Nissan Murano !!!!
 

Guys,

Do any of you own, or have owned an Nissan Murano ? I'm looking for some honest opinions on these as I'm thinking of buying one for my wife and gassing it !!!! They seem good value for money now and the gas conversion gives acceptable running costs, but just want opinions if possible !

1. Are these reliable ?
2. All cars have certain problem associated with the make and model....... what lets the Murano's down ?
3. An honest running cost appraisal. How much to fill and how many miles to the tank driving easy, and normal everyday driving ?
4. Anything else I need to know ?

I'm sure you get the idea !

All opinions are very welcome and may influence my decision.

Thank in advance !

Ricky !

I was going to get one a few years ago, did all my research, went for test drives and I also owned a 350z, which is basically the same engine but not detuned as in Murano. The biggest problem with them is fuel consumption in the petrol models, the 3.5 lite V6 lump is thirsty, especially when combined with the sluggish auto box. (They did a revised engine in 2007 IIRC which was slightly better on fuel).

The design is now dated as is everything about the car. I think a much better option in a newer platform / engine is the Nissan Quashqai. I ended up getting a 2009 Honda Accord Tourer 2.0 vtec auto, which is simply a brilliant car apart from the not so amazing fuel consumption of town 24mpg / combined 30mpg / motorway 36 mpg. (but still better than the Murano).

ps a left field option for a used car which is amazing value for money is a Lexus GS300. We'v had one in the family for 6 years and that 3.0 V6 is silky smooth with excellent power delivery and not much worse fuel consumption than my Accord 2.0 litre (weedy in comparison) engine!

Mate had one in Dubai, urban fuel consumption was in the teens, not a problem when when fuel is .70p per gallon...

Like the look and feel of them but the fuel consumption was pretty poor.

Did i mention the fuel consumption;)

You would have to be covering a very high mileage each year to re-coup the cost of an LPG system.

I also understand they can give many problems hence them never really catching on considering the number of cars on the road.

Nissan basically did'nt have the new engines at the time the Murano was in production and just chucked in the old VQ35DE engine in!

same engine as 350z which doesn't really go wrong.

nice spec, nice car, just thirsty but you already knew that....

why not??

Why not you say.....

The only reason Im doubting myself is over the fuel consumption. I would love to hear from someone who owns an LPG Murano and could tell me the figures for real world driving from a 70l spare wheel well tank. Im guessing a Murano would do between 18 and 24mpg on petrol and if I thought I could get near the equivalent of 35mpg on lpg (thats just an acceptable figure I have in my head, but not set in stone) I would be happy with that. Some say the saving is 40% - 50% (depending on driving obviously) which on my calculations on a 20mpg car (approx. 18mpg on lpg) is only 25 - 27 mpg and I don't know that would cut it with me or not ! Maybe Im not thinking about it the right way ?????

A good friend of mine has a Nissan Murano and he loves it. However, the mpg was really bad, especially around town so he had a LPG system put on it. Lovely car, lovely interior and he told me to tell you to go for it.

I've got a LPG Mitsubishi Outlander. On petrol the car's 2.0 petrol engine does about 24 / 28 mpg, which for a 2.0 engine is poor. The LPG doesnt give the same mileage, so when running on LPG I get about 18 / 23 mpg. LPG isnt as `calorific` as normal petrol so doesnt give you the same mpg. Also, if a LPG tank is 70L, it only really takes 64l as Ive never ever filled my tank to the suggested amount. His Murano does about the same as mine.

Luckily, as LPG is around 74p per a litre, even at 20mpg Im still getting 38/40mpg if I was using petrol. I dont notice any difference when on LPG, but I am aware that the engine needs regulary checking as the valves need adjusting / resetting. Hot starting becomes an issue. However, this might just be with my type of engine, as its absolutely awful.

Takes for ever to fill the tank as well, you connect the nozzle and press the button.

If you buy a car with LPG, make sure you see the certification for the installation, and ensure its a system that is still being sold / serviced. The one on my outlander was installed at the dealership, and has since stopped. Therefore I know when it comes to servicing it, Im in trouble :(. Mind you, I have a LPG autogas installation company nearby and will use them. However, I hate my outlander, f**King awful thing so will get rid of it before that happens. ITs the wife's car for the kids, gutless piece of 5hit !!!

SBK

A friend of mine has one for sale. He has drove it for a good few years with the gas conversion, not sure on the MPG, I will ask him, but its bloody fast for its size! We had a hse range rover and it left it for dust.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3849186.htm