330wannabe

Okay so the deal fell through TWICE...I so P.O.'d....I bought my acura's at the same dealership that is part of our lexus dealer...and let me tell you...I will gladly pay the 10K difference for the better service (ohh and a little thing...a BETTER vehicle!) over my Nissan dealers customer service....I'll just have to wait and save up 10K and suffer with the car seat situation!!! I think it will be worth it in the end!!!

unrealii

Why not look at a new 03 rx300? You can probably get it around teh cost of the murano. I'm not joking.

Sorry that the deal with the murano fell through. I've driven it twice and it really grew on me. Unforutnatly, my mommmy decided not to replace her mini van, so no murano or rx for my family

I also forgot to mention. I know it's a little early for this BUT, have you looked at the new toyota sienna? It's literally the rx of minivans. 4wd, hid's, dynamic cruise control, navi, rear video camera, etc. The list goes on. I woudln't be surpised if it over takes honda in #1 minivan. Lastly, the murano is in it's price range (literally).

Lexterious

agree re: Sienna. Same engine as the RX330. Slower than the RX though. But has lots of room, available AWD and seats 8.

Too bad I'm not a mini-van kind of a guy. Otherwise the new Sienna looks tempting. Also smaller than my previous favourite, the Honda Odessey (sp?), which I've always felt was a bit too big. Actually way too big.

jrock65

I know that these cars may be in slightly different categories (with the RX being more upscale), but these two SUVs can be configured to have similar features, are similar in size, and both have FWD bias when equipped with AWD. I am specifically interested in the following two vehicles, with a list of features that the other does not have.

RX330 AWD w/ Premium Plus Package (MSRP $41,838; Street Price $39,000):
Power rear door
Power tilt and telescope wheel (manual tilt on Murano)
Rear one-touch up-down power windows
Wood trim
Knee airbag
Auto-dimming side mirrors
Rain sensing wipers
Headlight washers
Higher quality of interior materials
Longer warranty
Roadside assistance

Murano SL AWD w/ Touring and Dynamic Control Packages (MSRP $35,410; Street Price $33,000):
Power adjustable pedals
Slightly larger interior
Slightly better gas mileage (but offset by the fact that it requires premium, whereas the RX does not)

I like both vehicles. The RX has one of the smoothest, most cushy ride of all SUVs and its interior is top notch. The Murano is one of the best handling FWD biased SUV's, and performs very well.
To me, the most compelling thing that the RX has over the Murano is its higher quality interior. Is this awesome interior and the few extra features worth the additional $6000?

mooretorque

It was, to my wife (SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED).

Bob99b5

We went through the exact same debate as you. We ended up buying the RX 330 configured exactly as yours is for $37,020. I could have bought a loaded Murano SL AWD (Touring with VSC etc) for $33,000. I felt the Murano looked better on the outside but the interior was what I called a "cartoon car" when compared with the Lexus, and I was afraid of the CVT transmission. In the end, I thought it was better to spend $4K extra for the Lexus cache, resale value, reliability, and extra year of warranty. Plus my wife wanted the Murano in the color Sunlite Copper and I couldn't see myself driving around in an orange car.

After having the RX 330 for a couple of months, I can say that it's a beautifully made car, especially on the inside, but it doesn't catch you eye quite as well as the Murano does - AND - it's really not that much fun to drive. Don't get me wrong, the ride is really smooth and comfortable and it's great in the snow, but it just isn't fun to drive. And the gas mileage, 15-16 overall, is lower than I expected.

cotmc

We strongly considered a Murano back in June. For us, there was roughly a $6K differential. We needed to be careful with not spending too much money. But after taking a closer look, and doing some research, we decided on the RX330. No regrets at all. Here are some key factors we considered:

1) With repeated visits to the Nissan dealer, we realized we couldn't warm up to the looks of the Murano's interior, especially the dash area. The stereo and climate control section looked to us like it was put in as an afterthought. It just didn't appear to be integrated into the design very well. Also, my wife did not like the "minivan" look applied to the top shelf of the dash (to the windshield). The interior of the RX330 looks far superior, in our opinion.

2) Within both Edmunds Town Hall and a Nissan enthusiast forum named freshalloy, I saw several complaints from new Murano owners regarding interior rattles within the doors and door pillars. One new Murano owner went as far to say that Nissan should have called it the "Moroccas" instead of Murano! They even conducted a poll to try to determine what percentage of new owners experienced interior rattle problems. This type of feedback on the build quality scared me away from the Murano!

3) We receive superior customer service from Lexus than we ever did from our Nissan dealer. Lexus also provides a significantly longer warranty.

4) The RX330 had a much better residual, and should have much better resale value. Consider the total cost of ownership, not just the initial cost to purchase.

nyclexus

You just can't compare the Lexus quality to Nissan quality. Not in the same ballpark.

IMO, the Muranos are just plain weird looking...and not in a good, unique way.

LexFather

We just had a thread like this recently, use SEARCH to find it.

RX469

iTrader: (1)

As nyclexus said,


This is exactly how I feel about the design trend of Nissan and the new upcoming Infiniti QX56, it's ugly. I don't know where Nissan/Infiniti is going with these big broad in your face chrome grills!!?

I think, once you experience it, you'll appreciate the Lexus quality and service after the sale.

Cheers,

Sheldon.

LexFather

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ghlight=murano

msmetz

Nissan is now owned by Renault and all of the styling is being done in Europe. If you go with the Nissan will you be wondering if you should have bought the Lexus? Just go with the one you want. I always overanalyze my purchases and end up buying what I really wanted.

Fikse

I looked at the Inifiniti FX35/45 and thought it was very crampt inside compared to the RX330.... I thought the Murano and the FX where the same basic body?

if so the RX is definately more comfortable, and has more interior space....

LexFather

Murano is based off the Altima.
FX based off the G35.

pdonnell

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RX330=Camry with taller struts.
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Step up to a bonafide 4x4 get a GX 470 or a fully loaded 4Runner (same cost as a RX330 Camry)
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Try 'em out prior to deciding on a Murano or RX330.
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