Good Solid SUV - Horrible Gas Mileage
Written: Dec 30 '05 (Updated Feb 11 '06)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Reliability: |
 |
|
| Seat Comfort: |
 |
|
| Build Quality |
|
|
| Roominess: |
|
|
| Handling And Control: |
|
|
|
Pros: Solid feel, lots of safety features, comfortable interior.
Cons: GAS MILEAGE IS HORRIBLE!
The Bottom Line: It's a good overall SUV - we have owned Nissans for 20 yrs with few problems.
|
|
|
| sophiesdad's Full Review: 2004 Nissan Murano |
We have had our 2004 Murano (lease) for a year now. We have the "middle of the road" package - there wasn't one available in the color we wanted which had all the bells and whistles of the GPS, personalized seat positioning, etc. However, this model has the sun roof (which we could care less), the Bose stereo system, leather interior and the CVT (continuous velocity) transmission.
RIDE: I find the ride on this car to be very solid. It takes quite a bit of getting used to the CVT transmission and the fact that there is no shifting. The transmission seems to make braking a little more tricky, also. I am assuming that because it doesn't shift down as the car slows, there is a constant momentum and therefore you need to apply more brake pressure as you come to a stop.
The handling feels a little sluggish compared to my 2005 Altima. I am not sure if this is simply because it is a larger and heavier vehicle, but it is somewhat slow to respond to movements such as quick lane changes, etc.
I did have the opportunity to experience the vehicle's way of handling emergency moves - I was on the turnpike at about 75MPH and the person in the lane next to me decided that he wanted my lane. I had to make a panic stop and swerve and the computer system in the car kept everything in complete control - no fishtailing - and I was able to get back into the lane and on my merry way with nothing more than a rapid heartbeat.
The V6 engine is plenty powerful. I has no problems getting up to speed on expressway entrance ramps. It is also a very quiet engine with no vibration at all when idling. The only downside is that it gets TERRIBLE gas mileage. My wife basically drives 2.5 miles back and forth to work every day and it gets around 16.8MPG. If I do a bunch of expressway driving, it crawls up a bit to 17.1 which I think is pretty pitiful considering that this vehicle is not a full-blown SUV.
INTERIOR COMFORT - I would strongly recommend getting the leather seats. The cloth ones are OK, but they have a cheap look and feel. I have a feeling that they will not hold up with time and wear. The leather is much more sturdy and comfortable.
There is plenty of leg room for even the tallest of passengers and the brake/accelerator are fully adjustable to meet the driver's comfort level. The driver's seat has a great lumbar support (I have had several back operations and appreciate that feature). I do have to say that there is a really bad blind spot in the very rear right corner - probably due to the design of the back window. You literally have to turn your head completely around AND check the right rear-view mirror before changing lanes to the right. I have had several close calls because of that blind spot.
The A/C cools the car down very quickly (I live in South Florida) from scorching hot to comfortable within minutes. Nissan also thought of adding individual A/C outlet for each of the rear passengers.
The instrument panels are well laid out and easy to read. The steering wheel also sports volume and CD controls for the stereo system as well as the controls for the cruise control. Everything is well lighted and the large LCD display in the center provides a wealth of information from outside temperature, to MPG, to oil/tire service warnings, etc. The menu is very easy to navigate - one doesn't have to even consult the owner's manual to figure it out.
The center console leaves much to be desired. The cup holder is very strange - it will hole one large 44oz soda cup, but trying to put two of the same size don't fit well. The storage box has an insert that can be removed for placing large items in the console. However, there is this very strange hole towards the front of the insert which will allow smaller objects to fall through into the bottom of the console. There is a 12V jack for cellphone adapters. By the gear shift are also small compartments for loose change and for holding a mobile phone.
MISCELLANEOUS - Overall, it's a very nice vehicle though a bit overpriced in my estimation. The rear seats fold down to give plenty of cargo room and there is a rubberized liner in the very rear which is great if you are having to handle liquids - preventing leaking onto the carpeting. I think that it has a very solid feel and I actually feel safer in this vehicle than my 2005 Altima. The only thing that I can really fault it with is the gas mileage. Nissan needs to start coming up with more fuel-frugal cars and/or hybrids.
If you can afford this car and want a solidly built SUV, I would recommend the Murano.
ADDENDUM 1/2/06: I forgot to mention on VERY important point on this vehicle - it has an odd sized tire which only Goodyear (as far as I know)manufactures. So you're either stuck buying them (provided there is no shortage) or buying new rims for standard tires. That's a real pain - however this is not the first vehicle that I have owned that had this problem. I bought a Ford many years ago which had a custom tire from Michelin. When I needed a replacement because a screw had gotten into the sidewall of one tire and was really not able to be repaired, I had to wait 3 weeks because there was a national backorder!
UPDATE 2/12/06 In all fairness, I recently traded cars with my wife and have been driving the Murano to work every day. This daily commute is almost exclusively highway (60+ MPH). The fuel economy shot up to 21 MPG. So, please, if you are considering buying this vehicle, figure that your actual fuel economy will be somewhere inbetween 17 and 21 MPG depending on how you drive most of the time.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 35,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: SL
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
sophiesdad
|
|
Location: Florida
Reviews written: 90
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Public school Media Specialist, Musician, Technogeek
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2008 Shopping.com, Inc.