser

Murano owner since Feb. 1st. Love it still, no problems, not even a single rattle. I live in the mountains of western NC so my mileage is around 18-19, driving on mostly small twisty mountain roads. I have traction control and no problems with it, think it's probably a good thing to have.