Wednesday, January 03, 2007 5:15 PM
More staff insights on the latest test vehicles, from the January 2007 issue of
Consumer Reports:
Gene Petersen: Sporty SUV or off-road SUV? Some people may truly
need an off-road vehicle or just want one, but the access, stiff ride,
and poor visibility in some are not worth the price of admission for
someone like me who drives predominately on public roads. A sporty SUV
sounds appealing and seems to be a growing sub-segment. The Nissan
Murano was one of the pioneers in this segment and still viewed as one
of the best. It looks slick, drives like a car with nimble handling and
comfortable ride, and the spunky V6 and continuously variable
transmission operate smoothly. The Acura RDX and Mazda CX-7 try to
compete in size and personality, but come up short with turbocharged
four-cylinder engines that are not terribly fuel efficient or pack the
low-end punch found in the Murano. The BMW X3 looks good on paper, but
lacks rock-solid reliability and comes with a big-SUV-like price tag.
Mike Quincy:
Sporty: I'm trying not to jump on the Nissan Murano bandwagon,
since a number of my colleagues have tagged this SUV as the one they'd
buy. Can't help it, though...the Murano has it all over these other
SUVs. For me, nothing combines the Murano's acceleration, good
steering, and snow-weather traction. The premium-only fuel, though, is
a bummer, and the ride and controls could be a tad better, but these
are negatives that are still easy to swallow.
Off road: Truthfully, I can't see a time in my life when I'd
need a tough-off-road focused SUV; I'd rather hike the trails some of
the vehicles traverse. My trip in Texas (see "The Texas truck
two-step"; "More Texas trucks - Digging in the dirt"; "Toyota Land
Cruiser - Aging gracefully") gave me some additional seat time in the
Jeep Wrangler and Toyota FJ Cruiser for some challenging off-road
driving. Both are well-designed for this purpose. For me, however, the
Wrangler's classic good looks and the top-down option put it slightly
ahead of the FJ. Plus, the deal-killer for the FJ is that it requires
premium fuel. But I'd choose the Nissan Xterra over both, since it's
nicer to drive on-road and has competitive off-road abilities. It also
has a roomier back seat for my young kids and a cargo area big enough
to haul stuff for a week's beach vacation.
