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.

Faults:

We had the transfer case fail right after we bought it, but it was covered under warranty.

In the last year I've replaced...

Cam position sensors.

Spark plugs (tough job, had to take the whole intake off. Repair manual states you need to remove the whole hood and window cowling, which is crazy for just a spark plug job. I managed it without).

All new brakes rotors on all four wheels.

New battery.

New serpentine belt.

The above are all regular service items and shouldn't even be mentioned, but....

New fuel level sensors, located in the gas tank. Gas gauge stopped working. Common flaw it seems.

Ball joints will need to be done soon. Rough Canadian roads = ball joint killer.

Here's the big one... it needs a new alternator. It works fine, but the bearings are shot and it makes a crazy howling. I have replaced alternators on a few other past vehicles with no issues, but the Murano is a bit ridiculous. The alternator is in the middle of the engine, down low and jammed in a tight spot. You need to remove the battery, battery tray, fan housing, and whole radiator just to remove the alternator. I've been quoted $950 CDN for the job in a few different shops. The part in Canada is around $400. On RockAuto in the States it's $150 shipped. Looks like I'll be doing the job myself. In the process, and since I have to remove the radiator, I'll be installing a new radiator, hoses, and thermostat. The thermostat itself is in a super tight spot next to the frame. I've seen a couple videos that show removing the engine mount and jacking the engine up just to remove the thermostat. Which to me is a regular maintenance part and should not be that difficult to replace.

Another flaw that I've heard of on many 3.5L's is the timing chain guide. It's made out of plastic, and tends to break, causing timing chain misalignment. Why a plastic piece would be used on such a high wear part is beyond me. It requires engine removal to repair. Poor engineering design.

I guess what I'm getting at, for higher mileage Murano's... beware shop costs on trivial replacements. The engine is mounted sideways and makes for extremely difficult repairs and high labour costs. I'm not a mechanic, but can't afford $1000 to replace an alternator, so I'll be doing it myself. Not sure I'd buy another Murano just for the difficulty of repair. Love the car, sucks to fix.

General Comments:

I always find car reviews on brand new cars good, but they don't tell you much on the reliability over the years. Every new car will probably get decent reviews. So here's a review on a Murano with 150,000K.

This car has been great up until the last year. Love the ride. Great in the winter. Love the looks and feel. Interior is awesome. Tons of room in the back seats. Lots of power. The 3.5L engine is mounted sideways and proves very difficult to repair yourself, or you are doomed to pay expensive shop costs.