Require Premium Fuel?

[SaYnT]

Hey everyone,

In a few months I'm going to be handing my car back on lease. Of course with life changes I'm now looking at crossovers. I've always had my heart set on the new '09 FX35 since it's announcement but as time grows closer I'm considering other options. I'm coming from a history of sports cars, currently an '05 RX-8, so the driving style and performance of the FX would ease my transition into a bigger vehicle. But after looking and test driving the Murano, I'm not sure if the added driving experience is needed or justified by the additional cost. One thing that shocked me after researching the murano is the "required" premium fuel in the '09s. Is that right?...

[blastoff99]

No, the 2009 Murano does not require premium fuel. Next time you look at one, pop open the filler door. It will say something on the order of "Premium fuel recommended for maximum performance." My local service manager swears that the vehicle will run quite happily and without damage on regular fuel.

[SaYnT]

thanks for the info, i figured it was more of a recommended. i know the FX, from what i read, can take regular as well but suffers a bit of a performance hit.

[blastoff99]

Let me qualify my answer a bit.

I just saw that you're from Canada. *US Muranos* do not require premium fuel. However, I found out the other day that Australian Muranos have the HR engine, and maybe it requires premium; my Z with the HR absolutely, positively, all the time every time, do-not-run-it-ever-on-regular requires premium. Maybe a Canada-spec Murano is same as ROW instead of US, in which case you'd better do more research than taking my word on it. Again, pop open the fuel filler door, and that's your definitive answer.

[Timmbo]

As recommended, I only ran premium in our Murano, and our 3.5 Altima. Just my preference.

[themike12]

im in canada as well and I run my Murano on regular fuel with no issues, about every 3rd or 4th fill up I put premium in there, but the dealership has told me it will run with no issues on regular, also as previous said when you pop the gas cap it does say premium recomended blah blah...

[nafddur]

`Recommended' is different from `required.'

(I always use premium in both my Mo and Maxima - though not required in either - for best performance and mileage.)

[marlin29311]

The VQ35 in the Murano is a high compression engine - high compression engines generally require the useage of premium gasoline because of the higher octane rating, therefore helping prevent pre-detonation of the fuel. Using a lower octane rated fuel puts the engine at risk for pre-detonation and engine knocking - the engine can compensate for this, but it does so at a loss of power.

I would say it is HIGHLY recommended to use it in the Murano's VQ engine, as with every other car in Nissan's lineup that uses the VQ; but, the engine is smart enough to run on regular, without putting itself at a lot of risk.

[Macsleuth]

I'm just north of Toronto in Canada. Have used both regular and premium in my 95 Maxima, right up to 338K KMs, no engine problems.My 05 Maxima, always get Premium (unless I'm short on cash that week, then a tankful of regular, no problems).I'll run my 09 Murano the same, always premium unless i'm strapped for cash.Over the years, I did notice that gas mileage is down a wee bit when I'm running on regular.And of course, seat-of -the-pants, car feels down on power, but can't say for sure, just a gut feeling.So, in conclusion, running regular in Canada is ok.

[Desert Rat]

No issues running mine on 87 octane.

[brainguyus]

I always ran 89 octane in my MO. For the last three tanks I used 92 octane and I've gained an additional 2.5 mpg along with a noticable increase in performance. Cost-wise it's a break even, so I'm going to use 92 from here on.