whitels

I have formed my opinion. The Nissan SUV is plain ugly. I thought I would be seeing something like the G35 coupe designer had done.

white01

Ah I remember this thread. Anyway, I drove one in LA about three weeks back. Copper with the orange/brown leather. I thought it would look better - exterior wise - in person, it's not quite what I thought it would be.

Exterior: I noticed that the bumper covers have some serious give to them. A decent paper binder is more rigid! The grille is just plain flimsy - your friends will not be able to lean on this thing - just be forwarned if you buy one. I could never own a car that is manufactured like this. If this is new technology to withstand 5mph crashes or whatever they can keep it.

Interior: Better than the exterior as long as you get leather. The cloth is thinner than a cheap "T" shirt and probably stains just as easily. The instrument panel and ancillary digital displays aren't bad.

Driving Impressions: At least in the one I drove - dead slow - I floored the thing and I wasn't going anywhere. I have driven an Audi with this type of transmission, and it moved out fairly well. I couldn't get the revs up. I drove it in the area close to Santa Monica Blvd, near the beach around the p.m. rush hour, so I couldn't really do much. I was happy to get back into the "03" Max SE that was my rental. (lot's of torque steer but acceleration ain't a problem). Want a good rental at a decent price - look no further. Base stereo sucks though.

Summary:
Exterior looks: depends on who you ask. Sub-standard body components.

Interior Ambience: Not bad - as long as you get leather.

Driving: N/A Diesel like acceleration - at least with the one I drove. (production variances? who knows)

Sovero1

$37K for a Nissan??? :eek: Throw in another $4-5K and get yourself a loaded RX! A LEXUS!!!

Speaking of ugly... Has anyone seen 2004 Nissan Maxima? It looks like a mutated Altima.

unrealii

Yeah, $37k (non SE model) is a lot for a nissan. That's at msrp since they are brand new. Maybe in a couple of months they can be had for $34k near invoice loaded (non SE model). How much do loaded RX's go for (usually how much above invoice)? Invoice for the rx with the options taht I think my mom wants would be around $36.3k That's probably out of their range The 2WD with the same options may work though, I dunno for sure. I jsut checked the used retail value on the rx and it's amazing...almost wet my pants.

Thanks for the info White01. I'll be sure to check that out. I dont know if nissan has chnaged anything, but if that holds true about the body panels etc, it's definitly off the list :eek:

Yeah, I saw those maxima pics. I dont know what they were thinking. I'll stick with my dad's 2001 max gle

satxrx

Nissan is NOT Lexus by any measure - but I give them credit for really putting out what their target market wants. They also have really upped the ante on vehicle design (i.e. 350Z, Altima (lesser degree), FX45, Murano, etc.)

I took a look at one just last night and besides the front (yeah, the front smiling grill styling is arguably the worst design element) the profile, 3/4, and rear views are attractive, IMHO. The upgraded 18" alloys aren't bad either. The interior doesn't come close to even my '99 RX but it's fine.

What really bugs me is the rear quarter panel windows. I tried to see what it looked like from the driver's side looking out and it's like staring into a wall. Cannot see a thing. Could be very disconcerting to some - I know I would.

But overall, it's a nice package. It's pricing is a bit higher than I expected but with an excellent VQ V6 245 HP engine, CVT tranny, dual exhausts, some mildly interesting design lines - it'll sell well.

xsfo

I disliked it the first time when it was called the AMC Gremlin.
It's interesting how designs get recycled...

satxrx

Aww, man! You've got an eye for details! I may have to rethink my whole favorable opinion of the Murano design.

dchesanek

Since my lease is due on my RX I have looked at the Murano. I had a 2 hour test drive and the Murano is fast and handles as good if not better than the RX. As far as looks, the RX is a little boring at this point, but not quite as boring as the Pilot. The Murano is a "I love the way it looks" or "I hate the way it looks" vehicle, no middle ground. If you lease there is no better value than an RX300 right now. A lot of dealers want MSRP on a Murano so a $ 35,000 Murano is probably close to a fully loaded RX minus navigation. Most of the Murano's will be SL's with three main options listing at $ 34,500 (approx) The dash area is mini van like, its huge and the "control" pod kind of sticks out to far. Interior quality of materials is similiar to a Toyota 4 runner which is a few steps down from the RX. After 3 years in the RX it is time for a change (I still have an SC430) so I probably will go with the Murano or the Toyota 4 Runner Sport. Neither at the same level of luxury as the RX but both handle great and offer something a little different than the RX. I am going to hate giving up Lexus quality 3 years, 49,000 miles no problems.!!!

white01

Xsfo, you crack me up> I forgot you could get a Gremlin coupe with a roof rack. You know it's cousin the Eagle - started this whole car based SUV thing. You remember the "lifted 4WD" Eagle wagons from the "80's"? That thing was a least 15 years ahead of it's time. You got to give AMC some credit for that.

Anyway, back to the current day. I'm anxiously awaiting to see what get's unveiled in January. I'm curious to see the new RX in the flesh, as well as the VW Touareg - If I don't like the latest suv offerings lt's back to a euro sedan. I'm closely monitoring the price of used E-46 M3's.

unrealii

I went and sat in the RX today. It was gorgeous, although I wish it had a center console. If it did have one, I would have been able to slip into the driver's seat from the passenger side The gauges are awsome. I didn't spend much time observing it as I would have liked, because it was raining cats and dogs (happens like 3 days a year in socal and I got stuck on an unlucky day) and I felt sorry for the saleswoman standing out in the rain (she had a 5 food umbrella, but still) while I as fiddling around inside.

I was just curious about two things. The murano has a computer which tells your your mpg's, upcomming service, etc. It also has a feature that when you turn the car off the seat rolls back, then rolls forward to the originial position when started. It also has power adjustable pedals. I dont care too much about the computer thing (more of a useless toy), but I know my mom sits close to the wheel and the seat and features like that would stand out. Does the RX have any of these three?


I also went to a nissan dealer...after ditching the saleman (only for a couple mins) I went to a Murano and started pressing the body panels. It didn't strike as usual to me, but they did move. I compared that to my taurus which move a lot, maxima which were solid, and the 99 windstar bumper was solid but the grille easly was pushed in. I guess the panels on the murano are comparable to the other non luxury brands, but maybe not to other vehicles for the price range. The interior (Murano) was good quality, didn't feel cheap at all.

If at all I'm highjacking this thread, please let me know, I'll start a new thread but im sure there are enough of those

xsfo

white01:
You noticed that roof rack on the 3/4s Gremlin photo? Cool. I lucked out on finding that picture. I really helps bring out the Gremlin/Murano connection.

And yes, the AMC Eagle. Yes props to AMC for helping to start this SUV thing. Now I'm trying to figure out which SUV reminds me of the Eagle. The Audi allroad reminds me of the wagon version but I distinctly remember another SUV that screamed "AMC Eagle."

TheOfficeBoy

The Murano seems to be more of a hatchback than an SUV...
I mean, I saw the thing in person, and it was LOW.
I seriously thought it was a Suzuki Aerio.

Plus I have doubts about it's capabilities in the rough stuff. In a newspaper article, an automotive journalist writes about how the Murano got stuck in the sand at a beach during a photoshoot.

A snafu like that really helps strip any respect I previously had for the thing.