a Murano or EX35..just some opinions wanted...

[svofan1]

I am not decided yet if I will buy an Infiniti EX35...or a Murano LE.....I like both...some one has indiacted that the EX36 is a luxury Rogue and the FX35 is more comparable to the Murano LE...can somew one opine, please....thanks for the guidance..

[mandelbloom]

I just bought and EX, but have been second guessing my decision so I am interested on opininons. If you are going to compare them size wise then yes the Rogue is closer to the EX than the Murano..actually though as far as cargo capacity and leg room the EX is the smallest of the three. Thats probably the main advantage of the Murano is more room. The EX is going to drive much nicer and has higher quality interior materials. That said the Murano still looks quite nice. A fully loaded Murano is going to sticker for about what a nicely equiped EX does. The EX doesnt have a ton of rear leg room and cargo capacity is on the small side for a Crossover. That said I find it has enough room I can even fit a bike or two in the back with the seats down. It drives much like the G35 sedan too which is nice.

[Gordo36]

I have an '09 Murano which I really enjoy, very good ride, plenty of room in front and back and cargo space is adequate. The power is very good but not what I'm used to as I traded in an '06 Jeep with a Hemi for the Murano. Overall very happy.

My wife has an '08 EX which we bought in May of '09 and a bit too small for me, but she absolutely loves it. The styling is really nice, the engine is teriffic and though the cargo space is small, it's plenty for her. There's just 2 of us now so we really weren't concerned with the small back seat space. It rides much harder than the '09 Murano though. A classy looking SUV.

I find the FX too big and too expensive.

[Gordo36]

I forgot to mention in my previous post that we have had no problems with either the Murano or the EX.

[svofan1]

Thank you guys for your opinions, I really appreciate them......now Gordo..wher are you in NJ , I am in Bergen county up North..mind telling me what dealers did you used for the INFINITI and for the Murano?....did you get good or lets say fair deals?..and you really think that the Murano rides better than the EX?.....space is not an issue here for me and the wife..kids are grown man and woman..but we do carry the occasional passengers in the back and that may be a deal braker with the EX...but I guess we will have to evaluate that in person. I am planning to make a decision by April 2010 and by buying by the end of the summer (when my current Sienna lease os over)....I said evaluate in April because I will take my wife to the auto show in NY since she hates going to the dealers...thanks for all the help..

[JCL622]

Thank you guys for your opinions, I really appreciate them......now Gordo..wher are you in NJ , I am in Bergen county up North..mind telling me what dealers did you used for the INFINITI and for the Murano?....did you get good or lets say fair deals?..and you really think that the Murano rides better than the EX?.....space is not an issue here for me and the wife..kids are grown man and woman..but we do carry the occasional passengers in the back and that may be a deal braker with the EX...but I guess we will have to evaluate that in person. I am planning to make a decision by April 2010 and by buying by the end of the summer (when my current Sienna lease os over)....I said evaluate in April because I will take my wife to the auto show in NY since she hates going to the dealers...thanks for all the help..

Greenwich Infiniti i always hear good things about. Avoid Manhasset Infiniti in long island, but since you're all the way out there i doubt you'll have a problem.

[sg77]

Here's an older thread where someone asked a similar question (choosing between EX35 and Murano): zerothread?id=420411

My comment there was that the Murano felt more like driving a minivan to me (kind of a disconnected-from-the-road feeling), while the EX35 felt more like a car. I wouldn't say that the EX35 has a rough ride at all though; it's a lot smoother than my old Sentra.

Also, I really like the Around View Monitor on the EX; I don't think that's available on the Murano (at least, it wasn't a couple years ago). I think the Murano had a power hatch that the EX lacks though. In the end it probably comes down to whether you need the extra space in the Murano; in my case I rarely have anyone in the back seats, but I like that the hatchback design gives more space than a car trunk, so the EX35 size was good for me.

And of course the EX35 has better acceleration than the Murano.
Modified by sg77 at 9:56 PM 11/30/2009

[Gordo36]

I live in Morris county NJ. I purchased the '09 Murano SL AWD in Oct '08 from Lynnes Nissan West. Traded in an '06 Jeep Limited with the Hemi and got a better offer than I had received from other dealers. MSRP was $35K got it for $31K.

We looked at several types of smaller SUV's for my wife for several months on Sundays (Lexus, BMW Audi, and Mercedes), but she always came back to the '08 EX AWD Journey. We bought it at Duane-Salerno Infiniti in Denville in May of '09. MSRP was $42K, got it for $33.5K and a fair trade on an '05 Chrysler 300C with the Hemi. The EX just fit her well. We never have anyone in the back seat and with the seats down in the rear there is plenty of room. We take the Murano if we have passengers in the rear seats.

The '10 EX has the backs of the front seats carved out a bit, but it's still tight in the back.

The Murano definitely rides better in my opinion.

[david.keller]

I have both 09 EX and 09 Murano LE. In my view, Murano is a better option with following advantages:

- Quieter ride- Softer steering- Power tailgate- Rain sensitive wipers- More legroom and capacity- Higher ground clearance- back seats heaters- Cheaper gas- EX has somewhat limited steering wheel adjustments

[svofan1]

Thank you all for your replies and opinions...I am now leanng towards the Murano LE, but my wife is the one that will decide which one and of course I will have some input because she says so...lol...

We both really think that whenit comes to SUV all are ugly as sin...but we have agreed that we will not judge based on the exterior but ONLY the interior..after all that is where we are all trhe time...

[movadopika]

I had an 09 Murano and now own an 09 EX, I would not go back. The Murano drove like a box on 4 wheels and my EX drives like a vehicle should. If you do not need the extra room the obvious choice would be the EX. Plus, there are way too many Muranos on the road. I have always enjoyed the exclusivity of Infiniti

[Timmbo]

EX35 drives and handles much more like a fine sports car, Murano has a lot more space, and is much better for a family. Personally, if money is no object, I would get the FX37 or the FX50 if you really have the cash. FX is more like the Murano size, but with even more power and better handling than the EX35. Looks are to die for!

[NJ_EX35]

Agreed with all the post previous to mine. The EX is a far more superior driving experience, but if you need the space I understand.

I used Douglas Infiniti in Summit, no BS and straightforward pricing. My previous experience ('06 G35X) was at Ray Catena but they tried to rip me off on my second car. I suggest e-mailing dealers exactly what you want and asking for specific pricing. I did that and in about 2 days I knew who was giving me the best price with no gimmicks. If you go with Infiniti ask for Ronnie at Douglas.

[aft981]

I had an 04 Murano SE, and then traded it in 18 months ago and got my 08 EX. I had seriously looked at getting the new Murano instead, but then I drove the EX, and knew that if I got the MO, every time I drove past an EX, I would be horribly jealous and regret my choice.

I had numerous problems with my 04 MO, and a month or so before I traded it in, it was in the shop for 3 days, and Nissan gave me an 09 Murano as a loaner. I didn't like it. Mine had been the SE, which had slightly sportier suspension, amongst other things, but for the new model year they did away with that. They also did away with the manual shift option on the CVT transmission. They also made the back end look like every other damn crossover SUV out there. I loved the vertical tail lights on the old model, but the new one, from a slight distance, especially at night I can't tell whether I'm behind a Rogue, an RX, a Subaru etc. From the front, I still can't make my mind up whether I like it or not. When the Murano first came out, it had the wow factor. It was different to everything on the road, but now it just blends right in. I just didn't really see the new model as anything special.

What I didn't like about the 09 Murano:-Didn't handle as well as my 04 Murano. Felt a bit more disconnected.-I missed the option to manually change the 'gears'-I severely disliked the fake wood they used in the new one. It looks bloody awful, and if you get the LE (which I would have done) there is no option to not have it. For some inexplicable reason, you can't choose to have the aluminium on the LE. The "wood tone trim" as they call it completely devalues the interior and honestly looks like you went to Pep Boys and bought some $30 plastic stick on wood effect trim or something. Ick. It looks especially garish around the gear lever.-I'm 6'5 and found I could actually get more comfortable behind the wheel of the EX, and it has proven to be more comfortable on long journeys. -Didn't really like the new dash layout. Seemed a bit more plasticcy and cheap than both the old model and the EX.

As well as the dislikes I had about the new one, other things I took into account:-I do go mild offroading occasionally for work, up fairly steep dirt tracks, through fields etc. I measured the ground clearance on the EX and my old Murano, and was astonished to find there was less than half an inch in it. Mainly cos the exhaust hangs so low on the old one. The new one could be different, but I knew the clearance on the 04 was sufficient for my needs, and so the EX also would be (and has been).-Driving characteristics are just worlds apart. The Murano (new one) handles better than the average SUV, granted, but the EX handles better than most station wagons. Not once have I even thought, uh oh, I better slow down, I don't want to tip this. It is just so well planted to the ground. Then you have the 2 second difference in 0-60 times. Enough said.-Power liftgate was nice on the new Murano, but the EX one is really so light, it's not that necessary. Plus the EX has power rear seats, which is pretty nifty.-Rain sensitive wipers. Well, I was surprised the Nissan had them and the Infiniti didn't, seemed a bit odd to me, but that said, I certainly wouldn't choose one car over another because of this feature.-The EX interior is just in a class of its own. It's so well put together, and just so aesthetically pleasing you certainly feel like you're in a luxury car. There isn't a single thing inside that makes me think, hmm, thats a bit cheap. I got the Chestnut interior, I was indifferent about it when I picked it, but was advised against light colours (apparently if you wear jeans a lot while driving, the blue may start rubbing off onto the leather), and my Murano had the black leather and I wanted a change. I've not looked back, it really is just so inviting, especially in the cold winter months!-The tech package is just fantastic. I love the ICC, and the lane departure. Plus the 4 camera birds eye view is one of the best parking aids ever invented. -Space. Yes, the Murano is larger, obviously, but think about if you really need that space. I drove from Atlanta to Philly in one day with a friend, and his 8 and 9 yr old kids in the back, and small amount of luggage in the trunk. We were fine. I also picked up my aunt, uncle and cousin (all over 6') plus 3 items of luggage from Newark airport and drove them here, plus we went to A/C (90 mins away) with no problems. Mostly it is just me driving it, for which it is fantastic, but if you need to carry people on shortish journeys, it is fine.-Finally, I've been driving my EX now for a year and a half, I've put 45,000 miles on it, and still whenever I park it somewhere and walk away, I glance one last time over my shoulder, and think 'that's a good looking car'.

Basically, the only two reasons I wouldn't get the EX would be if my budget couldn't quite stretch the extra few $k, or if I really did need the extra space in the Murano.

[ramprun]

speed sensitive windshield wiper isn't too critical if you had your windshield applied with hydrophobic coating. i have it on my ex and i have never used the windshield wiper when it rained. the only time i use it is to clean the windshield. i wished the EX would use CVT transmission instead because the fuel economy on this thing is a little low but i guess that is what you guess for high performance vehicle

[agaurav]

Hi all,

I discovered NICO forums googling about EX35 and Murano. I read the other thread as well. I am looking to replace my 1999 Camry. I live in Andover, north of Boston and my wife drives a Honda Pilot. We have 2 kids - 6 and 2.

This car will be primarily for my commute to work and occasionally with the family and long trips are probably going to remain in the Pilot (which we love). Now, I drove quite a few vehicles recently:

Audi Q5Merc GLK-350BMW X3Volvo XC60Acura RDXNissan MuranoHonda Accord CrosstourInfiniti EX35Lexus RX350Chevy Equinox

I did not try the CR-V and the RAV4 since they appear bland and boring (sorry about the prejudice). I have never driven a sports car or anything luxury before so I don't know what I am getting into. They all felt luxurious compared to my 1999 Camry :-)

I like the Murano:- extra space in case I ever need it- I presume it will have cheaper spares and labor?- Cheaper Insurance- regular 87 octane gas if I don't desire the extra power everyday

I like the EX35:- Novel, not at all common on the roads- Feels like pampering myself with a luxury brandname- Probably better reliability, i.e., less chances of initial quality problems

Tell me more? Is Infiniti more reliable than Nissan? J.D. Power wasn't as conclusive for me. Which might handle the New England winter better? Which is likely to give me more headache by being in the service shop for some odd repairs etc.? And why do people love and drive the luxury brands? For example, the X3 and GLK-350 didn't appeal to me at all. The Audi Q5 was nice but the dealer wants MSRP saying it is hot. That makes it way over my budget of $35K.

I am comparing the '10 Murano SL + Premium + Leather against the '10 EX35 AWD Base model.

Gaurav

[sg77]

Murano:- Cheaper Insurance- regular 87 octane gas if I don't desire the extra power everyday

The EX35 can use regular 87 gas too (the manual says it's ok, there just might be a decrease in performance).I don't know how much insurance is for a Murano, but the EX35 seems to be classified as a wagon for insurance purposes and might not have insurance rates as high as you expect.

As far as choosing a luxury brand over other brands, in my case I didn't care about the "luxury" part, I just looked at the features and performance.

[zozoka1212]

Infiniti has better warranty.