Nissan Murano SV AWD Review

[badtlc]

So I had one of these for a rental yesterday and put about 480 miles on it. Here are my thoughts if anyone is board enough to read.

The Cons:
- This car is as ugly as it gets. It didn't look any better knowing I was going to be driving it for the next 7 hours.
- Sight lines are terrible and not enough glass. Hard to see out. You feel blocked in from every direction.
- Not much backseat space.
- Not much cargo space.
- Steering wheel buttons were not well thought out. They were not easy for my thumb to reach. I had to remove hands from steering wheel to reach the buttons.
- Stereo was underwhelming (not bose).
- Seat cushioning felt like it was too "fluffy" and would smash/collapse over the long term but this is just a guess.
- Slight droning sound/sensation when in town cruising at 45 MPH or so with the CVT holding the engine at 1000 RPMs.
- Gauges were a bit numb or not as precise as I like. I like fine needles that make it very clear to precisely read info.
- Speedometer was off by about 1 MPH.

I have always felt these were terrible cars but now to pros:
- Surprisingly comfortable. The seats felt a bit softer than normal but still provided good support and kept me comfy behind the wheel.
- Fit and finish seemed fine.
- Infotainment was VERY quick and responsive. Nice high res display and all that jazz. great phone connectivity features.
- Great ride. The suspension wasn't firm and it wasn't soft/fluffy. It was right in the middle and smooth. It felt well grounded when cornering.
- CVT was surprisingly not annoying. No complaints about how it operated other than it could feel a bit mushy at higher throttle levels.
- Steering response was very nice but I don't think it was electronic.
- Despite window stickered at 26 MPG, i got just over 29 MPGs (hand calculated) cruising 400+ miles at 75MPH.
- Quiet cabin.
- Plenty of power.
- Blind spot monitoring was very non-invasive. I really liked it and I'm not a fan of these systems. The lights were such that you could notice them if you wanted and easily not notice them or ignore them if you wanted.

So in all, despite being ugly and hard to see out of overall I'd have to say the car is comfy if someone asked. I could live with driving one daily.

 

[charbaby]

Nissan of late seem to be a bit underwhelming to drive. Although I do think that they are very well laid out and I like most of their quiet cabins and good ride from the Versa NOTE that I rented for 10 day to the Rogue that I test drove to my SIL's '17 Murano that I had for about an hour and the Altima that I currently own.

To say the very least, they're a "niiiice" car to drive in an older fashioned sort'a way. As Grandma would say..."Oh that's niiiice, such a niiice car".

Nissan's seem to be more impressive to those riding in them, than for those who drive them. I like both. NIIICE!

 

[camrydriver111]

Pretty good economy for a big V6 with AWD.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I suppose I am in the minority here, but I actually think the new Murano looks great.

 

[LeakySeals]

Owning a aging Nissan, I would question long term reliability, rust, and the ability to perform basic maintenance without swearing and throwing things.

 

[azjake]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I suppose I am in the minority here, but I actually think the new Murano looks great.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think the exterior looks good, but where the Murano really shines is in the interior. Very upscale, quality materials,
quiet cabin, smooth ride and very comfortable seats. It's why I bought my CPO 2015 Murano two years ago.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

You want ugly go look at some Lexus.


I am no Altima fan (as a car) the styling was in the top three of the segment (I will vote KIA Optima #1 with the Chevy Impala as a tie for first place) the new 2019 Altima one is …. um … interesting.

Ahem.


- - --BTW "floating roofs" are so yesterday - from the week they appeared.

 

[wemay]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I suppose I am in the minority here, but I actually think the new Murano looks great.


You and me both. I wasn't a fan of previous generations, but this one i like.

 

[Andrew1972]

Sounds like a typical Nissan review, underwhelming vehicle for at least the last 25+ years. They went to mediocre and underwhelming after the early 1990's.

That all being said they sell well so doing stuff right for consumers or maybe its rental car/fleets.

 

[JTK]

The big soft cozy seating has held up surprisingly well on our 2016 Nissan Quest and we're at ~65K miles. The interior bits and pieces are doing well also. Definitely a step above our previous 2013 Grand Caravan in terms of interior holding up.

The drivetrain is excellent and has an unbelievable amount of power, even with the vehicle loaded. The exterior I have my doubts about. Already have had issues with paint chipping off and surface rust.

Oh.. and the HORRIFIC resale. I paid $19K for this van when it was a year old with ~30K miles on it. I'd be lucky to get $10K as a trade-in allowance currently. Murano should do a lot better being more of a mainstream, in demand vehicle.

These all have electric power steering, but it's hydraulic driven by an electric pump. Same powertrain and underhood layout as the current Pathfinder and Quest (gone after 2017). I believe one of the Nissan FWD cargo van also shares the same 3.5L/CVT powertrain.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: JTK
The big soft cozy seating has held up surprisingly well on our 2016 Nissan Quest and we're at ~65K miles. The interior bits and pieces are doing well also. Definitely a step above our previous 2013 Grand Caravan in terms of interior holding up.



That is good to hear. The seats were very comfy and it just seemed like the padding was too thick/compressible to really last. That is cool if they found a way to make that setup durable.

 

[RazorsEdge]

There's a part of me that still likes these vehicles,I'm just scared of the transmission failures of the older models.