Anyone own a Nissan Murano?

[soocool]

I rode in a friend's Murano a few weeks ago and now I am in love with the vehicle. Does anyone own one? Any pros/cons, whatsoever?

My DH and I are looking for just such a vehicle as we take long road trips (Maine, Vermont, Upstate NY, Ct) quite frequently.

 

[fieryred33143]

We own an edge which is built exactly like a murano but a couple of $k cheaper.

My FI's bff has a murano and I love it also (along with the Edge). It's the perfect size for someone who doesn't want a small car but doesn't want a huge SUV. It's great with gas and really comfortable. One of my friends also has it with 2 kids and they use it to travel all the time.

I don't have any cons really. The only thing I don't like about his edge is that the doors don't automatically lock/unlock like my corolla but I don't think that's a problem with the murano. I'm actually thinking about trading in my corolla for either the edge or the murano

 

[brooks]

I have a Murano and I love it! I've had it for a little over a year now. It's the SL version - the size is great, I think it's pretty zippy for an SUV, and the backseat is super roomy. My DH and I use mine for lots of weekend trips and it's very comfortable. I also think the gas mileage is pretty good for an SUV - I think I get around 23 miles/gal and I do a lot of city driving.

I test drive several different SUVs during the buying process - Murano, Volvo C70, Touareg, Infiniti. I loved the Infiniti's power but the size was a little small for me. I liked the Murano from the beginning and it turned out to the best for me. Let me know if you have any specific questions!

 

[pierreone]

DH and I have owned a Murano since the year it first came out, 2003. I'm not into cars, but this was the first vehicle I ever lusted after and just had to have. It's my daily car and while I absolutely LOVE it, I admit I have a love/hate relationship with it.

What I love: almost everything about it. The styling, the smooth ride, pretty good gas milage, good pick-up for an SUV, great storage - especially when the back seats are folded down. We've taken four 4,000+ mile road trips and were able to take both our huge dogs and lots of luggage and were totally comfortable. We have a fully loaded model and no other SUV we saw at the time could come close for the price.

On the other hand, the thing has been a completely unreliable money-pit. I'm not sure if we just got a lemon, or if it's because we got it the first year it came out, but we've had to sink almost $7,000 into it - things that Nissan absolutely refused to do anything about. Here's what's gone wrong (I'm not super car literate, so please forgive any wonky terms):
- The gear shift has broken 3 times
- The 2wd to AWD shift broke twice
- The drivers seat broke off the frame
- The sun visors broke
- The hatchback handle is almost non-functioning
- The absolute worst: the differential broke TWICE. The first time it cost $5,500 out of pocket to fix. Six months later it broke again and then caused an extra $2,000 of damage. Thankfully, the place we had it repaired the first time guaranteed their work, so we didn't have to pay for the second round of fixes.

We contacted Nissan multiple times, but they refused to do anything about it. The kick in the pants is that after we got everything fixed and paid for, they sent a letter to Murano owners (certain model years) citing the same problems we just experienced and extended everyone's warranty.

We refuse to buy another Nissan on principle, but despite the problems and our gripe with Nissan, DH and I really do like the vehicle a lot.

 

[soocool]

I went and test drove a Murano yesterday and loved it! One thing I may consider is buying an extended warranty on the vehicle based on pierreone's experience. The car I want is the SL AWD but I would like it in either silver or the graphite. I think I would also love the heated seats in the winter-

I was also very bad and drove the 370Z. Boy that was nice. DH is leaving it up to me as to which car to buy (I think he hopes I opt for the Z! lol) and though I lust after the 370Z now, I do love the Murano's ride and comfortable feel. I don't think it would be too comfortable making 300+ mile trips up the east coast in the 370Z.