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.)
