Owner comparison: 04 Murano vs 08 Edge

[Tboneguy]

I thought you all might want to hear some thoughts from an 04 Murano SL owner who bought an 08 Edge Limited.

 

First: I'm a Ford guy, and have been since my first car was a 65 Mustang :shades: But, that doesn't mean I'm not objective, in fact, maybe more so since I expect MORE from my Fords. Back on 04 there was nothing even close to the Murano, which is why we leased one. Ford made that it's target with the Edge and it's been a huge success.

 

So here's my 2 cents...

 

Leased a 2004 Murano SL for my wife in October 2003. Lease is up now and the car has 50K miles on it. We've had very few issues with the Murano. Serpentine belt idler pulley went out at 37k miles and it cost me ~$400. The power mirrors are realllllllly getting slow. Other than that and a couple of recalls (alternator and fuel tank shield), pretty much flawless. Unfortunately the Nissan dealers around here are just lousy.. poor service departments and stupid TV ads.. trying to get $4K above sticker for 09 Murano's...

 

Purchased 2008 Edge Limited May 30th using $3750 in rebates and X-Plan pricing. I now have close to 3000 miles on it after a recent vacation trip. Absolutely no issues with the car and the dealer was fabulous.

 

Comparison:

 

Interior: Materials are better in the Murano. Leather and carpet both seem to be higher quality in the Murano. The Edge has too much hard plastic everywhere. The Murano's Power Seats includes power seaback too, and I can't figure out why Ford doesn't... argh.. One of the reasons we went with the Limited was because it includes the Memory Seats/Mirrors (I'm 6'5" wife is 5'4") not having Power seatback is a disappointment. The Murano's steering wheel is not telescopic and I could never find a truly comfortable seating position for that reason, and I always felt the seat didn't go low enough. Edge seats are good and quite comfortable, but it seams the Murano's are just a bit better. Back seat room goes to the Edge, as well as having a good center arm rest back there.

 

Electronics: SYNC trumps all!.. but the sound of the Murano's Bose system is a bit better. I never liked the orange lettering in the Murano controls, but I found it easier to manipulate the accessories.

 

Ride: HANDS DOWN, the Edge rides and handles better. Murano felt like it was on too short a wheelbase and although not punishing, you certainly feel the bumps more. The Murano always felt like a FWD vehicle (too much understeer), but the Edge doesn't have that issue. Part of that I'm sure is because I've the 20" rim/tire option, but nevertheless, the Edge wins that one.

 

Exterior: Style is always a personal preference. I "personally like the 04 Murano better than the new 09 Murano (the front is just plain hideous). But I like my Edge better than both. I probably wouldn't say that if mine didn't have the 20's. From some angles the 18's just seem too small on an Edge.

 

Noise: Edge wins this one. Extremely well put together. Only complaint is that I really don't like the way the engine sounds on moderate acceleration...too buzzy sounding or something.

 

Performance: Haven't run the side by side, but I'm betting on the Edge. As for fuel mileage, MURANO wins this one... On the HWY it's a toss-up, but I'm quite dissappointed in the around town mileage of the Edge. I know it will slowly get better as it breaks it, but the CVT transmission in the Murano does a tremendous job of keeping the RPM down unless you get into the throttle. I'm quite surprised at how little throttle it requires to spin the Edge up to 3500 RPM. It seems the engineers were more concerned with performance (of course that IS what EVERY auto mag harps on). Edge has a big torquey V6 and a 6 Speed transmission, but in my opinion it's not taking advantage of it. I'm betting a custom tune that, under light acceleration, shifts earlier would provide noticeably better city MPG.

 

Other observations:

* The Edge's front doors sound cheap when closed, almost like those on my old 1988 Ranger!

* No HID headlights for the Edge...that's another puzzler.

* Interesting how, in the June C&D comparo, there was no mention of the Murano taking 4 feet LONGER to stop than the Edge....but last year the Edge was crucified for it's poor braking...hmmm

* Road tripping in the Edge is a joy! No fatigue, quiet, comfortable and smooth at 75-80 mph, 280 albums on my USB Hard drive to listen to...

 

Overall, only two areas I believe need improvement: City fuel mileage, Hard plastic interior pieces. (BTW: don't trust the onboard MPG metering. The only way to truly measure is by dividing Miles Driven by Gallons used.)

[CopperCarolinaEdge]

Excellent write up!

 

As a brand new Edge Limited owner who was down to deciding between the Edge and the Murano, I think I made the right choice! Very happy so far!

[CreamEDGE.]

Very comparo.

 

C/D clearly slanted everything to shine on the Murano, it's a nice ride no doubt but the critiziums on all the other cars in that comparo is where they shined the light on the Murano. I agree.. too much hard plastic. But everything else is serene, the ride, quiteness, lighting, BAMR.

 

I test drove an exact 04 Mo, and although body lean was kept incheck it just felt too heavy, the Edge I have (07 SEL+) has body lean but it doesn't feel so top heavy, off the line the CVT really saps the acceleration, at least the first gen Mo's acceleration.

Welcome!

[carguy]

Good review. I came very close to purchasing the MKX or Edge a few months ago. I found the Edge seats to be very hard. The MKX was a little better. Then I looked at the Lexus 350 and 09 Murano. I liked the exterior styling of the Lexus the best. I ended up with the Murano. It is much nicer than the first generation Muranos and has more feature that the Edge/MKX or Lexus. The gas mileage is good too. I am getting 21 city and 27 mixed highway. Very nice car. Glad I went with that one.

[akirby]

Good review. I came very close to purchasing the MKX or Edge a few months ago. I found the Edge seats to be very hard. The MKX was a little better. Then I looked at the Lexus 350 and 09 Murano. I liked the exterior styling of the Lexus the best. I ended up with the Murano. It is much nicer than the first generation Muranos and has more feature that the Edge/MKX or Lexus. The gas mileage is good too. I am getting 21 city and 27 mixed highway. Very nice car. Glad I went with that one.

 

I'm surprised by the seat comment - the Edge seats are some of the best available as reported by almost all owners and reviewers.

[Theakerr]

I looked "quickly" at the Morano. I say quickly because after the obligatory test drive with the salesman I wanted to see what numbers I was looking at before I put in any more effort. Turns out up here in Canada the Morano only comes with some very specific and "weird" packages. Like if you want to get a heated passenger seat you have to buy the real upscale package etc. Turns out I was going to have to spend about Can$54,000 to get what i wanted with no "deals" Edge cost Can$46,000 with a number of incentives that made it very attractive. Walked away from a Lexus 350 when i found out how few dealers they have in Alberta which may become our future home. Unlike Ford who will service and do most work on a Lincoln. Toyota will not even service a Lexus. Very happy with my 08 AWD Ltd - a few minor gripes - now if the salesman would get serious about getting back to me with a price for a 09 or even a 10!!

[rg_oakland]

I'm glad someone did this comparison. As it happens I own a 2005 Murano SL and I love it. Especially the CVT, the gearless tranny over a mountain pass can't be beat. I'm looking to get a new vehicle and one of the cars I'm looking at is the Edge. I've always liked it and had a chance to test drive a 2010 recently. I found the transmission to be very smooth, being a CVT fan I was really impressed with how smooth the Edge was, the shifts were almost imperceptible. Though, I wonder how it would do over a mountain pass (I live in the Colorado mountains, any direction out of town will take you over a pass). I found the interior materials on the Murano to be more upscale feeling than the Edge as well. However, I really felt that the seats in the Edge were extremely comfortable, the best I've sat in. Acceleration was decent, but I've also driven a 2010 Murano and the new-gen CVT in it is very fast off the line, I was very impressed. From a dead stop I floored both vehicles, the Edge took off admirably but I could feel myself sink into the seat back when I floored the Murano. Both cars were very quiet hauling down the highway at over 70 mph. Both had great suspensions that could feel sporty in the turns but not rattle your bones over the potholes. In fact, when I test drove the Edge and the Murano my salesman (a great guy) had me go through some back roads with rough pavement and he told me to speed up and aim for all the potholes. Both vehicles did great. I think I like the look of the Murano just a little bit more than the Edge, but that's subjective. I also like the look of the dash in the Murano over the Edge. But the Edge doesn't suffer from "huge A-pillar syndrome" like the 2010 Murano does. The 2011 Edge looks fantastic with it's new front end. I am a bit disappointed that the Edge doesn't come with perforated leather seats. Helps in the heat. And a top of the line Murano LE has heated front and rear seats standard, a big help in the cold. Though the color choices in the Edge are more numerous when it comes to the leather. The 2010 Murano can only be had with either light beige or black leather. Right now the Edge and the Murano are going head to head in my decision. I'm going to have to go through the standards and options lists with a fine tooth comb and test drive them again before I make a decision. Of course, when the 2011 Edge hits the showrooms later this year I'll have to start my evaluation all over again. Gonna be fun.