# Murano AWD or Pathfinder 4x4?



## Shoppergirl (Sep 5, 2015)

Looking for replacement for 03 Toyo FWD HL. Can't decide if I need the 4wd Pathfinder for NC snow days or if the Murano AWD will be sufficient

Need some input. Never owned a Nissan and want something that will give me good service coming from 12 yr old reliable vehicle. I want something that has more grip than FWD in snow


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Either will work. The Pathfinder is a little heavier, but if you are purchasing new, the Murano will likely be more reliable than the new Pathfinder, which is still working out some new model bugs. If you do towing, I would opt for a 2011 or 2012 Pathfinder, which is body on frame and very good in snow.


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## Shoppergirl (Sep 5, 2015)

So is the new 2015 Pathfinder now a unibody design and has a more car like ride similar to the Toyo HL? Is that what you meant by "body on frame" and being better in snow with the 2011 or 2012?


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Its proper winter tires that make all the difference for traction on snow or ice. A front wheel drive vehicle with snow tires will perform better in tough winter conditions than a awd vehicle with all season tires. Even more so when the temp gets very cold.
By body on frame he means more like a traditional pick up truck, vs unibody which is pretty standard for cars. If you have to tow or go over rough terrain like logging roads, Pathfinder is the more rugged off road vehicle. If you are mainly highway and city and the odd dirt road to the cottage, you are better off with a Murano which is more of a luxury mobile.


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## Shoppergirl (Sep 5, 2015)

I live in NC so we do not get snow basically on a daily/weekly basis but we do get some. Since we do not get lots of snow like northern states it's not cost effective to buy snow tires for winter and different tires for summer. I want something that is going to have better traction than FWD on snow/icy covered roads in the South. I do not need something for towing or off roading, just something I can depend on to get me to and from work on snow days. 

I had read or heard that now the Pathfinder has the unibody frame like the Murano or Toyo HL so I just wondered if even with the Pathfinder having "4 WD" if it was going to be any more dependable now in snow than the Murano.

I do know someone with an AWD Rogue and that thing seemed to go in the snow/icy covered roads like a snow plow, that is why I was considering the Murano AWD as I do not want 4 cyl and that is all that is available on the Rogue. Then I saw Pathfinder is 4WD and I thought well that may take care of all the needs...good gas mileage, read it had a more car like ride & 4WD for snow but then when they said body on frame was better for snow, that put a question mark in my mind for Pathfinder since it had said it is now unibody.

I have never owned a Nissan so I am not sure about their long term reliability either.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

I didn't say that body on frame was "better in snow," just that the 2012 and earlier was body on frame, which is better if you are towing, and is also very good in snow. Both the Murano and new Pathfinder are unibody and should be fine in snow where you live. The Murano will likely give you better gas mileage, as I've heard the advertised gas mileage on the new Pathfinder is a little over than what many people are getting and what Consumer Reports has observed. 
Have you considered a Subaru Outback? It has a unibody chassis, all wheel drive, gets very good gas mileage and is rated #1 in its category by Consumer Reports. I also believe it's less expensive than the Pathfinder.


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## lin8810 (Aug 5, 2015)

If AWD is very important to you, Subaru AWD system is definitely better than Nissan's.

In terms of reliability, I had 2010 Murano which was made in Japan (same factory and produciton line of Infiniti). Awesome reliability records, love it. But now seems like Murano is made in USA. Not sure if quality is still as good as made in Japan.


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## elgato (Jun 23, 2011)

Nissan's reliability has been seriously compromised by the CVT transmission. If you want an automatic I would look elsewhere. We are on our third one in a 2008 Sentra. Nissan is still in a battle with the supplier to fix them. Do some searches on Nissan CVT problems. Here in Arizona the dealer said they get a continuous flow of them in the summer. Until this fiasco I always ranked Nissan reliability comparable to Honda and Toyota.


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## emissary44 (Mar 20, 2016)

I have a left hand drive murano a 2006 model and it did not come with a CVT Transmission but a 4speed RE4F04B FT40 Transmission as it was manufactured in Japan so if your not a fan of CVTs and want a nissan you can important one instead


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