Reader Review of the Week: 2009 Nissan Murano

“I have 1,300 miles on my new Murano. I wanted to say goodbye to the minivan and looked at the Highlander, Pilot, Enclave, RAV4 and Santa Fe. I knew the Murano was it when I drove it. I bought the SL FWD (don’t need AWD) with the leather, premium and technology packages. Interior is roomy and comfortable, with a powerful dual A/C — a must in Arizona!

It offers a very quiet, smooth drive, and handling is firm and responsive. The power liftgate is handy, though a bit slow. It has the Bose sound system with hands-free Bluetooth. Backup camera is nice, though at times it fades in the strong Arizona sun. Cargo space is adequate, although not as roomy as some in its class. I wish it had more interior cupholders, especially in back. There is a center console that pulls down with two cupholders in the back, but if you have three seated in the second row you need to lift that up so you lose the cupholders. There are some blind spots in the rear because of the shape of the back window, which I am getting used to.

Overall gas mileage is 20.5 mpg with mixed driving. This is my first Nissan, so I can’t say too much about reliability so far, but I love it and hope to be driving it for a very long time. Recommended if you don’t need a third row and want to get a lot of bang for your buck.”