Compare the2023 GMC AcadiaVS 2023 Nissan Murano

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Acadia Denali’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Murano doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the GMC Acadia are height-adjustable, and the middle seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Nissan Murano has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

The Acadia has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Murano doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Acadia AT4’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Murano doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Acadia and the Murano have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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, 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 GMC Acadia is safer than the Nissan Murano:

	Acadia	Murano
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	285	342
Neck Injury Risk	21%	28%
Neck Stress	191 lbs.	223 lbs.
Neck Compression	29 lbs.	34 lbs.

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

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 GMC Acadia is safer than the Nissan Murano:

	Acadia	Murano
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Hip Force	243 lbs.	392 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	17 inches
HIC	381	439
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	41 G’s

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

Warranty

The Acadia’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Murano’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 55 percent more GMC dealers than there are Nissan dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Acadia’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Acadia has a standard 220-amp alternator (155-amp - Acadia V6 and 170 V6). The Murano’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Acadia has a standard 660-amp battery. The Murano’s 550-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Nissan With 13 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks GMC higher than Nissan.

Engine

The Acadia’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 18 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 240) than the Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6. The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 50 more horsepower (310 vs. 260) and 31 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 240) than the Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Acadia gets better mileage than the Murano:

			MPG
Acadia
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
Murano
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/28 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/28 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Acadia’s fuel efficiency. The Murano doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Acadia 2.0 Turbo’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Murano doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Acadia’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. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Murano doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Murano (21.7 vs. 19 gallons).

The Acadia has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Murano doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the GMC Acadia higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Nissan Murano (5). This means the Acadia produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Murano every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Acadia stops shorter than the Murano:

	Acadia	Murano
70 to 0 MPH	173 feet	175 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Acadia AT4’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Murano (255/65R17 vs. 235/65R18).

The GMC Acadia’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Nissan Murano only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

The Acadia offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Murano’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Acadia’s wheelbase is 1.3 inches longer than on the Murano (112.5 inches vs. 111.2 inches).

The Acadia’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56.5% to 43.5%) than the Murano’s (58.8% to 41.2%). This gives the Acadia more stable handling and braking.

The Acadia Denali AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Murano Platinum AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Acadia SLT AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Murano Platinum AWD (26.9 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Acadia has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Murano (7.2 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Acadia to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Acadia uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Murano doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Acadia offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Murano can only carry 5.

The Acadia has 35.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Murano (143.8 vs. 108.1).

The Acadia has .1 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front hip room and 1 inch more rear legroom than the Murano.

Cargo Capacity

The Acadia’s cargo area provides more volume than the Murano.

	Acadia	Murano
Third Seat Folded	41.7 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	32.1 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	79 cubic feet	67 cubic feet

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Nissan Murano is limited to 1500 pounds. The Acadia offers up to a 4000 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The Acadia has a maintenance free battery for long life without checking the battery’s water level. The Murano doesn’t have a maintenance free battery, so the water level in the battery’s cells must be checked often to prevent damage.

Ergonomics

The Acadia (except SLE) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Murano doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

The power windows standard on both the Acadia and the Murano have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Acadia is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Murano prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Acadia’s available exterior PIN entry system. 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.

The Acadia’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 Murano’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Acadia’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan only offers heated mirrors on the Murano SV/Midnight/SL/Platinum.

The Acadia SLT/AT4/Denali’s standard rear view mirror and optional 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.

The Acadia offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Murano doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

The Acadia will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Acadia will retain 47.29% to 50.03% of its original price after five years, while the Murano only retains 46.1% to 47.26%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Acadia is less expensive to operate than the Murano because typical repairs cost less on the Acadia than the Murano, including $24 less for a water pump, $13 less for a muffler, $117 less for a starter, $121 less for fuel injection, $99 less for a fuel pump and $126 less for front struts.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the GMC Acadia and the Nissan Murano, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The GMC Acadia outsold the Nissan Murano by 46% during the 2021 model year.