Car tests and reviews

WHAT WE LIKE: Even after three seasons and nearly 25, 000 miles, we consistently marvel at our long-term Murano’s stretch-out spaciousness, all-day comfort, and Costco-friendly cargo hold. Three-row crossovers have their benefits, but for those who don’t need the extra seats, the two-row Murano is extremely well packaged. And not many of those larger crossovers can yield the kind of fuel mileage we’ve been getting in the Nissan; our observed mileage climbed by 1 mpg since our last update, to 23 mpg. These aren’t the only factors that have helped us keep the odometer turning constantly: The ergonomics are easy to master, and the Around View Monitor system of cameras produces a bird’s-eye view that makes parking simple. Also, while winter was slow to reach the Midwest, we’ve been taking full advantage of the Murano’s remote start, heated steering wheel, and heated front and outboard-rear seats.

WHAT WE DON’T LIKE: Unless you’re contemplating the Murano’s exterior styling, it is perhaps the least-interesting vehicle in our current long-term fleet. After driving the Murano 1400 miles to Minnesota and back, contributor Tony Swan offered a one-word summary of the Nissan: “Boring.” That wasn’t his only criticism, however. He, like other drivers, complained about the vague steering, excessive body roll, and slow chassis responses when cornering. And several people have ranted about the glovebox—yes, that’s right, the glovebox. The problem is that it’s ridiculously deep, so much so that it makes extracting our fuel logbook an uncommonly difficult task. Colorful comments include: “If the glovebox had an access panel, you could probably check the engine oil without exiting the car, ” and “The glovebox makes me feel like I’m spelunking.” This is fine for day-to-day storage, but it’s not so good for day-to-day use.

By the way, because we hail from the Midwest and believe strongly in a href="/features/winter-tire-test-six-top-brands-tested-compared-feature" target="_self"the benefits of winter tires/a, we installed a set of Yokohama Geolandar I/T G072 ice and snow tires, which has helped the Nissan slosh through what winter has challenged us with so far. /p table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"x">

WHERE WE WENT: The Murano hasn’t seen the parking lot of our home office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, very often in recent months. Besides the trip to Minnesota, it went to Richmond, Virginia, to coastal Wisconsin, and also back to northern Michigan—the tenth time it has been “Up North, ” and almost certainly not the last.

Months in Fleet: 10 months Current Mileage: 24, 492 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 23 mpg Fuel Tank Size: 19.0 gal Fuel Range: 440 miles