800 messages,
Last post on Mar 02, 2010 at 10:36 AM
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Honda Pilot Forum.
What is this discussion about?
Nissan Murano, Toyota Highlander, Subaru B9 Tribeca, Honda Pilot, Acura MDX, Volkswagen Touareg, SUV
#794 of 800 09 Murano vs. 09 Highlander Sport
by ironjeff
Sep 27, 2009 (1:46 pm)
I was pretty sold on the 09 Highlander Sport 4x4 (though I'll most likely wait for the 2010s to come out) with all the features like nav and leather etc... and then yesterday I test drove a Murano LE fully loaded and it seemed a lot more responsive in terms of steering, acceleration, and control.
I'm sort of on the fence right now because price wise they are really very similar, so I wanted to see what others have thought of the two cars, but I don't need the 3rd row of seating, I really only require AWD for going to the mountains to ski and also some room to take my dog places.
Here's what I've found:
Highlander Pros
* Bigger cargo area
* More roomy
* Better NAV/dash system
* Exterior looks nicer - more manly
* I trust toyota more as a brand for things like maintenance and quality.
Murano Pros
* Interior seems nicer, more luxurious
* The acceleration seems better ( same engine, but seems lighter )
* The rear camera has lines that show you how far things are away.
Is this consistent with what others have seen? Am I missing something?
Thanks in advance.
#795 of 800 Re: 09 Murano vs. 09 Highlander Sport [ironjeff]
by jayrider
Sep 27, 2009 (3:25 pm)
If cargo space is a big concern then opt for the highlander. The rest is more subjective than objective.
#796 of 800 Re: 09 Murano vs. 09 Highlander Sport [ironjeff]
by scottgb
Sep 28, 2009 (2:25 am)
I just went through the same comparison you did, and ended up buying a loaded Murano SL AWD. I've had nothing but Toyota's for the past 15 years, and the Murano just felt better to me. The Highlander is nice, but the interior left me cold. Good luck in your decision, I don't think you'll go wrong with either one.
#797 of 800 Re: 09 Murano vs. 09 Highlander Sport [ironjeff]
by ateixeira
Sep 29, 2009 (11:48 am)
I don't like that the HL's 3rd row doesn't split fold, but that's not an issue for you.
If the Nissan felt better, you should pick that.
#798 of 800 Re: 09 Murano vs. 09 Highlander Sport [ateixeira]
by morey000
Dec 01, 2009 (10:52 am)
Certainly no bad choices in this bunch, and your pro/con list is right on.
One thing that I'd add is that you can actually take the Tribeca off road. The AWD system is far superior in poor traction conditions, dirt AND snow. The Murano is probably the best road feel/handling of them. Also the best looking.
#799 of 800 Driven almost everything listed; this thread is headed toward FAIL
by iomatic
Mar 02, 2010 (10:05 am)
… in various combinations of snow, dirt, racing. And in racing, you can translate a lot of learned information and physics to the more mundane driving world.
All the silly armchair analyses here miss a couple things:
a) it's not the car that wins these WRC examples, it's actually … drumroll … the driver/team.
b) it's the tires
c) and then it's the suspension, body-weight ratio, and finally, maybe of the least importance: AWD/4WD system.
You give me the above, say, caged, prepped Ford Fiesta with FWD, and you take a big, fat SUV with summer tires, dual-zone aircon, seat heaters, chrome bumper and blingy wheels on a dirt road, and I'm pretty sure I'd win. Heck, my preteen kids would handily beat you.
So we ended up with a Highlander because 90% of the time it's pavement, and the rest is dirt, mud and snow. We thought the Land Rover Discovery would be overkill.
Love,
io
#800 of 800 Re: Driven almost everything listed; this thread is headed toward FAIL [iomatic]
by ateixeira
Mar 02, 2010 (10:36 am)
Well, the driver is the same (you), and all the tires here are probably M+S rated, so the difference on the road will end up being (c) above.