9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Well Thought Out Crossover
Date of Review: Jul 14, 2007
The Bottom Line: This is a solid car with many of the modern safety features and gizmos.
I've had this car for about a year now with 12K miles on it and have no regrets of buying it.
My requirement when I was searching for a new vehicle was safely, cargo room, gas mileage and features.
Well the Murano is packed with them!
As for safety, I was very impressed with the 5 Star all around safety and active head restraints. This car was well thought out for the kid's safety too. I noticed that I couldn't roll the back windows down all the way unless I am below a certain speed. Interesting! Then there is the warning system in the car... If a door is open when moving it will notify you of a beep and then display which door is open on the monitor. Of course it has the child lock too to keep them from opening the door too from the inside.
It also contains the maintenance schedule that you can program tire and oil maintenances to different mileage lengths. Now I don't have to remember these things.
As for engine performance I feel it moves pretty quickly though traffic without any problems. Passing is not an issue. It is defiantly not a dog on the hills. It climbs them with ease and staying at least 65mph or more up them.
When a hill in the Murano approaches, the CVT will "roll" into a higher RPM and adjusts accordingly. There are no gears with the (CVT) Continuous Variable Transmission. It feels kind of funny at first. All you hear is an increase in RPMs. The engine is very quiet and not distracting at all.
The drive by wire throttle (no cable) works well. It is responsive and never a delay with normal driving. However I do feel I have to wait for a response when I stomp on it. It's like the computer is trying to calculate the throttle position. Oh Darn... Then the computer responds. I am sure the 350Z does not do this, but we are talking about a Murano here.
I love the CVT transmission with the manual mode, but nothing will replace the feel of a clutch and stick on the floor. I do miss that part of it. You cannot have everything. Darn it.
The ride performance is solid with no rattles or shakes.
The seats are very comfortable for long trips. I don't feel my butt is that sore on the long trips.
What really sold me on this vehicle was the handling like a car and not an SUV and stereo.
The stereo was very impressive and modern with AM/FM, CD, MP3, Windows Media Files, Cassette and your choice of XM or Sirus Satellite capability. (Apparently Nissan/Infiniti are on the ones doing this. If you go with Ford you have to deal with Sirus Satellite only. GM is using XM). If you wanted to hook up an ipod, you would have to use a cassette adapter. At least there is a workaround for the ipod, though I would have preferred a direct connect.
As for the DVD navigation, I was impressed with the graphics and how much information it holds. It is very accurate and useful when you are looking for Points of Interest near you. The disk is updated every 6 months and cost $199. A little pricey, but I will wait a couple of years before purchasing a new one. I found the joystick annoying to enter information into. Nissan needs to drop the joystick and use the touch screen from the Infinity lineup. It is easer to use and will not make mistakes when entering information in.
I was disappointed that it did not have Bluetooth capability, however it will most likely have it in the next generation because Nissan's newer models have it including the economy Versa.
I have to admit the backup camera is very handy for parking and watching out for the little ones. Plus it can be hard to see when backing up in the Murano therefore I do recommend the camera option.
The inteli-key feature is very handy. No need to put the key in the ignition or door. Just hit the open button on the door handle and get in car and turn the start knob. If the battery is dead in the inteli-key no worries, just take the key out of the fob and does everything the old fashion way until you install a new battery. There are two fobs for each driver that memorize their seat position, lumbar, angle, height, and outside mirrors. Pretty cool!
I do not like the fob design. They should design the fob with recessed buttons. I found my Murano windows down on several occasions because I had the fob in my tight jeans. FYI - Nissan
That is right if you hold the unlock button down on the fob for more than 3 seconds it will roll the two front windows down. Nice feature to have in Phoenix, AZ when you are dealing with 100 plus temperatures.
The AC in this vehicle could be better, but does take a little longer to cool than my older car. When the AC is working its best it will blow at 44 degrees out of the vents. I am still investigating this and will update soon.
I have been impressed with the gas mileage. I am seeing about 21 to 22 with the AC on and 22 to 23 without AC. That is with just me in the car with gentle driving.
Well at 12k miles, I have not seen any major problems. I have tested every feature and everything works very well.
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