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It's one year yesterday since I took delivery of my 03 SE AWD with all the options including NAV, Towing and XM SAT. Here are some of my impressions (and statistics) after 23,800 miles.
Highs:
This is without a doubt the best Road Trip vehicle I've ever ridden in. The combination of the higher seating position, the sportier SE handling, the CVT (with it's infamous "S" position), nice, powerful 3.5 liter engine, the XM radio, the towing capability, and the NAV unit make it just about unbeatable, in it's price range.
Gas mileage has averaged 19.34 MPG as calculated manually at every fill-up with the mileage computer calculating a tad high at 20.15 MPG, about .80 MPG off in total. My best mileage per tank fill up was 24.4 and my worst was 12.9. I switched to Mobile One at 10,000 miles and use a K&N air filter as well.
I changed the oil and filter at every 5,000 miles, rotate the tires at 15,000 and my total maintenance costs were 162.12 for the year.
My largest fill up was 20.971 gallons. My average fill was 17.09 gallons. My most expensive fill up was 20.515 gallons of Premium at $2.249 per gallon or $45.93. I bought gas 40 times during the 12 months, 19 times 93 octane, 15 times 89 octane, and 6 times 87 octane. Gas mileage and overall engine performance seem to be the best with the 93 octane, so I'm sticking with it going forward.
I think that the overall design of the Murano's exterior body is outstanding, particularly when it comes to washing, waxing, and detailing in general. There are so many nice clean body panels and tight seams that I can literally quick detail the entire exterior of vehicle in less than 15 minutes (not counting all that glass).
The overall look of the Murano is still very attractive from almost any angle I still catch other drivers sneaking a peek almost every day while I'm on the road and sitting in traffic. I also still enjoy the look of the Murano from almost any angle, which to me is a sign of the overall great design.
The Xenon headlights are outstanding and with the adjustable height, can light up the night like nothing else I've ever driven. The memory seats are really nice with me being 6' and my wife being 5'2"
Lows:
I've got a rattle coming from what sounds like the driver's side B pillar that I cannot for the life of me locate and stop. This is the only one I have in my particular Murano. (Knocking on wood.)
This thing can really suck up the gas when it's driven in the cold weather for short trips and doesn't have a chance to warm up sufficiently. I've seen an indicated 10 mpg in the winter until it warms up and then it moves up nicely as thing warm up. It doesn't seem to be the engine that's slow to warm up either, I think it's the CVT. I wonder if some kind of transmission heater would improve this cold weather mileage?
Gas mileage above 78-80 MPH drops off very quickly as the MO isn't as aerodynamic as its looks might make you think.
The main NAV unit (player) died on me and was replaced under warranty (part price ~$2,000). Makes me wonder about the reliability of the unit at 150,000 miles and beyond and whether I'd pay to have it fixed if (when) it fails.
I think Nissan really cheaped out on the TPMS that doesn't indicate which tire is low, only that one is.
Overall, this is the best-designed and engineered vehicle I've ever owned or driven. It's not perfect, but it's awfully close to being perfect for my uses.
Highs:
This is without a doubt the best Road Trip vehicle I've ever ridden in. The combination of the higher seating position, the sportier SE handling, the CVT (with it's infamous "S" position), nice, powerful 3.5 liter engine, the XM radio, the towing capability, and the NAV unit make it just about unbeatable, in it's price range.
Gas mileage has averaged 19.34 MPG as calculated manually at every fill-up with the mileage computer calculating a tad high at 20.15 MPG, about .80 MPG off in total. My best mileage per tank fill up was 24.4 and my worst was 12.9. I switched to Mobile One at 10,000 miles and use a K&N air filter as well.
I changed the oil and filter at every 5,000 miles, rotate the tires at 15,000 and my total maintenance costs were 162.12 for the year.
My largest fill up was 20.971 gallons. My average fill was 17.09 gallons. My most expensive fill up was 20.515 gallons of Premium at $2.249 per gallon or $45.93. I bought gas 40 times during the 12 months, 19 times 93 octane, 15 times 89 octane, and 6 times 87 octane. Gas mileage and overall engine performance seem to be the best with the 93 octane, so I'm sticking with it going forward.
I think that the overall design of the Murano's exterior body is outstanding, particularly when it comes to washing, waxing, and detailing in general. There are so many nice clean body panels and tight seams that I can literally quick detail the entire exterior of vehicle in less than 15 minutes (not counting all that glass).
The overall look of the Murano is still very attractive from almost any angle I still catch other drivers sneaking a peek almost every day while I'm on the road and sitting in traffic. I also still enjoy the look of the Murano from almost any angle, which to me is a sign of the overall great design.
The Xenon headlights are outstanding and with the adjustable height, can light up the night like nothing else I've ever driven. The memory seats are really nice with me being 6' and my wife being 5'2"
Lows:
I've got a rattle coming from what sounds like the driver's side B pillar that I cannot for the life of me locate and stop. This is the only one I have in my particular Murano. (Knocking on wood.)
This thing can really suck up the gas when it's driven in the cold weather for short trips and doesn't have a chance to warm up sufficiently. I've seen an indicated 10 mpg in the winter until it warms up and then it moves up nicely as thing warm up. It doesn't seem to be the engine that's slow to warm up either, I think it's the CVT. I wonder if some kind of transmission heater would improve this cold weather mileage?
Gas mileage above 78-80 MPH drops off very quickly as the MO isn't as aerodynamic as its looks might make you think.
The main NAV unit (player) died on me and was replaced under warranty (part price ~$2,000). Makes me wonder about the reliability of the unit at 150,000 miles and beyond and whether I'd pay to have it fixed if (when) it fails.
I think Nissan really cheaped out on the TPMS that doesn't indicate which tire is low, only that one is.
Overall, this is the best-designed and engineered vehicle I've ever owned or driven. It's not perfect, but it's awfully close to being perfect for my uses.
