I bought my vehicle three years ago. At that time I had one young child and a 130lb dog. I'd been driving a 2001 Nissan Maxima but needed a better vehicle to fit my dog in . My husband had been eye-balling the Murano and after our first test drive, I knew this was the vehicle for me.
I'm not writing this review to give you all the nitty gritty details about the car. Instead I want to let people know that the Murano is able to fit an infant carrier, a regular car seat & a high-back booster on the rear seat. Don't get me wrong, it's squishy, but I was afraid I would have to buy a mini-van or larger SUV.
Since I'm reviewing it, I might as well tell you how I feel about the car overall. I've LOVED this vehicle, even with the problems. My first problem happened December 2005. I had to have the transmission replaced (no known reason). The dealership gave me a rental car so I was happy. At that same time I had the CD player replaced. It came with a 6 disc changer but my CD's started skipping and it just got worse over time so they gave me a new one. It's worked fine until now. It just started skipping again but I think I'll be trading in this vehicle so I'm not fixing it again.
My husband loves this vehicle because he is 6'6" tall & has a hard time finding something that he can fit in comfortably. He has plenty of head room/leg room when driving the Murano.
We also LOVE the exterior look of the Murano, the memory seats (which also adjust the side mirrors), having controls for the radio/CD on the steering wheel, heated leather seats & the Xenon headlights.
I've noticed reviews complaining about the gas mileage. I get 20 mpg which I thought was average for a car this size. I like that this car is equipped with a gauge for mpg, how many miles until empty, interior & exterior temperature.
Speaking of temperature, the dual control system is another reason we bought this vehicle. My husband is always hot & I am always cold so it's nice to set our own heat or air controls.
One complaint I have about my Murano is the lack of cup holders. There are two in the front and two in the rear but I wish it had a few more since we are a family of five. I also don't feel like my car is as peppy as it was when I first got it. Maybe I'm just used to it but it doesn't seem to have much power when I'm starting out.
The bottom line is this has been a good vehicle & I'm glad I've had the opportunity to own one.
**UPDATE** 06/12/07 This is to answer a few questions left in a comment for me. To me, the Murano is a luxury SUV. The ride is smooth and quiet. This car is AWD and handles very well on wet or snowy roads.
A few more features:
**My car has heated leather seats which get warm very fast. It has two settings to choose from.
**The steering wheel has controls for the radio/CD player and also cruise control (but I've never used the cruise control so I don't know how well it works).
**The air conditioner and heater do their job pretty quickly and as I stated above, the car is equipped with dual controls for both heat and air.
**The rear seat windows roll down half way. They doors have the option of being child-proof (with the flick of a switch you can keep the kids from opening the door from the inside).
**The arm rest has a good sized storage area that comes with a removable bin. The storage area also locks with the key.
**There is an additional small storage space under the dashboard where you can store things like CD's, sunglasses, chapstick, etc. Next to the gear shift there are two more small spaces. One fits my cell phone & the other is where I keep spare change.
**The doors have pockets that can extend out slightly to hold magazines, papers, diapers, etc.
**The rear-view mirror has a dimmer for night time driving reflections. It also shows the direction I'm driving (a feature that can be turned on or off).
**There is a gauge that tells my miles per gallon and how many miles I have before I run out of gas. There are 2 trip odometers.
**Storage in the back has never been a problem for me. I usually have one or two strollers that fit easily. My 130 lb dog had plenty of room though he would stand tall enough to hit his head. My car came with a cargo net and rubber mat which makes the cargo area easy to clean. There is a retractable cover the same height as the back seat so if I'm storing something I don't want others to see.
**One thing that is missing is an ashtray though it does have a lighter.
**I don't like the turning radius on the Murano. It seems hard to park sometimes but that could be driver error!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 33000
Condition: Used Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: SL, AWD
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