Compare the2022 Nissan MuranoVS 2021 Toyota Venza

The Nissan Murano has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Venza doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Murano has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Venza doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Murano and the Venza have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Murano is safer than the Toyota Venza:

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Murano its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 74 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Venza is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Murano first among midsize suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Venza isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 13th.

The Murano’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 41 more horsepower (260 vs. 219) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Murano is faster than the Toyota Venza:

The Murano has 4.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venza (19 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Murano’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Venza:

The Murano’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Venza are solid, not vented.

The Murano stops shorter than the Venza:

For better traction, the Murano has larger tires than the Venza (235/65R18 vs. 225/60R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Murano Midnight/SL/Platinum has standard 20-inch wheels. The Venza’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The Murano has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Venza doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Murano has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Venza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Murano’s wheelbase is 5.3 inches longer than on the Venza (111.2 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Murano is 1.6 inches wider in the front and .8 inches wider in the rear than on the Venza.

The Murano Platinum AWD handles at .81 G’s, while the Venza Limited pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Murano has 9.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Venza (108.1 vs. 98.3).

The Murano has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front hip room, 2.1 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more rear legroom, 10 inches more rear hip room and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Venza.

The Murano has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Venza with its rear seat up (32.1 vs. 28.8 cubic feet). The Murano has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Venza with its rear seat folded (67 vs. 55.1 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Murano’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Venza doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Murano has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Venza has no towing capacity.

The Murano uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Venza uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Murano offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Venza doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Murano’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Venza’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Murano’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Venza’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

When the Murano SL/Platinum is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Venza’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Murano and the Venza offer available heated front seats. The Murano SL/Platinum also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Venza.

The Murano is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Venza doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Murano owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Murano will cost $205 to $1960 less than the Venza over a five-year period.

The Nissan Murano outsold the Toyota Venza by over two to one during the 2021 model year.