Nissan Murano MPG Real World Numbers

steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
in Nissan
Please post your actual gas mileage for your Murano here.

"Real World" Fuel Economy vs. EPA Estimates

Steve, Host
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  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    I'm currently averaging 17.1 MPG between highway and city..I use regular unleaded fuel 87..Got K&N oil and air filters, use Mobil-1 synthetic oil.

    By the way, thank you very much Steve ( our host )Now we can consolidate our mileage.
  • murano_ownermurano_owner Member Posts: 64
    15.5. This is the magic number no matter how long I drive on the freeway or street. If it never gets past 15.5 I might actually have a problem with my car. I also have a K&N Air filter.
  • homeounerhomeouner Member Posts: 145
    Having seen the fact. installed shield,on the 06's the metal(alum. or coated steel) will certainly harbor salty water from winter driving and if the flat bottom side is not properly drained salt will build up and corrode that thin metal away in a few years. The Nissan phone no. to enter a complaint about the black plastic is in the owners manual. Lets all really call to complain. They will give you a file number.
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    During the winter season here in Canada, I can go as low as 15.5 MPG but improves to around 17.1 MPG during this summer. Have you tried using syntehic oil and filter along with your K&N air filter? I've seen other people here were posting above the 20MPG, I can only wish I can do that on my Murano.
  • lepoolepoo Member Posts: 1
    And I have been unhappy with 20 to 21 MPG combo driving. I guess I should be grateful, yet I am looking for ways to increase my mileage. Prior to this '04 Murano (SE AWD) I had a Honda CR-V = 25 - 28 MPG. I like the Murano a lot more - just wish I could get that gas mileage. Has anyone ever taken the catalytic converter off, or known anyone who has done so on a Murano? And what were the results?\
    P.S. I do not use synthetic oil, nor a special filter - and I do run 'reg.' unleaded gas. :blush:
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Has anyone ever taken the catalytic converter off...

    I don't think it's legal to remove emissions control components such as catalytic converters.

    tidester, host
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    lepoo,
    that 20-21 MPG makes me jealous. I guess some Murano's are made better than other Murano's. You would think that 2006 Murano's would be trouble-free but as we see here, many are still having problems. The same thing goes with MPG, some will get a better performing machine and some will get the one's made on a late Friday night,

    Regarding removing the catalyctic converter, I believe that you will gain a lot of power by removing it but that would be illegal as our host suggested..
  • lisa05lisa05 Member Posts: 6
    I have an 05 AWD w/ Touring Murano - love it. I'm getting 18 MPG after 11 months of mostly around town driving. I use mid-level gas (89). I'd love to see it higher - esp w/ theprices. Any ideas?
  • philipzphilipz Member Posts: 2
    My Murano gets 18.5 MPG around town with California CostCo regular. My best was 31.1 MPG on Circle K regular at 65 MPH from Flagstaff AZ. to Albuquerque NM. that would be over 600 miles on one tank. After being told that Shell gas gets better mileage, I tried two tanks of Shell and got 26 MPH on both at the same 65 MPH, by far the lowest of my trip. I got 30.6 and 30.5 on Arco/BP regular.
    My Murano loves cheap gas.

    Philip
  • andytommoandytommo Member Posts: 33
    I see other people have issues with their mpg, but I'm more than happy with mine.

    I have an '04 SE, now with 58,000 miles on it.

    I drive about 75% highway (but my highway is an average 75-80mph, a little higher than most I imagine).

    I reset the average mpg reading about 4 tanks ago, and its telling me I'm getting 21.9 mpg. If I set my cruise control at 65mph I easily get 28-30+ mpg!

    I always use premium, regular gas is really poor.
    a. i find it does make a difference to mpg, even if its 1 or 2mpg extra, thats still a 10% improvement, which cancels the fact that premium is about 8-10% more expensive.
    b. it really does make a difference to performance
    c. i'm from england, and there must be a reason why the cheapest gas there and most of europe is 93 octane (premium in the US), whilst some gas stations sell our 'super unleaded' which is 95 and sometimes 97 octane.

    Help your engine out, give it the good stuff! What would you function better after drinking - tap water or Gatorade??
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Octane seems to be expressed differently depending on where you live. 98 octane is the high test blend in Australia and New Zealand for example, but you'd have to search out a race track supplier in the states to find any that high. Most of ours tops out at 93, except in parts of the Rocky Mountain states where its often less because of the elevation.

    If the owner's manual recommends regular fuel, that's what I use. I don't like Gatorade. :P Check out the What about fuel types & gas mileage? discussion for more - here's a good recent thread about it:

    Mr_Shiftright, "What about fuel types & gas mileage?" #219, 9 May 2006 1:18 pm

    Steve, Host
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    I tried using mid range and premium in the past but see no mileage improvement on my Murano so I went back to regular gas. This is recommended for our car anyway. The only time I noticed a slight improvement is when I changed my air and oil filters to K&N and engine oil to Mobil 1. Other than that, using higher octane is just a waste of money.
  • jeffdiver1jeffdiver1 Member Posts: 3
    Can you (and all others) please tell which model of Murano you have. I would love to be getting close to 20 mpg in my '05 SL AWD (dark mettalic grey-for you click 'n clack fans.)
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    2004 Nissan Murano SL AWD.
  • twp_chieftwp_chief Member Posts: 7
    I have 2004 SL AWD. I average 20 mpg around town. I live near Pittsburgh and we have lots of hills. I use premium gas 92 - 93 oct. When I go to the 87 oct I get about 13 -15 mpg around town. The best I have gotten on a trip is 28.7 mpg and that was keeping it below 2000 rpm around 60-65 mph. I have averaged 24 to 26 mpg on small trips in Western Pa. where I averaged around 60 mph with four people in the vehicle and the air running. I guess 20 mpg around town isn't so bad for a SUV which is as heavy as Big Mo is with the air running.

    I just love the car. My only dislike about the car is it's harsh ride on bumpy roads. On the open smooth interstate it rides like a big limo...very nice and comfortable. In fact I took it to Florida and have never felt as good as I did when I arrived after 13 hours of driving in the Murano.

    I averaged 20 mpg with 3 guys, 3 suit cases, six scuba tanks, at 40 lbs each. three sets of dive gear at 50 lbs each, a large cooler loaded with ice, pop,sandwiches, and beer, with the air on full blast the whole way down... AND cr using at 75-80 the whole way. That is through the WVA mountains from Pittsburgh to Gainesville, FLA.
  • katkatokatkato Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2004 murano SL. I average 19 to 20 mpg hwy and in the city. The best I have gotten is 22 mpg at 65 mph on small trips. I have always used regular unleaded. However I read the nissan manual which states fuel recommendations as follows: unleaded regular gasoline-octane rating of 87 AKI....but for improved vehicle performance use of unleaded premium gasoline with an octane rating of at least 91 AKI number. Should I upgrade to premium or am I wasting money?
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    The performance they are talking about has nothing to do with MPG, really, but more to do with POWER, acceleration. ;)

    If you aren't hearing "pinging" or experiencing some engine hesitation, the severe kind, when you floor it to enter a Interstate, don't worry about it.
  • lisa05lisa05 Member Posts: 6
    I recently had the 15K service on my 05 Murano and gas mileage went right up. I was getting 18 or so and now and getting 20+ - why is this?
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Several here will undoubtedly have the correct technical reasons, but it has to do with the car's computer learning. It is adaptive, and learns. After the first 10K miles or so, mileage usually improves in all cars. ;)
  • waiwai Member Posts: 325
    Are you sure that the 93 Octane in Europe is R+M / 2 and not Ron. because 95 Ron is equivalent to 91 R+M / 2 which is midgrade only.
  • cyrusdcyrusd Member Posts: 25
    As what I knew, most countries including all of Europe and Australia use RON while in the United States, we use (R+M)/2. And the rating number based on RON system is 4-5 points lower than the one using (R+M)/2. In other words, 87 octane fuel, the "regular" gasoline in the US and Canada, would be 91-95 (regular) in Europe.

    FYI, check this out:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating
  • michaelscaimichaelscai Member Posts: 75
    on my 2003 murano, I get less than 21 with mixed city/highway drive on 87 regular gas.

    with shell v-power 91 premium filled in this morning, I'm averaging 23+ with mixed driving. it was as high as 27.6 with highway only.

    I'm pleasantly surprised on how much nicer the MPG gets with premium gas.

    Both are numbers reported by computer, I have not done my own calculations yet
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Exactly right! :)

    Depending on the cost-spread in your area, and your local altitude it is actually cheaper, in the long run, to pay more for the Premium.... :P
  • michaelscaimichaelscai Member Posts: 75
    Except after the whole tank, the mpg drops below 21 mpg again. The computer was reporting higher than actual mpg with a full tank.

    Am switching back to regular 87 octane gas, as the premium gas showed no improvement :(

    guess the factory specification 20-24 is reasonable for me, I'm getting between 20-21 mpg with mixed driving, with the stop and go highway traffic here at phoenix, not really much 'real' highway driving though. I can see it being 24 or so with just highway cruising.
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Recently, between Palm Springs and Flag, driving through Phoenix, instead of I-40, mine was 25 for the RT. The computer is usually 1-2 MPG, off, I beleive, but more accurate measuring longer trips.

    I actually run the mid grade, (89 Octane) and have better results and pickup. For the few cents per gallon, what the hell! :P
  • mschmalmschmal Member Posts: 1,757
    Mark.
  • tinycadontinycadon Member Posts: 287
    Nissan can state all they want, but the fact of the matter is that this vehicle will run on regular gas without any knocking and pinging, I KNOW THIS BECAUSE I DROVE ONE FOR TWENTY THOUSAND MILES!!! Go into the Murano townhall and search this out, you'll see for yourself. It's a 6cyl engine, not a turbo, it will run perfectly fine on regular gas. Maybe if you need that extra boost to get that quarter mile time down on the commute into work then by golly, go ahead and buy premium, but if not, regular will suit just fine.
  • tinycadontinycadon Member Posts: 287
    #2303 of 2622 Re: SNOW AND THE BIG MO [twp_chief] by gerapau Feb 03, 2005 (6:05 am)
    Bookmark | Reply | E-mail Msg
    Replying to: twp_chief (Feb 03, 2005 5:23 am)

    twp_chief, the owner's manual doesn't say that you have to use premium. It says that you have to use at least 87 AKI gas which is regular. It says that for improved performance you should use premium. Regular gas should not hurt the Murano but MAY cause slightly lower performance/fuel efficiency.

    This was from 2005, and unless Nissan redesigned the engine or made some modifications to it that I've never heard about, regular gas will do fine, unless you're trying to race at stoplights, then get the premium.
  • cowbellcowbell Member Posts: 125
    I know the Murano doesn't need premium. What I said was:
    "Murano needs premium to get its numbers."

    You can run the Murano on 87, but don't expect anywhere near the 245HP claimed for the engine. I'd estimate it's closer to 220 on regular.

    And of course not everyone needs max horse power, but that is very often what sells cars, and often makes them more fun to drive.

    I'm just saying if you're trying to sell a semi-sporty crossover, and you're touting the engine as a selling point, you're going to have to use premium fuel in the Murano to get it to performed as advertised.
  • baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    It seems your main concern is fuel mileage. Why then did you buy a Murano? Seems to me you could have done better, especially in that price range.

    Just curious. We all have our personal preferences but yours seems to be a little off the curve to me.

    FWIW Nissan is most likely requiring premium fuel for the Murano to achieve it's max HP rating and not to simply run the thing. A lot of newer vehicles are like this. Use 87 and your HP decreases a good bit but you won't have any problems or cause any damage.
  • baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    Well said. But I feel as if it needed more cowbell. ;)
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    But most vehicles will get worse fuel mileage using 87 if the vehicle was designed for 91 because the timing must be retarded to compensate. So you not only lose power but you also lose fuel mileage which can negate the per gallon cost savings if you use more fuel.
  • tinycadontinycadon Member Posts: 287
    Fuel wasn't the factor in my buying decision, it was the vehicle itself, it was brand new, nothing else like it on the road, and the size and ride was excellent for my needs. All I'm doing is trying to wake people up to the fact that PREMIUM gas is not needed in this vehicle, and if it's needed for MAXIMUM performance, well, who really MAXs out their vehicles in the 1st place??? Some cars redline at 7000rpms, who in the reality of day to day driving ever even comes close to getting to 7000rpms? If people want to dump and waste $$$ by putting premium gas into this vehicle, go ahead, I'm just trying to save people the $$$ and tell them it's not needed. Again, I was getting 22-24mpg using 87 octane on the highway doing avg speeds of 70-80mph, now, you going to tell me that's not good? It's basically the EPA Est of 24mpg for highway, doing an average of 75mph, I'd say regular 87 was more than sufficient for this vehicle.
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    And it's probable that you would get even better mileage with 91 octane since the timing won't have to be retarded. If you get 24-26 mpg on 91 octane that's a 10% improvement. The price difference between regular and premium in my area is 10%. When gas was $3/gallon the price difference was even less. Worst case it's a wash. You're not saving any money, and you're getting less power to boot.

    It may be possible to get even more power and better mileage from the Edge by using 91. But it's apples and oranges.
  • tinycadontinycadon Member Posts: 287
    If you get 24-26 mpg on 91 octane that's a 10% improvement.

    That's a pretty big "IF." From everything I've read, there really wasn't anything that suggested that going to the higher gas octane would get significant results, and that's from the owners postings, not some brochure propaganda. Since this vehicle wasn't built to be a sportscar, I chose not to put "racing fuel" in it. If people want a sportscar, buy a sportscar, if people want a sport UTILITY vehicle, then expect more utility than sport.
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Obviously it varies by vehicle but I've seen real world tests that confirm a 10% drop in mileage going from 93 to 87 in a car that was designed to use premium.

    It's common knowledge that in order for a car that's tuned for 91 octane to run on 87 octane without damage the timing has to be retarded. When you retard the timing you lose fuel economy. The only question is how much.
  • comp386comp386 Member Posts: 56
    The original point was simply that Murano needed premium to reach its listed hp. Using regular will give you less HP. If you don't care than that's good for you, but it's not a topic for this board.
    While I don't know too much about the Murano to do any feature comparison, the Edge seems to be well loaded. I'm glad to see Ford finally making all of these safety features standard. Has anyone gotten to sit in one of these vehicles? I think one of my biggest complaints about Fords (and probably all vehicles really) is that designers spend so much time on the outside, they forget that drivers spend most of their time looking at the inside of their car and not the outsides.
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    ...."designers spend so much time on the outside, they forget that drivers spend most of their time looking at the inside of their car and not the outsides."

    How true! I guess they do look at them as rolling billboards to increase sales.... ;)
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    My friends, I read some of your discussions and it was suggested that we need premium gas to get the posted HP. If that's the case, Nissan is in trouble because they overrated their HP, and if i'm not mistaken, it was based on regular gasoline and not premium.

    Regarding performance, a higher octane will achieve that but I don't think it will translate into higher MPG. I tried using the highest octane at shell station here in Canada out of curiousity for 2 months but did not see any gain in MPG but did find that the performance and the ease it runs is better but there's a price to pay, and for those who wants max performance, it's the best way to go. But I decided to use mid-grade instead. I still get improved performance but again, no MPG gain.
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    There are many, many factors with all of that.

    What is your altitude where most driving occurs?

    What is the ambient temperature?

    Higher altitudes = less Octane rating to achieve optimum performance.

    Temperature and even air pressure effect the results.

    So long as it is revealed in the methodology of the testing, it is ethical to list HP using 91+ or whatever. So far as I know, there isn't a standard set for that by the Auto Industry......
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Great questions! I don't mean to pick nits but it's "elevation" that you're talking about. Airplanes fly at altitude. When we're earthbound it's called elevation. :)

    tidester, host
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Moderator abuse!! :P

    LOL. Yes, agreed, Tidester. :)
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    Hello terri92270, the elevation is irrelevant in this case because I based all my measurements from home to my office everyday.

    To our HOST, if you don't mind, can you please post again the site regarding MPG. This should clarify some of the misconceptions regarding MPG and OCTANE.

    I would advise everyone to go that site.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Steve posted the links here: steve_, "Nissan Murano: MPG-Real World Numbers" #12, 13 Jul 2006 9:28 pm

    tidester, host
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Elevation, as it applies to Octane, is always relevant, as Octane needed for optimal performance decreases with elevation.... ;)
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    terry92270, If you read my post, I did not say that elevetion is not relevant but in my case where I drove the same place when I did my comparison, there's no need to compare the elevation of the same road.
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Maybe not for you, but for the rest of us, comparing your results, it would be, no? ;)
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    Let me make it clear if you still don't get it. I used premium gas for 2 months driving the same road from home to work and I used the same road from home to work using the mid-grade. How in the world can you factor elevation if I was using the same road to compare my MPG?
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Sorry, Easym1, I didn't mean to make you feel threatened, or back you into a corner by asking you to reveal your elevation. Please forget the question.... :)
  • easym1easym1 Member Posts: 218
    Even if I have the chance to know the elevation of all the roads I travel from home to work, what difference would it make if I use the same road to test the MPG?

    Again, if I use 2 different locations, that make sense and I dont feel threatened as you suggested. But sorry 'coz I can't make you understand a simple point.

    Let me ask the opinion of our HOST if it's really necessary or it make sense to know the elevation of exactly the same road that I use to test my MPG results between regular and high octane gas.

    terry92270,just for curiousity, do you know all the elevation changes on the roads that you travelled? If the answer is yes, I'd like to know where to get the info.
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