[SugarRushMurano]

Stand alone navi is actually not too bad...

Consider this: you can move it from vehicle to vehicle or when you are in rentals in another city (for work perhaps). In future, it will save you some money by not getting the nav option on your, let say, wife's car.

 

[zebelkhan]

gmikesell

All hope is not lost. I do not recall whom but someone in this forum installed an aftermarket NAV by simply moving the radio cluster down a few inches, enough for a pioneer setup to go in right under the original LCD and above the cluster. Do a search under the navigation threads and I am sure you will find it. It was a neat and reversable setup.

 

[GripperDon]

I still think the VComm all talk NAV was a good item, eliminating the problem of Screen placement all together. Besides it sure helped me play Black Jack better.

 

[Bozemanite]

I'm approaching the one-year mark with my '04 Murano SE (AWD, midnight blue, charcoal leather, billet grille), and I still feel like I made the best choice compared to the other vehicles I had been considering. The Murano is the ideal size for me (I'm 6'5", which is problematic in some vehicles, but I'm also referring to cargo and passenger capacity). I think the Murano AWD handles with incredible confidence in the snow and ice while still offering as car-like a ride as it can. The only thing I'd change is the interior quality, especially the doors, for I'm not thrilled by the expanses of cheap-seeming plastic. I traded in my '99 VW Jetta on my Murano, and while VWs are plagued by terrible electrical systems and extremely poor dealer service (IMHO), they've really got high quality interior fit and finish that are worthy of copying. Other vehicles I considered:

BMW X3: terribly harsh ride. I found the interior cramped and really very narrow. Tail light treatment I found rather ugly, thank you, Mr. Bangle.

BMW 325xi: AWD sedan. Well-executed interior, but cramped-feeling. Generally stylish exterior but somewhat dull revised front fascia. And I knew that a new body style was already in the pipeline. Too, limited ground clearance for some of the mountain roads I use in Montana.

Mitsubishi Endeavor LX AWD: I really rather liked the interior quality of this vehicle except for the plastic "brushed aluminum." Handled very well and had roomy passenger space. Ride quality seemed excellent, but exterior styling did not speak to me in good ways, and Mitsubishsi Motor Co. seems to be struggling.

VW Toureg: Gorgeous exterior and interior fit and finish and well-rated for off-road use, but the interior just seemed smaller and of less use to me than that of the Murano. That, and my already bad experiences with VW of America as a company (too long a list to type here) made me look elsewhere. In my experience, VWoA does not stand behind their products.

Acura MDX: I've read what others here have said about the MDX, and I'll just add that while the ride impressed me, the styling felt past its fresh date to me.

 

[FlyerNo9]

2008 Kia Sorento EX

My 2003 Murano ticked 160,000 miles this week and it got me thinking about my next ride. I'm an outside sales rep averaging about 1,200 miles a week.

I test drove the 2008 KIA Sorento today. From the little research I've done on the KIA [I've never thought much of KIA in the past] I was very impressed Sorento.

It had plenty of get-up and amenities [except for a NAV system].

The KIA sales guy said I could take the fully loaded one I test drove home for $23,000. That's a hard deal to pass up when a comparable 2008 Murano would be priced close to $40,000.

What do you guys think?

 

[Qat]

I considered the following:

- Toyota Highlander
- Toyota Rav4
- Honda Pilot
- Honda CRV
- Subaru Outback
- Subaru Forester
- BMW X3
- Audi Q5
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Jeep Liberty
- Ford Edge
- Nissan Rogue
- Nissan Murano

After research I tested:

- Audi Q5
- BMW X3
- Toyota Highlander
- Subaru Outback
- Nissan Murano

The Audi and BMW were nice, but not nice enough to live up to the hype. The Highlander is a solid product (as most Toyotas are), but not very good looking outside nor inside. Also, my wife has had 3 Camrys - '98, '03 and '09 - and the quality has noticeably declined with each one. I really liked the Outback equally as much as the Murano. In the end I had to make a subjective decision, and here I am.

 

[cctiger]

Kia

My 2003 Murano ticked 160,000 miles this week and it got me thinking about my next ride. I'm an outside sales rep averaging about 1,200 miles a week.

I test drove the 2008 KIA Sorento today. From the little research I've done on the KIA [I've never thought much of KIA in the past] I was very impressed Sorento.

It had plenty of get-up and amenities [except for a NAV system].

The KIA sales guy said I could take the fully loaded one I test drove home for $23,000. That's a hard deal to pass up when a comparable 2008 Murano would be priced close to $40,000.

What do you guys think?

While Kia has come a long way and do offer a lot of bang for the buck, I think you need to ask yourself some questions.

1. Will the car hold up under heavy use?
2. Cheap cars don't hold their value, so what kind of trade will you get when it comes time to replace the Kia?

 

[Eric L.]

Skip the 2008 model of the Sorento - the 2011 (or maybe it was 2010) model is substantially improved, essentially built now on the Hyundai Santa Fe platform. This means it will handle more like a car, aka like a Murano. The old Sorento used a body on frame design which compromised handling and ride.

 

[CWier866]

I didn't compare really, just chose the lesser of two evils:
Option 1) Mitsubishi Space Wagon
Option 2) Nissan Murano
I drove each SUV. The Expo was bad. The Murano was good.

 

[josh331]

this thread is almost a decade old... but at the time (2009) when I was shopping for cars, I looked at couple of sedans and 3 suvs

I primarily looked for sedan price range of 25000-33000.
I really loved the acura tsx sedan and it was beautiful!!!
Looked over altimas, maximas, accords, bmw3, camry, a4, infiniti g.
The only SUVs I looked at was Mazda CX and Ford Edge and of course, MURANO!!

The day when I decided to get a SUV was when I drove rented mitsubishi glant over to buy a cardio machine (not treadmill) and I overestimate it and it would not fit in the trunk and thru the back sit. SO i changed my mind about not getting sedan.

Simple as that, then I looked at cx, edge, and murano...

I compared and researched a lot until I went to nissan dealer and test drove nissan murano and was amazed by it and never even looked at the other two . And it was fabulous choice on my part
I loved the styling and features it had.

and still love my murano and never regret getting the car I want!

 

[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]

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.