2005 Nissan Murano user reviews

Pros Plenty of shoulder and head room, comfortable ride.

Cons Gas mileage in the 17 to 18 MPG range. Extras available through Nissan are expensive. To add sattelite radio to existing system (that has a sattelite button) is about $700 (so I use my Ipod instead).

Summary I just spent two weeks in June driving my Murano SL AWD 3200 miles. The comfort, acceleration, braking were tremendous. With the 6 way drivers seat and the adjustable foot pedals, I never felt stuck in one position. I have driven freeways, highways and dirt roads and felt safe and in control at all times. The Murano is a dream to drive It utilizes an innovative varying speed transmission that never kicks in or out even when driving the Rockies. I am pleased. Since 1980, I have strayed from Nissan (Datsun then)twice and keep coming back. (The Jeep was my biggest mistake.)

Pros Handling, Power, Quiet, roomy, Looks good.

Cons Ride is a little rough, Gas mileage.

Summary We have only put about 2000 miles on the car but so far we are very happy. We had an 01' passat before this and this car is much nicer. A couple complaints, the center armrest which houses the DVD player and screen seems very flimsy, the DVD is nice but the lids and latches feel like they will be the first thing to break. And there is a flapping sound coming from the cargo cover in the back. If you take it off which is very easy it is gone but a little more thought would have made it a nice quiet feature. The gas mileage isn't that great either about 18.0 all around driving. I will say that if you drive speed limits on the freeway that will go up to about 20 or so and at 60-65 it goes up to 22 or so.

Pros Very good build quality, Interior is very well designed, Navi is great, Keyless Entry,

Cons CVT is sluggish when you first hit the gas, Climate Control To Rear is not great

Summary I've had this car for 1 month and I am pleased with it so far. I can not attest to it's reliability, but I find the technology in the car quite up to par (despite the cnet review) I was driving a 2004 Acura TL, which had may techie bells an whistles and this is comprable. I love the birdseye view of the Navi as well as the detailed info on the trip computer. The keyless entry works like a charm and is a nice feature. I am very impressed with the quality of the interior. The dash and aluminum trim are high quality, as are the leather trimmed seats. The seats are the most comfortable I have ever been in. The only negetives in the interior are that the Bose stereo is fine, but nothing special. Also, the flow of air to the rear of the car is not great; there are no rear controls to regulate it.

The cnet review makes note that there is no bluetooth, but I had that in the Acura TL and I didn't love it. It was very slick, and I loved the voice dialing and being able to see the caller id on the console, but if you have other people in the car it could be a little uncomfortable holding a conversation for everyone to hear; I actualy prefer using a bluetooth headset

The ride is very smooth over rough pavment and the brakes on the Murano are excellent. The CVT transmission provides very good gas mileage, but there is a definite lack of punch when you step on the acelerator.

I'll give more info when I have had the car longer, but I figured I'd give some feedback now.

Pros Quiet interior, smooth acceleration, Bose sound system, powerful engine, all the creature comforts one would need

Cons Unconventional styling of interior

Summary I've been driving my new Murano for the past 3 months and I am extremely satisfied with it. I enjoy the CVT and the fact that I can keep the revs in a low range, resulting in a very quiet operation. Acceleration is right where it should be and I have no problem keeping up with the traffic. Honestly, if the acceleration of this vehicle is not adequate for your taste, you should not buy an SUV or Cross-over in the first place, you should be looking for a sports coupe or sedan. Fuel consumption is surprisingly good so far. I average right on the advertised numbers for city and hwy driving. I must say though that I am a pretty relaxed driver, and as I said, I don't enjoy revving any engines, so my car never gets the lead-foot treatment. Doors close with that reassuring thump that you'd expect from a quality vehicle. Cargo volume is huge and I just love the back seat release levers cleverly built into the cargo side panel, so you can conveniently flip the back seat down. The hatch is made of high grade plastic, so it's lightweight and real easy to open and close. Inside all switchgear is soft and operates with precision. One thing I'd probably improve on is the quality of some of the dashboard elements: those could be soft touch higher quality pieces for a car in this price range. Overall though, it is a quality interior with all the comforts I would ever need.

3 months is not a long time of course and it's easy to become biased during the first couple of months of ownership. I'll be interested to see how this great car lives up to long-term expectations.

So far it's excellent.