2003 Nissan Murano SE

By far the best car I have ever owned. A little history about my last cars:
I have owned new: a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am, 1997 Nissan Altima, 2000 Nissan Quest, and now a 2003 Nissan Murano.
Yes, I made the jump to Nissan ever since my American car took a dump after 38,000 miles.
I absolutely love the Murano. We purchased it in October of '03' for $30,500, fully loaded (except for the seat warmers and navagation system).
My father had looked at these cars when they first came out, and just from the commercial, I really did not like the looks of it, (especially in the orange color that Nissan would often feature). My dad had test drove, although he did not buy one, he ranted and raved about it. My wife liked them as well.
Overly anxious to get rid of our Mini Van (Nissan Quest) since my step-son was no longer with us and we did not need a mini-van, I went and checked out the Nissan Murano. I spent roughly about 3 hours at the dealership, learning every square inch of the vehicle. The more I knew, (I had a very educated Salesman!) the more I fell in love with the car. From the very responsive 3.5L 245Hp engine, the smoothness of the CVT Transmission, down to the custom cell phone holder in the console, and the 3 different power points in the car (1 in the dash, 1 inside the center arm console, and 1 in the rear).
I was especially impressed with the room. I am about 6'0, and with long legs, so the front drivers room was more than adequate. For added comfort, the pedals are adjustable, making it even more convienent to switch from Gas to Brake. I was even more impressed with the Rear Seats. With the drivers seat all the way back, I could fit easily in the back seat. My knees did touch the back of the seat, but was in no way scrunched. For even more comfort, the back seats recline to about a 45-50 degree angle. VERY NICE.

Since I purchased my Murano, I have put on a K&N Air Filter and a Aeroturbine Exhaust. I average 20MPG around town. I do a lot of stop and go driving, will sit for a few minutes in a parking lot with the engine on to finish paper work, and I average 20MPG. I do use Premium fuel. On the highway, with the cruise set at 70-75 MPH, engine is cruising at about 1800 RPM, and I will get 27-28 MPG. I have gotten 430 miles off a tank of gas. I had to drive to San Diego, back and forth, so it was all Highway. I was impressed none-the-less.

Performance and handling are great. I love taking turns in it. I have worn out the factory Goodyear Eagle tires at about 27,000 miles, and was not impressed with them at all. Since then, I have put on Toyo Proxes, 255/60/R18, and they handle great! A world of difference.
There is a steep 7-8% grade backroad that I will take occasionally up to our mountain home. I will occasionally push the car, reaching 100Mph, of course the RPM's are high, but, again, the CVT transmission handles great with no back a forth shifting, just a nice steady RPM. Off the line, it is even more impressive. I don't do a lot of racing, but occasionally, a car will pull up in the second lane at a stop light that soon after merges into one lane, thinking he is going to get in front. To his surprise, I am gone! I see exactly when their car shifts, whether an auto. or manual. Every time they shift, they fall back further and further.

Now for the bad stuff!
The rear cup holder is in a bad spot. I have two smaller kids, and when they are in their seat, it is hard to reach. Plus, when left open, (as my kids often do!) and someone new enters the vehicle, it is easily kicked, not being seen to easily. I had it replaced once under warranty. So far no more problems. Just had to learn to close it myself!
CVT fluid for the tranny, if you are the do-it-yourself type, can cost quite a bit. The good news is that Nissan usually puts a drain plug on their Tranny Case. All of my past Nissan's have had one, and they use a screen, not a filter. So maintenance on the tranny is easy, drain and fill, just costly. A quart of CVT fluid is roughly $25!

Overall, as stated before, it is the best car I have ever owned, and do not look to be trading it in at all. I currently have 49,000 miles on it, a few light scratches, and a small bang on rear (hit and run in a parking lot!). I use the car for work, and love the room it has in the back. I sometimes have to take it on dirt roads, some of which can get pretty rough after a nice rain, and I love the ground clearance. The suspension handles great. Not too rough, not too soft.
This vehicle is everything I have expected from Nissan.

P.S. 2 other problems that have occured since owning the Car. Just recently at about 44,000 miles, I had to slam on my brakes when someone pulled out in front of me (no, I was not going 100 up the grade!) When I stopped, right as the vehicle came to a complete stop, I heard a "pop". I had recently replaced the front pads and thought maybe they were defective, causing them to shatter under the pressure. I babied it back to my mom's house, less than a mile way, staying off the brakes as much as possible. Upon inspection, I found the rotor completly broke! Nissan had never heard of that, and after convincing them, and a little persuasion, they towed the vehicle in, and replaced both rotors out of "goodwill".
There was also a recall on the alternator. Other than that, I love driving the car, the Bose sound system is awesome, and everything has worked like it is suppose to!