RAV4 vs Murano

[Kevog]

Hi all!

I'm a new (2010) Murano owner....coming from 15+ years of owning nothing but Rav4's, and have a few general observations/comparisons.

I'm actually a big fan of older Rav's. I owned one of the old/early 1996 models...and although bare-bones - it was nearly indestructible, got great gas milage, and lasted my family almost 200K miles with nothing but regular maintenance. I also owned a second gen 2004 model. Again, it was an amazingly well-built and reliable vehicle....we had zero problems with well over 100K miles! That Rav honestly felt like it had near-Lexus engineering and quality. Most recently, my family has had a 2007 Sport and 2010 Limited. The 07 was good from a reliability standpoint, but the 2010 was definitely a step-down. It had numerous squeaks and rattles, the materials were sub-par (especially the factory leather...very cheap), and it did have a few mechanical problems (trans/radio/alloy wheels).
My point is - you could see and almost graph the quality of this Toyota line. There was a distinct downward swing in overall quality - the factory floormats of the 2010 wouldn't have been acceptable at Walmart! It's shocking to see Toyota move in this direction...

SO, having done much work on all these vehicles myself, and having spent the last 6-7 months around Murano's - it's fascinating to see the differences. I know the Murano is a more expensive class vehicle - but still. AND, my Murano was only slightly more $ than my loaded 2010 RAV4 Limited!
: Thicker sheetmetal and glass - everywhere.
: Higher quality of materials - from headliner, to fasteners, to leather.
: It just seems like in the Murano - there are extra connections, layers, and reinforcements that Toyota doesn't have.

The Murano IMO is "much" quieter, smoother, more comfortable, roomier (despite only being slightly larger dimensionally than the Rav), better driving, safer, and simply a much better engineered and produced vehicle.

OK...end of rant. Now I'll go play with my new Murano!

[miloca1983]

you are correct. older rav4's were built to insane exellent quality. but the newer ones looks like they are becoming more and more like american-quality built cars. cheaper quality materials on the interior,much more loose tolerances, cheaper body paint ( fades in just a year) , and engine reliabilty has gone from exellent to so-so. i think after 2007 toyota started making lower quality made vehicles. before i own the murano i had the option of choosing a rav4 of the same year (04). glad i made the right choice


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[KAT810]

I was dead set on buying a used Rav-4. In the research that I did I read that they were better after 2006. Then, somehow browsing through cars.com, I saw the Murano and started reading about it. When I saw it in person, that was it! I new it was the one for me. I love driving my 2004 Murano SL, although my drive to work is so short so I don't get to drive it much during the week. We just bought it last Sat (4/13) so I'm definitely going driving this weekend. My only concern was the reviews about the drive train. Has anyone had that problem? It has 75k miles. thanks, Kat

[KILLBILL]

One month ago I traded in my 2005 Rav4 with 130,000 miles on it for a 2010 Murano and couldn't be happier. My Rav4 was extremely dependable and never gave me issues. I performed normal routine/preventative maintenance on it and that's all it ever needed....besides the obvious brakes, battery etc. I liked my Rav4 for its dependability and versatility but disliked it for its poor ride quality and overall size....the car just wasn't "me".

I could not be happier with my decision to upgrade to the Murano. The fit, finish and overall quality of the Murano is amazing. The power difference is incredible. That was one of my pet peeves with the Rav4 was when merging on the highway (I commute 75 miles/day) there were no "guts"....with the Murano there is plenty getup to avoid those "pucker" moments when you see an eighteen wheeler on your bumper.

Just my .02

[andrei3333]

Lets not compare apples to oranges

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[Parsh]

Thing is, older rav4's were great, a lot about them, reliability & quality, engine etc were all plus points. Today though, no comparison to be had... Rav4's have gone way down in all areas.