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03 4Runer v.s. Murano? Anyone drive both?

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Old 04-12-2003, 12:11 PM
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now the infinity fx45 is a very nice wanna be suv. If I had the 45k I would buy one myslef except the french own infiniti too so I wont buy it. CHris
Old 04-12-2003, 12:50 PM
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let me phrase this as to not offend anybody..........I don't give 2 drops of urine for the French, but damn the FX45 is a bad ride!!! If I could swing it, I would have one as well.
Old 04-12-2003, 02:42 PM
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Impulse, where did you hear that the French own Nissan and Infinity? I have never heard that before.
Old 04-12-2003, 02:52 PM
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Product of France

Originally posted by Paul H.
Impulse, where did you hear that the French own Nissan and Infinity? I have never heard that before.
Paul,

Please see the entire list of French owned companies in the Off Topics Forum in this thread:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...&threadid=8061
Old 04-12-2003, 03:37 PM
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That Nissan Murano looks like #$%$#%. Add anymore curves to it and you've got a VW bug. Go with the 4runner. At least Toyota hasnt gotten too futuristic looking yet.
Old 04-12-2003, 04:12 PM
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ranault or something along that lines bought nissan and all there brand names out a few years ago. Everyone thinks there japanese but they are not any more. Chris
Old 04-12-2003, 06:26 PM
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nissan ownership?

Dunno what came out of the potential move, but

--Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA yesterday moved to deepen their alliance, announcing the Japanese auto maker would take a 15-per-cent stake in Renault and the French auto maker would increase its holding in Nissan.

Predicting that the deal would be completed by mid-2002, the two companies said Renault would lift its ownership in Nissan to 44.4 per cent from 36.8 per cent.

Nissan will acquire its stake through a reserved capital increase and the French government's 44.2-per-cent stake in Renault would initially fall to 38 per cent.

The French state said it plans to cut its stake eventually to 25 per cent, selling Renault shares in a public offering with the timing dependent on market conditions.
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http://www.globetechnology.com/archi...31/IBNISS.html
---------

Looks like the reporting is incorrect here. 44.4% is still not ownership.
Old 04-12-2003, 06:37 PM
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Hey guys,

It just so happens I sell Nissan's and drive a 1998 4Runner. I'll try to give my honest opinions about both vehicles fro the perspective of using it mainly for road use with very little off-pavement driving. First off, the Murano is based on the Altima platform, and toyota 4Runner is based on a truck platform. This will equate to a car like ride on the Murano, and a more truck-like ride for the 4Runner. The Murano's are considered to be a Urban SUV, and often they get called a crossover SUV. Now, I'm going to discuss the differences on the 2wd models, not the 4wd and AWD. If strictly concerned with the Road manners, the Murano has front wheel drive, and the 4Runner is rear wheel drive. This means the Murano will do better in the snow, and get considerably better gas mileage. The Murano comes standard with 18" wheels, which gives you a larger contact patch on the road, and better cornering stability. I'm not sure of the wheel size on the 4Runner, but they are probably 17" wheels. The Murano can come equipped with power everything with memory seats, mirrors, and memory adjustable pedals. The Murano's front seat design are contoured to allow tall passengers in the back seat to slide their feet not only completely under the front seats, but also keeps their knees from hitting the back of the seats, which is very nice when you are tall like me. The Murano has both front and rear side curtain airbags standard in addition to side airbags in the front seats. The 4Runners are optional on the limited model. The Murano has 245 HP, and the 4Runner has either 245 or 235 hp. The Murano's tranny doesn't shift, so you never feel any shift shock when a normal automatic downshifts. The Xtronic CVT tranny in the Murano has less moving parts than a standard tranny, and they've been making them for over 10 years overseas, so reliability will not be a problem on these vehicles.

Note: I'm just trying to point out the differences, but it probably seems that I'm trying to sell the Murano over the 4Runner. This is slightly true for this application. If mhawker was going to be going off-roading, towing a heavy trailer, etc. on a consistent basis, the 4Runner is the only way to go.

But, for an overview, since you are looking for a 2wd, the Murano has more room, has reclining rear seats, dual climate control standard, DVD-based navigation system optional, Front Wheel drive (better gas mileage and snow driving), Optional Vehicle Dynamic Control package (TCS, VDC, TPM), Bose Audio with 6 disc in dash CD changer as an option, front screw in tow hook point, Timing Chain(no maintenance), 105K mile first tune-up interval, Easy handle flip down rear seats fold flat, one of the 10 best engines ever developed according to Ward's magazine, HID lights standard on SE and optional on the SL, drives like a car with the added ground clearance and versatility of a SUV, very little brake dive and body roll in corners, much higher quality looking and feeling interior, most expensive seats Nissan has ever put into a vehicle yet, and that's about all I normally discuss with folks when I'm talking to them at the dealership.

Now, I know I'm going to hear it on this one for sure. If you actually compare the two vehicles side by side for the purposes of on-road capabilities, the Murano will win every time. If you were worried about towing and off-roading the 4Runner is the clear choice. The Murano can tow up to 3500 lbs, and 4Runner is probably over 5000 lbs. You can get both of these equipped about the same, and if you get them fully loaded out the Murano will have more interior features, and a cheaper overall price or maybe even close to the same.

Now, if anyone wants to attack me on this one, I'm prepared to answer any questions on the Murano, and understand why I'm recommending it over the 4Runner. It's only because it's mainly for road use.

Let me know what everyone thinks and sorry for the long post,

Chris
Old 04-12-2003, 08:06 PM
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i agree with you there not in the same category at all so I dont know how to compare them. But i wouldnt buy a nissan if they paid me to.
Old 04-13-2003, 03:55 PM
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We were looking into a Murano to replace our 99 4runner highlander, but chose the 03 4runner Sport Edition 4x2 instead. Murano is girly, I think. As far as quality goes Toyota is way better than that French owned company.
Old 04-13-2003, 03:59 PM
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Well, I know we are each entitle to our own opinions, but as far as reliability Toyota has been losing ground, because they have been riding around on their past history. As far as reliability, Nissan is equal if not better than Toyota on some vehicles, and consumer reports would agree.

Now, don't get me wrong, both are excellent vehicles, and will probably last a lot longer than most of us keep our vehicles, so who really cares, right?

Chris
Old 04-13-2003, 09:17 PM
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I think the 4Runner is the better overall choice. When I was test-driving new vehicles one weekend I saw a Murano get mostly stuck in a snow-filled parking lot.

Back & forth, back & forth and he finally ended up getting out of there. I was in my 4Runner sitting off to the side early on waiting for it to get stuck actually. Had the tow strap all ready too.
Old 04-14-2003, 04:59 AM
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Originally posted by HBoss
I think the 4Runner is the better overall choice. When I was test-driving new vehicles one weekend I saw a Murano get mostly stuck in a snow-filled parking lot.

Back & forth, back & forth and he finally ended up getting out of there. I was in my 4Runner sitting off to the side early on waiting for it to get stuck actually. Had the tow strap all ready too.
Hahaha. On the weekend I wash checking out the new SR5 4Runner in black, looked real nice even with the side claddings in grey and it was sold. While I was looking at it, some guy in a Murano came by and said that he traded his Murano for the 4Runner. Also said when he's driving in the Murano, he feels like he' s in a girl's truck and thats why traded it for the new 4Runner.
Old 04-14-2003, 05:06 AM
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Get a 1973 AMC Gremlin... it's cheaper

Old 04-14-2003, 05:15 AM
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Seriously though, 4runner and Murano ARE very different! What will this vehicle be used for? You said you won't go offroad. Will you do any heavy towing?
By the way, Murano has more cargo space than new 4runner!! 76 for the runner and 80+ for Murano, isn't that right?
I own a 02 Runner and a good friend of mine has a 03 Murano SL (AWD).
For street use, Murano beats 4Runner hands down in all categories. Sorry, but it's true. It's WAY faster. Corners WAY better. Gets MUCH better MPG.
Having said that, I hate how it looks, so I'd have a very hard time buying one. Functionally speaking, I know it would make much more sense for me to own one than a 4Runner (I don't go offroading.. I use a bike for that).
One more thing, the AWD system on Murano is not as nice as on some other AWD vehicles (Subaru for instance). It puts 100% of the power to front wheels and only shifts power to the back when front wheels start slipping. This shouldn't matter much to you, since you're looking for a 2WD anyway. My friend tells me that he hasn't felt any torque steer on his compared to the Maxima which he used to own.
Old 04-14-2003, 07:53 AM
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Well, I guess I should have saw this one coming, but, really, I wasn't trying to start a flame war. I was just hoping someone had driven both and could comment on them.

Chris,
Thanks for the all the "official" information. I've been on the Fresh Alloy forum and getting info there also. Seems, for the purpose, the Murano is very nice. I also hear the Nissan dealers are more willing to sell based on invoice v.s. other dealers.

As far as the FX45... Yup, if I could swing it, I'd be buying that one.

Obviously, these are different vehicles and should not be compared. I really feel I will end up with another 4Runner, if just for the "chance" I will be going off-road. Who knows, maybe I'll be on the next Global Extreme!

Thanks for all the input.

Mike

PS- hmmmm. That Gremlin is mighty nice, though!
Old 04-14-2003, 09:46 AM
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Originally posted by impulsebrklyn
Nissan sucks the fing french own them. I am boycotting the french that ungrateful country. Chris

not trying to start a flame here just my opinion. I dont agree with there NO support for this war.
From www.nps.gov/stli/:
"Located in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty was a gift of international friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is one of the most universal symbols of political freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886 and was designated a National Monument on October 15, 1924."

If I'm not mistaken, didn't France help American forces during the Revolutionary War?

Hmmm....some food for thought?
Old 04-14-2003, 10:02 AM
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If you're not concerned with off road, then get the Murano. It's basically a tall, AWD, Altima wagon (same platform and drivetrain).. It has GREAT on road performance. The AWD is FWD biased.

The Infiniti FX35 (6 cyl.) is nice too. Even better performance since it has the rear wheel drive biased AWD system from the Skyline. The FX is based on the same platform that carries the G35 and the new Z.

I love the new 4Runner, don't get me wrong, but if what you want is a tall, AWD station wagon for on road, then the Murano is the better vehicle (IMO).
Old 04-15-2003, 07:37 AM
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Originally posted by Sporin
but if what you want is a tall, AWD station wagon for on road, then the Murano is the better vehicle (IMO).
Old 04-15-2003, 10:18 AM
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Raven

To each his own I guess. However, I would never buy a Nissan. IMO, Nissan uses the cheapest plastics they can find and then tries to dress them up w/modern looking interior controls and guages. I don't care for the interiors at all on the Murano. The steering wheel is fugly and it looks like someone stuck a Fisher Price toy on the dash for the instrument cluster. Have you rode in an Altima that has had some miles put on it? I have! It's a terrible and noisey ride. My Coworker has 50Kmi on his 02' and it's a POS. Sure the drive train is impressive but the rest of the car is falling apart. That being said, I wouldn't buy anything based on the Altima platform. It's overpriced high tech junk gadgetry doesn't attract me.

The new 03' 4Runner is Rock solid and is in a class of it's own.


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