[nismomurano]

I gotta friend whos lookin at both an X3 or murano.......i tell her murano.....what kinda info can u guys give about the X3??

 

[Eric L.]

The X3 has less horsepower and less interior space, although both vehicles will have a relatively rough ride.

I think the major selling point of the Murano is the CVT. Some people cannot stand it since its decidedly "non sporty" but other people love it because its the smoothest automatic you can buy. Have your friend test drive both and then make a decision.

 

[Seattle Murano]

The X3 holds 4 people - period. I'd even say it only fits 3.5 people comfortably. We tried to put 5 in my friend's X3 and it was very uncomfortable. We're all less than 5'6" and 150lbs and less. The MO easily transports 5 and has more cargo space. If you get the X3 you HAVE TO get the 3.0 engine option or you've got a SLOOOOW vehicle.

 

[rugiles]

A close friend was shopping for a new SUV a few months ago. He really liked my MO but didn't want to copy. He spent over $43k on an X3 with leather, sunroof and the sports package with color matched ground effects and chrome tipped exhaust. No NAV or any extras. It looks great. The car inside is significatly smaller. In my MO he (being 6'5") can sit in the passanger seat and have more leg room that then needed and the person being has more that needed (no Knees touching not feeling cramped). I am 6'1" and have good leg room in his front seat but not in the back. Anyone sitting in the back will have their knees touchoing the seat and feel cramped. I have to sit sideways when sitting behind the driver. My feet are wedged in under the driver seat which makes if difficult to get in or out. In this rear configuration you can't put down the rear arm/cupholder because it is too long and I am sitting sideways taking the room of the middle part of The seat. Definetly not a 5 passenger vehicle. The ride and handling is tight and sporty upfront but the back seat on freeways with expansion joints or potholes is a killer. Not a bad a a dodge pickup unloaded but bad. My wife was 8 mos. prego and we had to pull over and move her to the front seat because bumping and jumping was so bad we thought she might deliver on his new leather. Oh and he gets 17 mph in mixed driving compared to my 19-20 mph with his less powerful engine.

 

[Kris]

I saw a few X3 on my recent trip to NJ. They do look smallish.

IMHO you paying for the BMW name. X3 is definitely not worth the money.

 

[samwlee]

I actually compared an X3 with the MO before I bought my '04 SL AWD. Originally wanted an X5 but it was too much $$$. I drove an X3 at the BMW Autocross and was very impressed with it performance.. but when you compare to the MO:

The MO has more features and options, for much lower price. Larger engine (245 HP vs 225/184), standard 6 Disc Bose, HID, Leather, Heated and powered seats, much more interior space, etc.

The MO compared better to the X5, but not in price...

 

[mozman]

Also consider reliability. I don't know what it is exactly for the X3, but BMW's reliability has been poor according to consumer reports. Whereas the Murano's reliability is far superior.

 

[9495]

This is a very easy question to answer. Simply have her test drive both back to back. That's what I did, and I immediately crossed the X3 off the list.

In my opinion, the MO is more comfortable, especially in the rear seats. The instrument cluster and controls are more naturally laid out in the MO. The handling/performance aspects are VERY comparable, but I liked the CVT of the MO.

Lastly, just look at the rear cargo compartment. Even with the large back seats that the MO has, there is MUCH more room there than in the X3. I couldn't figure out where all the space went in the X3. It's about the same size, but everything is cramped in there while it is not in the MO. What's up with that?

Then the final thing, of course, is price. You're not going to get an X3 with the same toys as you will a MO.

The positives that the X3 has, though, are the name and a better AWD system. The BMW X-Drive (or whatever they call it) is actually a very good system. Similar to the MO's system, where it transfers power as needed, but if you lock it on it will be locked and won't disengage at higher speeds. Plus it's transfer case is solid enough to allow this.

 

[mgthe3]

I played with an x5 on the freeway this afternoon, got to come home early before the creeping parking lot effect began. He would abruptly change lanes and it looked like he was gonna go up on 2 wheels. I breezed past him on a long down hill....goin about 100.
I laughed at his nasty dirty front wheels and his hideous green paint.
:2:
Kris, it was the downhill section of 85 after JC. (It's about 2 miles long)

 

[Kris]

I played with an x5 on the freeway this afternoon, got to come home early before the creeping parking lot effect began. He would abruptly change lanes and it looked like he was gonna go up on 2 wheels. I breezed past him on a long down hill....goin about 100.
I laughed at his nasty dirty front wheels and his hideous green paint.
:2:
Kris, it was the downhill section of 85 after JC. (It's about 2 miles long)

I did something similar a couple of weeks ago. Comming from Mobile, AL on I85. A 350Z a front of me and G35C at the left lane. They were doing 70mph, slightly uphill. Tipped to Ds and off I went........110 in no time at all.........they really were surprised..

Even more fun going through Tennessee mountains (I24). I did play with some fast sedans. It was sweet to see they faces....:22:

 

[Seattle Murano]

I did something similar a couple of weeks ago. Comming from Mobile, AL on I85. A 350Z a front of me and G35C at the left lane. They were doing 70mph, slightly uphill. Tipped to Ds and off I went........110 in no time at all.........they really were surprised..

Even more fun going through Tennessee mountains (I24). I did play with some fast sedans. It was sweet to see they faces....:22:

I hope you're not implying that our MO's can actually hang with 350Z/G35's... The MO is no slouch as far as SUV's go but lets have a reality check here plz... Not saying you didn't pass these cars but had they decided to give you chase it would have been no contest...simple power:weight ratio advantage goes to those cars.

 

[Kris]

I did not imply anything except stating a fact. And yes, if the other drivers wanted there would be no contest....

However, by the same token it is really nice to see how surprised people are with what MO can do. And, no it is not an SUV. For me it is more like a station wagon, elevated one. And I love it! Oh, and I do not have any false expectation of it being a sports car or performance car. This is not why I bought it.

 

[saito]

I wanted the X3 real bad, with the MO a close second. Three things changed my mind:

First, the transmission hump through the back seat means the johnny-in-the-middle has to ride with his knees in his chin. It makes the car feel much smaller than the MO. My kids hated the X3 for this reason.

Second, the local BMW dealer had a "mine don't stink" attitude. He quoted me full sticker on the car and refused to negotiate: "People who can afford our cars don't need to haggle the price." OK....

Third, I took the MO to the BMW dealer to compare them side-by-side and in a direct shoot-out, the MO, IMO, won hands down; not to mention being $11K cheaper.

 

[samwlee]

In terms of storage space, the MO is FLAT when the seats are down (with a quick tug of two cords).. the X3 rear seats don't sit flat, they angle up... and the wheel wells seem to intrude a lot more than the MO.

My acid test? I play rollerhockey, and my stick would fit horizontially in the back on the MO w/o putting the rear seats down. In the X3, not a chance.. The only way to fit it was to put down one seat and lay it the length of the vehicle...

 

[hfelknor]

I know one thing for sure.
I'ld like to have the X3 Sun roof instead of this lame half-a-sun-roof.
In many ways, BMW is a better car company than Nissan can even imagine.

Homer

 

[Eric L.]

I know one thing for sure.
I'ld like to have the X3 Sun roof instead of this lame half-a-sun-roof.
In many ways, BMW is a better car company than Nissan can even imagine.

Homer

While it is unfortunate that some Murano sunroofs only open about 2/3rd the way, not all are like that. Mine opens completely.

I wonder why.

 

[9495]

Yeah, but if you look at the X3, it has a HUGE sunroof! I forgot about that. Absolutely incredible. It's almost like a double-sunroof. The back seat even benefits from it!

 

[pcs15394]

Sunroof

That's great for the X3, but can you sit on the Sunroof. I like the looks but as far as daily utility, I would take the Murano.

 

[nismomurano]

I know one thing for sure.
I'ld like to have the X3 Sun roof instead of this lame half-a-sun-roof.
In many ways, BMW is a better car company than Nissan can even imagine.

Homer

yes there a good company.......but the x3 was one of their worst cars they ever made......

 

[rugiles]

And if you hold down the unlock button the X3 rolls down all 4 windows and opens the sunroof to vent the heat. Our MO's don't do that. We have a front porch for a dash and the X3 has tanning bed for a sunroof.