Faults:

- CV Jjoint replaced.

- Transmission clunks (occasionally).

- Strut bearing replaced.

General Comments:

I was looking at purchasing an SUV for our growing family. The Murano is a good looking, affordable option that offers plenty of kit. My concern was the ample amount of negative reviews by owners that I found online. A lot of reviews talked about unreliable CVT transmissions. Luckily for me, our Japanese import has a traditional 4 speed automatic (a feature of the JDM spec 2.5L) but it hasn't been trouble free.

The Murano drives great. Awesome for road trips. Really comfortable and can handle corners well (for a heavy SUV). The 2.5L has good low end torque and has good pick up, although fuel economy is not great and I have probably the most frugal of the range (2.5L 2WD). My family and I have done many long camping trips in our Murano and it's great for this type of driving.

Interior space is ample. We have two rear child seats and we can have an adult sit comfortably in the middle. Boot is massive and can fit a lot despite the sloping rear deck. I have carried 15 boxes (total 150kg) in the rear with the seats down.

Despite being an older model, there is plenty of tech inside. I have dual cameras (reversing and curb camera), navigation, electric seats, dual zone climate control, steering wheel controls, auto dimming rear vision mirror, sport/snow mode.

Now the negatives: Unfortunately, since the day we picked up the car, things have started to go wrong. The transmission clunks badly under heavy load (accelerating on sharp inclines), the suspension area developed several metallic noises that turned out to be a bad CV joint and strut bearing. Power steering seals failed causing leaks and have been advised recently that there maybe oil leaking from head gasket (further diagnosis required).

The Murano is a great driving, great looking SUV with plenty of kit for the price. Reliability and running costs are average.