What did you compare the Murano to?

[Darster]

When my 2007 Saturn Vue passed 123K, I started giving some serious thought as to its replacement. Though I was not planning on trading it in for at least six more months I started looking at other vehicles.

I took a hard look at the GMC Terrain and was actually considering it but my girlfriend took an instant dislike to it for some reason and swore that if I got one and she had to ride in it, she would wear a bag over her head. She reacted even more negatively to the Hyundai Santa Fe (which I also liked). She actually tried to claw her eyeballs out when I made her come over with me to look at one. (She is really picky).

We both liked the Lexus RX 350 but I felt it was too pricey. I thought of getting a Rav 4 like hers but she also hated that idea. (Something about me copying her).

My Saturn Vue then came down with some rather expensive issues which forced me to accelerate my plans from six months to right away. In despair I looked at the Rogue and actually went to the Nissan dealership that Sunday to eyeball them over. I then saw a 2009 LE Murano parked nearby, peered inside and instantly forgot about the Rogue.

Six days after that after a test drive, I was driving off the lot with a 2012 Murano SV AWD, with my girlfriend next to me suffering from serious vehicle envy.

I feel like I have come home.

[Pilgrim]

To me, the vehicles that compare to the Murano must be crossovers, and those are:

Mazda CX-7
BMW X3
Ford Edge

There are others like the CR-V, Subarus and others...but they all lack the power to weight ratio or handling of the Murano. If you want a vehicle with good acceleration and handling, the list of comparable vehicles is very short.

[metallikviper]

We've been thinking about buying a mid-size Crossover/SUV for my wife to replace her 2001 Toyota Echo. We've compared about 7-8 cars:

Toyota Highlander (too ordinary)
Ford Edge (expensive)
Chevy Equinox (too small)
Mazda CX-7/9
Kia Sorento
Honda CR-V/Pilot (too small/too big)

We're stuck between the Kia Sorento SX, Mazda CX-9 GT and Nissan Murano SL and seem to be leaning more towards the Murano SL. Live in Charlotte so really don't have a need for AWD. No kids so 7 seating is unnecessary, but we do have 2 dogs so we stuck with a mid-size over compacts. They all seem to be within $1500 of each other.

Is there anything that sets the Murano above the other two.

[medic1]

Originally Posted by metallikviper

We've been thinking about buying a mid-size Crossover/SUV for my wife to replace her 2001 Toyota Echo. We've compared about 7-8 cars:

Toyota Highlander (too ordinary)
Ford Edge (expensive)
Chevy Equinox (too small)
Mazda CX-7/9
Kia Sorento
Honda CR-V/Pilot (too small/too big)

We're stuck between the Kia Sorento SX, Mazda CX-9 GT and Nissan Murano SL and seem to be leaning more towards the Murano SL. Live in Charlotte so really don't have a need for AWD. No kids so 7 seating is unnecessary, but we do have 2 dogs so we stuck with a mid-size over compacts. They all seem to be within $1500 of each other.

Is there anything that sets the Murano above the other two.

What sets it off for me is value. I looked at the Kia, Hyundai, Chevy/GMC, Honda CRV, and Jeep.

Hyundai, and Kia both like there vehicle better than I do.
Chevy/GMC same thing no discount
Jeep just no. I drive 30K a year so no to jeep
Honda CRV vs. Murano came down to size and value. I picked the Nissan because of size (I'm 6"1' my 12 year old son is also 6"1'), CVT and AWD system. Also tow rating. I coach a travel baseball team and have a trailer with equipment in it that we carry to all tournaments.
It did not hurt that I got a 2011 Murano SL AWD for the same as a Honda CRV EX-L. (Woodall Auto Mall in Danville if you are looking this far north.)

[Halwg]

I compared it with the following:

Ford Edge...no way
Kia Sorento...not even close in quality
Toyota Highlander...bland and bigger than the wife wanted
Toyota Venza...just a modern take on the station wagon
Chevy Equinox...not enough cargo room, and not luxe enough.

I felt the MO had the best balance of performance and features and I was placing a 2005 Maxima which had been a trouble free vehicle.

[Jens]

Before leasing my new Murano I considered:

- 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee - afraid to buy or lease, since Chrysler products still seem to suffer from reliability and quality issues
- 2012 Subaru Outback - didn't think I would be happy with it, since it is more of a wagon, versus a CUV or SUV, and I was coming out of a GMC Envoy 4X4
- Hyundai Santa Fe Limited AWD - the Santa Fe needs updating and I didn't think that the Santa Fe was as nice
- Chevy Equinox - I like the exterior styling, as well as the interior styling, but the interior materials seem cheap, especially the seats

[MuranoDriver]

I was also looking at...

- Infinity FX35
- Acura RDX
- Ford Edge (Didn't even end up test driving one but didn't need to.)

[hokey777]

I wanted the Infiniti EX35, but wife said it was too small. I liked the sporty feel it had.

[kevch25]

Before purchasing our Murano 2011 LE AWD we considered:

• Audi Q5
• Volvo XC60
• Ford Edge
• Volkswagon Tiguan
• ...and a slew of other mid-size / smaller crossovers.

Coming from a 2002 Lexus RX300, I wanted something comparable in size, but since 2002, all crossovers/SUVs have greatly ballooned in size.

[kobayashi maru]

Ford F-150
Nissan Titan
'05 Nissan Maxima
New pair of shoes

lol I wasn't initially looking for a suv/cuv. It just sorta happened. I briefly considered the MDX after I found my MO but decided to stick with the MO for convenience's sake.

[Bill 53]

I wanted a nice reliable Japanese wagon with a V6 and automatic transmission. Was shocked to discover that the words "station wagon" are so out of vogue as to be taboo nowadays. Drove a 2010 Legacy Outback, and it is competent but a bit crowded. Wanted more headroom, too. Then a friend had me drive her Rav 4. It was nice and opened my mind to smaller SUV's, since they are really just tall wagons.

I drove a V6 Rav at the dealer and realized it lacked the legroom I need to really be comfortable. Highlander has the legroom and is solid, but way too heavy and boring. Then drove a Murano. SWEET! Agile and yet very quiet, comfortable and roomy yet not too long or heavy. Nothing else really got a chance after that. I already loved the Nissan V6 from my Maxima, and the CVT is very nice.

[MaxGig]

I drove a Maxima so I was in the market for a car actually. I looked at M35's, the MKZ, and E class Mercedes. Then I saw the Infiniti FX35 and drove one and liked the power and options it had but I couldn't get used to the cramped interior. My Maxima had been good to me so I decided to stay with Nissan. Plus the Murano had everything the Maxima had, the same power and the extra room I was looking for as well.

[CvUnit]

Ford Edge
Maxima
Altima
Kia Stortage
Kia Optima

As of today I still love the Maxima and Kia Optima.

[Halwg]

If I wasn't getting so old and crotchety, I would have bought another Maxima. I really liked my 2005, the performance and handling. But on a 10 hour drive to the beach, I just can't handle sitting that low. By the time I stopped every 2 hours and tried prying my self out of the car, I felt like someone beat me with a Louisville Slugger! I wanted the Murano because it sits up higher and has better utility.

It still doesn't have the performance and style of a Max, though.

[Broadus]

My wife and I were looking for our first non-sedan and had narrowed it down to the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and Murano. We drove a friend's Pilot, but the road noise removed the Pilot from our list. We test drove some 2012 Highlander SE's, liked the ride and quiet but disliked the black dashboard with the tan leather that we wanted. Evidently Toyota has gone to black dashboards to cut costs. Still, we told the sales rep that we would probably be back but wanted to check out some Muranos.

At the Nissan dealership, I mentioned to the rep that we were looking for a 2012 Murano but preferred to buy used, though used prices hardly justified going that route today. He showed us a 2009 Murano SL, nicely equipped, 2.5 year, 50K lease that had been returned the previous business day for a new Murano in the same Glacier Pearl. CarFax revealed nothing but maintenance records, almost all oil changes, and the car looked like new. It's in our drive.