Compare the2022 Subaru OutbackVS 2021 Nissan Murano

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Outback have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Nissan Murano doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Outback. But it costs extra on the Murano.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Outback’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Murano doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Outback and the Murano have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Outback is safer than the Nissan Murano:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Outback has a standard 150-amp alternator (190-amp - Outback XT). The Murano’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Outback has a standard 620-amp battery. The Murano’s 550-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 17th in reliability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 21st.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 5 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

The Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 240) than the Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Outback XT/Wilderness 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Nissan Murano:

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Murano doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Outback XT/Wilderness XT CVT turbo 4 cyl. gets better fuel mileage than the Murano AWD CVT (23 city/30 hwy vs. 20 city/28 hwy).

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Outback’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) The Murano doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Subaru Outback as a “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV). The Nissan Murano is only certified to “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV) standards.

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx Edition XT has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Murano; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For better maneuverability, the Outback’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Murano’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outback has a 1.8 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Murano (8.7 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outback Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 2.6 inches higher than on the Murano (9.5 vs. 6.9 inches).

The Outback has .2 inches more front headroom, 2.3 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more front hip room and .8 inches more rear legroom than the Murano.

The Outback has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Murano with its rear seat up (32.5 vs. 32.1 cubic feet). The Outback has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Murano with its rear seat folded (75.7 vs. 67 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Outback easier. The Outback’s trunk lift-over height is 28.4 inches, while the Murano’s liftover is 30.7 inches.

The Outback’s cargo area is larger than the Murano’s in almost every dimension:

The Outback’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Murano’s (2700 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Nissan Murano is only 1500 pounds. The Outback offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

The engine in the Outback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Murano. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

The Outback’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Murano’s parking brake has to released manually.

The Outback Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx Edition’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Murano’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). The Murano doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its NissanConnect Services can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Outback has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Murano doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Outback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Murano doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Outback’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Murano offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Insurance will cost less for the Outback owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Outback will cost $775 less than the Murano over a five-year period.

The Outback will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Outback will retain 54.13% to 56.37% of its original price after five years, while the Murano only retains 42.61% to 43.53%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Outback is less expensive to operate than the Murano because typical repairs cost much less on the Outback than the Murano, including $126 less for a water pump, $363 less for a muffler, $21 less for front brake pads, $55 less for a starter, $208 less for fuel injection, $172 less for a fuel pump, $283 less for a timing belt/chain and $712 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Outback will be $10074 to $12246 less than for the Nissan Murano.

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Outback as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.