Shortly before I got my RX-8, my wife (then fiance) bought a 2004 Nissan Murano SL AWD. We've had the truck for just over 14,000 miles and about 20 months.

We're not "SUV people". We're sports car people. In fact, after a great deal of research, investigation and test-driving, my fiance had narrowed her car search down to two finalists: the Murano and the RX-8. Since she felt she needed a larger vehicle, she went with the Murano.

The Murano is, in my opinion, the perfect $30-$40K SUV for sports car people. Having been used to sports cars my entire life, I can honestly say that I genuinely enjoy driving the Murano, from a performance standpoint. I've rented lots of SUVs on business, and nothing comes close in terms of balance, throttle response, suspension, turn-in, and overall feeling of confidence and stability.

It comes with a CVT transmission, which is unintrusive when you're not thinking about it, but entertaining when you are thinking about it. The SL has an "S" gear (second? sport?) which raises the RPMs at cruise to offer even better immediate throttle tip-in.

The SE model replaces the "S" gear with an autostick-style sport shift, and offers an even tighter suspension.

Only issue was an alternator recall which was resolved. We have been getting 15-16 MPG city. Magazines claim the 0-60 time is around 7.4s, and the quarter-mile is in the 15s range.

So, if you're a sports car person who needs an SUV, I would highly recommend checking out the Nissan Murano. We love ours, and wouldn't change a thing.

 

im not a fan of the look..., but sounds like its a nice car. i think top gear really liked it in their review. congrats

 

Still looks like ***

 

I’ve had my SE AWD since July of 03 and it’s a great vehicle. Only thing I might have wanted more at the time was an FX 35 but they are costly. The handling is very good for something with such a high center of gravity and weighs 2 tons. I have to really hit a corner hard to feel any body roll. If you need more space and still like a lively drive I’d highly recommend it.

 

If you are looking for a SUV/CUV what would you pick, Exporler = box, Drurang = Barrel, Pilot = box, Highlander = box. Just now other manufacturers are catching up to Nissan and you have the Ford Edge, Mazda CX-7 and others. You could go Acura or BMW but then you are talking high dollar. Couldn’t think of another SUV/CUV in the price range I’d rather own

 

Obviously appearance is entirely subjective (with the notable exception of the Pontiac Aztek). We liked the styling a lot better than just about every other SUV out there in or near the price range. In my opinion, the new Lexus RX actually looks better than the Murano, but you're buying comfort and giving up a lot of sport.

We initially liked the FX the best, until my wife saw the interior. Total show-stopper for her, and I don't generally agonize over interior materials but back in '04 the inside looked VERY cheap to me (I'd bet they fixed that since). I also can't get over the fact that the FX reminds me of a giant gym shoe. I'm not saying it isn't attractive... just looks like a damn shoe to me.

Glad to hear there are other Murano fans around here.

 

Your name suits you well since your lack of class/manners reflects that.

I'm not a fan of the styling either, but that's an immature comment. I do like the FX series from infiniti though and they seem to be the same basic vehicle.

 

im not sure but i believe fx series is based on the G35/M RWD FM platform while Murano is based on the FWD Altima platform? if thats the case, when equiped with AWD, i dont think theres much difference at all besides slight bais in wieght distribution. I personally like the Xterra the most. hehe, but i like the exhaust of the murano and fx. they are even slightly louder than my g coupe, i can also imagine the exhaust note might bother some people at the same time lol.

 

Muranos are cool but for a couple grand more you could get an FX35.

 

When my wife was looking for a new car she considered several SUVs in under $30K category (we needed a bigger car in addition to my Rx-8). Murano was the first choice initially. But both she and myself were not impressed with riding qualities. Moreover additional airbags were only available together with luxury package, which brought price over our top limit. She ended up buying Nissan X-terra. Though less refined (since it based on a truck platform) this is much better SUV for the money. It also runs 1/4 mile in 7.5 sec., and you can take it off road. She consistently gets 20-21 MPG in mostly highway ride.

 

Nice choice! Glad to hear you're enjoying it! If I had to get an SUV in that general range, I'd only have 3 choices - X3, Murano and FX. Sure, there are maybe two other SUVs I actually like, but those are the best choices based on their price range.

 

That sounds right. The Murano runs around in FWD mode until there's slippage. Then it transfers power to the rears. The FX is RWD until it starts to slip, and then it throws power to the front.

 

Is the X3 really in that price range?