The husband of a woman at my office gave her carte blanche to pick out their next vehicle. He doesn't want to hassle with it. Thankfully, and partially due to comments in NAM I passed along, she's no longer considering a Hummer. But she's obviously not a good match of a MINI given that.

She told me she saw a bronze Nissan Murano she really liked. Leaving the ramp yesterday I saw the same car. It did look quite cool and seemed even well suited to that fairly radical color. However, I know nothing about the vehicle other than the sighting and a quick look on the Nissan website.

Anyone have thoughts on this vehicle I could pass along? Thanks.

 

Infiniti FX45....with the 20 inch wheels, it's not a bad looking ride. 315 HP, I think, exhaust sounds nice as well.

 

In terms of things like fuel economy, the Murano isn't too good- tho not H2 bad. The FX45 is pretty bad, a co-worker has one at work- a whopping 17MPG
on highway

Tho they do handle well, but aren't too roomy. IMHO, an Audi A6 wagon or new 5 series wagon would be the way to go. Of course their's the stigma of a wagon, but both of those car's handle A O K :smile:

 

Carte Blanche, eh? MUAHAHAHAHAH!

Der Deutschen Autos
Audi S-4 Cabrio/Sedan/Avant (impossible to go wrong with an S-4), Porsche Cayenne Turbo, VW V-10 diesel Toureg, VW R32, BMW 6 series cabrio, Mercedes CLK.

The English
Jag XK-8, Range Rover.

The Americans
Chrysler Crossfire V-6, Chrysler 300C, Dodge Magnum, Pontiac GTO, Cadillac CTS-V, Cadillac SRX.

The Japanese
Infinity FX45, Toyota Land Cruiser, Nissan Murano, Nissan Maxima, Mazda RX8, Mitsubishi Evo VIII, Subaru WRX STI.

 

I'm pretty sure the Murano is based on the Altima platform, while the FX35/45 is based on the 350Z/G35 platform. Seems like a decent "crossover" SUV to me, I like the sort of smaller Lexus RX look to it. If she got the base engine and FWD it would probably get relatively decent mileage, too.

 

They gave me a Murano when my mini was in for some work and I really liked it. It drove well, looks nice, has all the options one really wants in an SUV (suburban Utility Vehicle) but like others have said, gas milage is molto benne...

 

Yeah, the Murano is a good example of something that LOOKS great but will you like it in two or five years? Space utilization and visibility is poor. I will still like my 2002 MCS in three years for sure. Just like my other 4 Minis over the years!

 

Thanks all for the input. I am passing it along. The last I heard from her was a sigh and "I may have to settle for a sedan". Hey, not all sedans are bland.

 

The Murano, it seems to me, is becoming dated and out of fashion. One of those designs that look attractive when they first come out but then somehow don't wear down very well and become cartoonish and "passe".


It is a nice car, nice interior. The automatic model uses a CVT transmission but there have been problems with it reported in Nissan forums.

I see the Renault design cues in most Nissans of today. While Renault has some very radical designs as of late, it still doesn't cut it over the long haul.

 

Yes, quick and dated design like the cougars.

murano's are pretty quick though, thought I could pass one doing on a
on-ramp in 3rd... had to use 2nd.