amd7674

Hi All from Canada,

My first post, great forums and members J

I’m a Honda guy (civic in thepast and currently driving 2nd Honda Odyssey).We have 2 boys (7 and 10 years) busy indifferent activities.
Until now we were getting by withone car, but it got to the point where we cannot do it anymore. Too many conflicts and stress. LOL

Coming from van is so much harderto find a good 2nd car (size, safety, driving comfort etc), thus wehave decided with “smaller” SUV.Wewent through number of cars (all over the map) BMW X1, Audi Q3/Q5, Subaru forester, Nissan Rouge/Murano, MazdaCX-5 and Honda CRV.

BMW X1 was nice, but after reading“reliability” reports and a lot of people telling to sell it after 4 years(warranty over), we moved on.
Audi Q3 was too small… Q5 didn’teven had backup camera as standard, and with all the packages it was way tooexpensive.
Both BMW and Audi had very uncomfortableplastic backings on the driver/passenger seats. I wouldn’t want to rub my knees againstthem.
Mazda CX-5 was a total meh… and itdidn’t have any AC vents on the back.
Subaru Forster Turbo was fun, butit is very plain, no AC vents (other than under front seats).
Nissan Rouge, totallyunderpowered with no acceleration.

Until last week I was left wasNissan Murano SL. It is very nice andcomfy, enough perks and features.Mybiggest grip is somewhat poor visibility due to the shape of the car, howeverit offers BWS and other 5,000 features.
Than Lexus came into the picture J.I’veonly driven it once and I really like it.Today I’m planning to go with my wife for a quick test drive to see ifshe likes it.It would be her caranyways.

Based on my limited test drivingboth vehicles and some reading, my thoughts are:

About Equal:
Drive comfort – both are verycomfortable.
Safety – I believe both are safevehicles.
Acceleration – Both offer enoughjuice to pass other cars on the highway (V6 & V4 Turbo)
Noise Levels – about the same

Murano advantages:
Price – about $5k cheaper.
Size – a little bigger than NX. More 2nd row legroom and cargospace.(Lexus is big enough)
Tech – much more tech (BSM, electrictailgate). Not that any of them are showstopper.
Fuel Cost – consumption should besimilar, however Murano uses cheaper 87 regular fuel.

Lexus advantages:
Brand/Looks – It is Lexus !!! J
Reliability – I trust Lexus more. I want to keep the car for a long run ~7-8years.
Visibility - Although the Lexususes similar shape, from my understanding the side mirrors are superb and it wouldoffer better visibility than Murano.
Fun to drive – although it is notracing formula, based on limited testing the drive was more fun in Lexus.
Details – although Nissan hasdone an excellent job it is not Lexus.

There is of course personal preference…etc.

Does my findings make sense? Is NX going to last me longer and with lessheadache than Nissan?

Any other thoughts to convince meand most importantly my wife to go with Lexus?

Any things to look for when testdriving?

Thanks in advance…. And apologiesfor a long read…


Any help would be much appreciated.

da mayor

iTrader: (2)

I personally got a 2015 Nissan Murano Platinum AWD model loaded with Tech package. MSRP was $46k

Only because it has a Nissan badge doesn't mean it's far from being more luxurious. It has a very smooth drive, gas mileage I'm averaging 24mpg overall, and I rather stay wih the reliable VQ motor they've had for years. THe revised D-step CVT acts like a conventional automatic where you'll feel it shift if you step on it more than half throttle, and is just smooth in normal driving.

If you look at the Murano only look at the Platinum - the others dont have the features.

NX was just too small for my taste

corradoMR2

You're spot on on the Pros/Cons IMO.

The Murano is a nice ride but the key requirement you pointed out about keeping the car 7-8 years makes me eliminate the Murano. Nissan CVTs mated to their 2.5L and 3.5L engines have had a questionable reliability track record, not something you want to deal with after the warranty expires.

When test driving the NX, try the different driving modes so you're familiar with the responsiveness of the car. Sport being most responsive including a tighter steering feel.

Parking... if your wife values an easier parking experience, point out the NX is 10" shorter.

Maintenance is very similar to any other Toyota. Oil changes every 16k km as the major cost for the next few years.

Good luck!

oldcajun

Since you were a Honda guy, what about the new Pilot. It gets rave reviews. It is a bit bigger than the Murano, but also has a V-6 without the questionable CVT. The smaller CR-V is still larger than the NX and can be had with a V-6 engine as the Acura RDX.
Steve

Swacer

The reliable VQ engine? Did you skip the valve train tapping issue?

LexBob2

To get a good cross section of opinions you should ask the question on a Murano forum too.

skabei

What trim do you want? If you are only left without the power backdoor if you get the NX base. If you get the Premium or higher, you'll have power backdoor. If you get the Lux/FSport2+ then you'll have BSM. If you find a dealer with a 2015, an F-Sport1 will have BSM (2015 FSport1 = 2016 FSport2).

I think another consideration could be the RDX which I almost bought. The interior is not as good as the NX but it's slightly bigger, has better visibility, and is a decent amount faster.

JDR76

My sister and brother-in-law have a 2015 Murano. It's an impressive vehicle. Correct, it's no Lexus, but I am absolutely amazed at the tech/features it has - everything from remote start to an around-view camera system. Roomy and comfortable, and a very nice drive.

I'd have a hard time choosing between that and the NX. They did look at the NX, but it ended up being a bit too small for their needs.

NXOwner

You forgot an important metric...that is the resale value is better for Lexus vehicles (in general). They tend to hold their value (less depreciation) much better than other manufacturers' brands.

amd7674

Thank you for everyone's feedback :-)

We went for a quick test drive with my wife today. She was a little disappointed with NX (luxury package). She said the ride was a little bumpy and it was a little on the noisy side when pressing on the gas. We had -20C cold day, with winter tires on. We both agreed BMW X1 engine produced "nicer" engine noise when accelerating. Since we have never driven Lexus before I think our expectation were very high. Also it is a little unfair because we are used to drive very comfortable van for the last 8 years or so.

On the way back home, we stopped by Hyundai to test drive Sante Fe Sport and Tucson. Tucson with its 1.6T engine was horrible, the CVT was very slipper and there was a huge delay between pressing the gas and actually accelerating. Santa Fe was much better with its 2.0T engine, but the gear changes were not smooth. Space wise both were similar. The interior of both cars was "ok" but at the same level as Lexus, Audi or BMW.

In Canada I don't believe there is a CRV V6 version. Also we would be happy with base model. I won't pay $10k to move to second package to get BSW.

With our busy schedule it is very hard to find time to properly test cars. I think we have to revisit our options and sleep on it :-)

Thanks again.

coolsaber

Skip anything with a traditional CVT. bad idea reliability wise. Nissan as a brand has some good designs for aggressive pricing but long run they have issues creep up.

I would try out the pilot, which is a rebadged MDX and better in some ways

The CRV is good, might want to checkout the RDX as well.

The X1 previous gen has a strong engine but it is generally a rip off in value and in space. The new one is quite a bit nicer, but its a mini so no driving performance minus the engine of course.

I`d still get the NX is possible, maybe try an F sport with the AVS, but alot of compelling options with the NXs price point

skabei

The NX is really a entry luxury SUV and also an entry vehicle into Lexus's entire lineup so it's not going to have the sound isolation and comfortable ride of a more luxury vehicle.

Also, the NX is really targeted at a younger audience and it's meant to be on the sporty side, hence stiffer suspension. Since you're looking at a base model, I think it'd be better to get a higher trim on a non-luxury model like a CRV, Pilot, Murano, or a cheaper (slightly) luxury SUV like the RDX which will also very easily live past the warranty period with zero to few issues.

Swacer

Agree on the CVT. I have had 2 personal friends with relatively new Nissan CVTs, the first has had 2 transmission replacements in 80,000 miles, and the other had his first change at 45,000.

I also agree on the new Pilot. I am starting to think that Honda is going to change the Acura look soon, and as such they are integrating the Acura look and attributes into their Hondas. The Pilot is a great buy right now.

If the NX is too small for you, I would recommend looking at the CRV (especially since you feel comfortable with Honda). I am a Honda person myself (closet fan, miss my 91 accord so badly). I personally can't get over the egg shape in the back, but its hard to deny that its a good car.

Next, any car is loud is -20C as the metal had contracted and not every part is fitting normally. Additionally, the car is running open loop much longer which is more aggressive on RPM which makes the engine stand out more.

And lastly....You went to BMW...then Lexus....and then closed your day out with a Hyundai? lol I'm now confused. Good luck with the Hyundai....mine was in the shop constantly till I dumped that POS

amd7674

Thank you everyone for your comments. ;-)


Hyundai is no-no... LOL I was looking at X1 a week ago or so. I'm all over the map (still) :-). I'm planning to see Pilot/CRV this afternoon. If time allows I might go for another NX spin.

I'm going back to NX, due to its reliability and resale value. Another thing my wife found was narrow space for driver and passenger. I guess you get use to it. She said we both looked cramped LOL. Once again this is not Odyssey.


Some of you recommend CRV, however it uses "unreliable" CVT?

Swacer

Ah, I did not realize that all Honda CRVs utilize a CVT now. That's a shame.

I found the NX to have a lot more "space" than my wife's IS, so it was a gradual improvement, but yes, its tighter than some other cars.

The NX will have its bumps in the road to prove reliability as its only a 1st full year model, so don't be shocked to find some issue at some point. However, they should be small.