I sat in a Murano this weekend and it was soo nice.:thumbup

The seat was soo comfortable and fit me perfect.The interior was also very nice, the leather was smooth and smelled of higher quality than I had associated w/ japanese leathers (out side of real hi end).

It smelled and felt like that nice Audi/VW leather...

I hear it handles as well as a car?

Fred...

I just read your article.Great job with the review of a great Nissan!

Fred...:thumbup

We can eaily make one here. if we ahve enough interest.We recntly also got a FX 45 crowd maybe we'll make a New NissanInfinti SUV section or some such.

Fred..

palmerwmd wrote:my actual new car to be bought in February:(Now March..)

Be happy the ice will be gone by then.

Carl,

Thank you for your report! I look forward to seeing the results from a full test.

I think the Murano would be an excellent driver/utility vehicle and possibly tow vehicle for my 240 on race day. Do you know what the towing capacity is? I would be interested to know.

How about posting the specs? I suppose I could just go to the dealership and check it out myself, but that would imply getting out of this padded chair.

Andy

I really like the Murano as well and sat in the same one that Fred and Tony did over this past weekend. Then I saw that damn FX45. They just had to go and one-up themselves, didn't they? Holy crap batman, 315hp and almost as quick as an M45. Wow.

I sat in the same one Fred did. The seat was extremely comfortable. It was a nice size too to fit into many smaller garages. Much better than those Ford Expirediculouses.

I had the pleasure of sitting in the Murano at the Indianapolis Auto Show. The lines, textures, and build quality are all first rate. The inside is very appealing and the color combinations are a refreshing departure from boring. Yay Nissan!

TEST DRIVE –THE NISSAN MURANO A TRUE TOWN & COUNTRY CAR

This driver could almost be persuaded to the Murano if it weren’t for his shallow-pockets, too many cars in the garage already, and longstanding personal dislike for newer cars.

Yet, this car is not your average SUV, and that’s almost enough for me.

Almost, and that’s saying a lot for a new car, and SUV in particular, in my book. - Datsun411 {C.A. Hockett}

Read the Full Test Drive Article Here!

All Murano photos in this article courtesy Nissannews.com

As I recall (as I run out the door), the towing cap is 3500 lbs with tongue weight of 350 (logical, 10%).

Will include specs and all with completed article.

Datsun411 wrote:As I recall (as I run out the door), the towing cap is 3500 lbs with tongue weight of 350 (logical, 10%).

Car and Driver did a very favorable review in the Feb issue - that confirms that the towing capacity is 3500 lbs. They didn't mention the tongue weight. Link to article: http://www.caranddriver.com/xp...o.xml

I have driven a few of these Muranos now. I must say although I am not very impressed with the outside the inside is very well thought out and the drivability of the SUV is very nice. Handles well in the snow, and has good road manners at all speeds. The interior is colorful and has plenty of buttons to keep your hands busy while driving. The outside leave a lot to be desired for me as Nissan design has been getting a lil too wierd for my taste but that's just it...my taste. The SUV is selling like hot cakes so people are receiving its introduction very well.

Well, I guess I'll be the first owner to speak up.

My wife and I bought one a couple weeks ago any absolutely love it - at least for the first 600 miles We looked at nearly EVERY SUV on the market. There were a few that were discarded due to styling, size and/or price.

It is perfect for our lifestyle. There isn't much need for 4WD drive in Chicago except for the occasional snow storm - which is usually followed by more salt then there is snow. My wife wanted at SUV for the safety - easier to see - AWD/4WD for crappy weather - not to take off road. We both ride mountain bikes but all places to ride in this area were designed to be driven to in a car. Just needed something to fit bikes in/on.

The worksmanship is far better then most cars we looked at in the same price range. The base price is really what you can expect to pay - as there isn't a huge need for options. We did get leather, heated seats and a sunroof. It wasn't like Toyota where AIR is an option. Or Saturn where ABS is an option. Both of us learned to drive without ABS - and in some cases I would prefer not to have it - but it hardly seems right to not have it. We started comparing prices with our list of Good and Bad of all the vehicles we looked at - and the Nissan won without a question.

The styling is a personal thing. I am sure there are some who just don't like to look at it. Personally, I love it. It doesn't have the same look as every other SUV. They all tend to look the same after awhile. Either that or they were in the 4th or 5th model year of that body style and due for a change - which isn't going to help resale at all.

Here is what we looked at - all 2003 model year.Saturn VUE - Uncomfortable Front seats - not as bad with the leather packageToyota Highlander - Cheesy Interior Components - No light in the visor mirror on 35K worth of truck??Land Rover Freelander - Seemed small on the insideLexus RX300 - Ha - Funny story on this that I'll share when the moderators make a Murano section here GMC Envoy - Liked this and the Trailblazer equally. Wanted to get the 0% for 60 months - but had to get the EXT.Chevy Trailblazer - See above - quality on the Murano was much better for the same price - sometimes less.Jeep Liberty - Wife didn't care for the lookVolvo XC90 - $40K with the twin turbo which was more then I wanted to spendMitsubishi Montero - BIG!!! Clunky 3rd row seat which is un-needed for us.Mitsubishi Montero Sport - Seemed cramped. Dated styling.

The Acura MDX and Honda Pilot were considered - but never really compared. By the time we got all the stuff we wanted we were looking over 35K - which I really wanted to stay under 30K - which didn't happen. I didn't care much for the styling either. They just seemed a little tame for me - and basically after we looked at the Murano - we knew it was what we wanted.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Oh yeah - we got black with tan leather

There was a Murano BB - but it seems to have vanished. If anyone knows of a good one please let me know. Or maybe there will become a need to have one here

I thought about going to hang out with them - there are a few things that are similiar. Wish I made about $100 more an hour and I'd have an FX45 too Very pretty truck - almost as pretty as the Nissan.