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.