speedflex

No worries. There is no personal friction or offense. I simply fee compelled to address comments which I sometimes feel are inaccurate or without solid basis. You are widely respected here as knowledgeable resource who has spent actual time in the cars you speak of. I can tell that the Murano is simply not a vehicle which has impressed you and that is based on real experience with the car and not just knee-jerk reaction based on personal feelings or hearsay. That said I found the interior fit and finish to be not worse but better than most competitors such as the said Highlander (EVERYTHING was hard plastic).

Thanks for the goodwill regarding our purchase. Through 89,000 miles it has been a great car. Solid, with no rattles and only one issue (we had to have one of the electronic engine mounts replaced at 73,000 miles).

We would certainly get another.

The Passat is a whole different ball of wax. It has had, until recently with the intro of the new Accord, the best interior design, fit and finish in the midsize 20-30K sedan class. It's German, which gives it a range of Teutonic touches, if you find that appealing. It looks and drives great. But I'm a bit leery of tempermental German electronics and mechanicals.

One thing which would seem to factor in between these two disparate vehicles is gas mileage. Our Murano averages about 23-24 MPG. I don't know what a 4C Passat does but it would seem to me that fuel efficiency is one of the biggest determining factors between the two.

mmarshall

Like I said, my criticism of auto interiors was not limited to the Murano by any means. And I did not dislike the rest of the vehicle, either......only the Murano's overall styling (which is a subjective thing), and the dash/gauge materials turned me off. It actually drove pretty well, however, by SUV standards.

The former (2007) Highlander does have a lot of hard interior plastic, but, IMO, was not as unpleasant lke the new Camry and Tundra are....and the wood paneling in the Limited version was pretty nice. And the new 2008 Highlander has MUCH better interior fit and finish (see my recent review of the 2008 V6 Limited). Toyota seems to know it had a problem with interiors and has started to address it in the new Highlander....hope more is to follow.
(I'm waiting to see what the new Lexus RX350 version of it will be like)


Passats are also available with diesels if mileage is a concern, though the diesel, unecessarily IMO, carries a premium price tag. The VW diesels were on hold for about a year or so while we shifted over in the U.S from conventional to low-sulfur diesel fuel, but they should be coming back shortly. Unfortunately, some of the benefits and high-mileage of the low-sulfur diesel fuel will be offset by its increased cost (roughly that of 93-Octane Premuim gas)

SoCalSC4

Drive around Southern California and tell me who you see driving these vehicles.

LexBob2

Under "Gender Profile" for BOTH the '07 Murano and Passat, J.D. Power shows 54% male and 46% female.

mmarshall

Redundant......that's not the issue. Sure, a lot of females drive them. But that doesn't necessarily make them "chick" cars........any more than minivans have to be "soccer-mom" vehicles, Buicks have to be "Grandpa/Grandma" vehicles, high-powered sports cars only for young males, or Honda Civic hatchbacks only for the young, immigrant, caps-on-backward crowd.

You have, obviously, fallen prey to the same old stuff about auto images and stereotypes (and believe me, you're not alone). Toss that stuff out in the trash.....it is a bunch of nonsense. People should buy and drive what they like, what they can afford, and what suits their needs best....and never mind what others think. In fact, that is what they come to us here on CAR CHAT for......sensible, intelligent, unbiased advice.

See what I mean about them being so-called "chick" cars? Just more stereotypical nonsense.

BTW, good post, LexBob.

SoCalSC4

This would indicate who is buying them... not necessarily who's driving them. One of the guys at my office leased a Passat... for his wife to drive.

mmarshall

It's hard, though, to imagine a guy putting his wife into something that he wouldn't drive himself.

Passats also vary quite a bit in model, body style, and drivetrains........they aren't all just geared towards one individual (or type of individual). You can get them in sedan, wagon, FWD, AWD, 4-cylinder, diesel, manual, automatic, DSG, W6, and, until recently, W8 versions as well. Like many German cars, the Passat comes in a large variety of different forms.....and prices.

Sorry, BTW, if I sounded a litle harsh on my last response to your posting...but I see so much of auto image and stereotyping shape people's buying habits that it gets frustrating at times.