2009 Murano Vs 2009 RDX

[RemixZ]

Hey Guys (Im from the 300zx forum),

So my brother in law wants to get either a 2009 Murano or RDX, I told him get the Murano. Just cause I have had 3 Nissans and believe in their engines to be bullet proof, but Im thinking you cant really go wrong with either car... But since I am biased with Nissans of course Im gonna say get the Nissan. Is there anything that you can add about the Murano that the RDX dosn't have? I also told him when he gets a new car, is to invest in a pop charger and get full synthetic oils on his first oil change like redline for engine, trans, and diff... He wont mod it, in fact i doubt he'll add the pop charger. But anyway... Thanks for the help!

[Palmateer]

If you want to compare the RDX to some Nissan/Infinity product, it seems you should check out the new EX35 appearing this week at Infinity dealers.

[audtatious]

I would trust a NA V6 (that is a 13+year straight Wards Best) over a new turbo-4.

[Timmbo]

I agree, compare the Murano to a MDX, RDX would compare to an EX35, size wise to a Rogue. My wife is going to be trading her G35x in on a Murano, EX35, FX35 (FX37), or an MDX come August. She needs to do some test driving!

[Lazybeef]

My parents just got done buying a 2008 FX35 and the Murano would be a good choice(seeing as it is the Nissan equivelant). I helped them out and we drove the RDX/MDX, BMW X3, etc.... And the Nissan product was really the best choice. The RDX has no power due to the turbo which does not come on until the higher RPM's but Acura tuned it to shift early in order to save gas (Honda couldn't stand to have a car with just regular MPG). BMW was nice but the interior was pretty cheap and the dealer didn't take very good care of their cars. The Murano 3.5 has the VQ motor in it which is scary powerful. That's my 2 cents.

[metzms]

I have been looking at the RDX but after I tried the 2009 Murano the RDX can't touch it for the price. The Murano is much better. The RDX ride is too stiff for me.

[mkaresh]

As others have said, the Murano is a larger, cushier car. I've had a couple panel members inform me of severe driveability problems with the RDX. It's unclear if it's a design flaw, or if just some vehicles are affected, but these two people find that the powertrain often suffers from severe lag. Combo of engine and transmission behavior. One member got rid of his RDX, the other one has taken his into the shop six times, with no success.

[Mr. Music]

I was at my dealer last week, and they had a 2009 Murano in the show room. They had, of course, slapped on an extra $2,000 for "availability", but I was caught off guard by something about it. The fit and finish on the leather interior was horrible! Part of the rear door panels and the rear seats were wrinkled, uneven, and improperly sown. That will most likely be fixed, but that should never be sitting a show room.

[northhoustonser]

How do previous owners feel about their muranos... i am about to buy an 09 murano. i too also compared it to the rdx/mdx and the murano blows them both away. my only concern is, did the previous muranos give any problems or any defects? i heard the trany on the murano's gives a lot of problems? any advice would be appreciated.

[mkaresh]

I wish I had reliability info on the Murano, but don't yet. Maybe in May, depending on how many owners sign up and participate in TrueDelta's research.

I don't think that the transmission has a high failure rate, though. Instead, I think people just talk about how it MIGHT have a high failure rate, because it's a CVT and thus not based on old, time-proven technology. People are paying a lot of attention to how these CVTs hold up, and assume that they won't, so if anyone has reported a failure it will be magnified many times in people's minds.

I really can't say either way right now. Hopefully soon.