Compare the2023 Volvo XC60VS 2023 Nissan Murano

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC60 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 its rear seat belts.

The XC60’s 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.

Both the XC60 and Murano have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC60 Plus/Ultimate/Polestar has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Murano’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Volvo XC60 offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. Nissan doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the Murano. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; XC60 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the XC60 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The XC60’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Murano’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The XC60 has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Murano doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the XC60’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Murano doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the XC60 and the Murano have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, 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 Volvo XC60 is safer than the Nissan Murano:

	XC60	Murano
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	125	342
Neck Injury Risk	22%	28%
Neck Stress	198 lbs.	223 lbs.
Neck Compression	15 lbs.	34 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	178	266
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Compression	55 lbs.	78 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 Volvo XC60 is safer than the Nissan Murano:

	XC60	Murano
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	73	101
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.9 inches
Hip Force	190 lbs.	392 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	17 inches
HIC	237	439
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	41 G’s
Hip Force	410 lbs.	591 lbs.

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

Warranty

The XC60 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Murano’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The XC60’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Murano’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC60 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Murano.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the XC60 has a standard 800-amp battery (850 T8). The Murano’s 550-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

The battery on the XC60 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the XC60’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Murano’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volvo 1 place higher in reliability than Nissan.

Engine

The XC60 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 18 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 240) than the Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6. The XC60 B6’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 35 more horsepower (295 vs. 260) and 70 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 240) than the Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6. The XC60 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 195 more horsepower (455 vs. 260) and 283 lbs.-ft. more torque (523 vs. 240) than the Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the XC60 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Nissan Murano:

	XC60	Murano
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	7.4 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	15.6 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 running on electricity gets better mileage than the Murano:

			MPGe
XC60
	AWD	Extended Range Electric Motor	66 city/60 hwy
		T8 Electric Motor	59 city/55 hwy
Murano
			MPG
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/28 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/28 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Murano:

			MPG
XC60
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
	AWD	Extended Range 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	28 city/28 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
		2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/27 hwy
Murano
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/28 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/28 hwy

The XC60 can travel with zero emissions for 19 to 36 miles (dependent on model). The Murano can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the XC60’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 XC60’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 (not available T8). The Murano doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The XC60 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.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC60’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Murano:

	XC60	XC60 Recharge Polestar Engineered	Murano
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	15.7 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	12.6 inches	12.1 inches

The XC60 stops much shorter than the Murano:

	XC60	Murano
70 to 0 MPH	165 feet	175 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC60’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Murano (265/35R22 vs. 235/65R18).

The XC60’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Murano S/SV’s standard 65 series tires. The XC60’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Murano Midnight/SL/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC60 offers optional 21-inch wheels. The Murano’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The XC60’s has front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Murano’s suspension doesn’t offer front gas-charged shocks.

The XC60 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.

The XC60 Ultimate has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The XC60’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Murano doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XC60’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Murano (112.8 inches vs. 111.2 inches).

The XC60 AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Murano Platinum AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XC60 B5 Core AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Murano Platinum AWD (26.6 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the XC60’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Murano’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the XC60 w/Air Suspension has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Murano (8.3 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the XC60 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The XC60’s minimum ground clearance is 1.6 inches higher than on the Murano (8.5 vs. 6.9 inches).

Chassis

The XC60 is 7.4 inches shorter than the Murano, making the XC60 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The XC60 has 1 inch more front legroom, 1 inch more front hip room and .2 inches more rear hip room than the Murano.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the XC60 easier. The XC60’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Murano’s liftover is 30.7 inches.

Towing

The XC60’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Murano’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds).

Optional Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC60 uses the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Murano doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Murano SL/Platinum, the XC60 Ultimate/Polestar has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The XC60 Ultimate has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts 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 XC60’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 XC60 and the Murano have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the XC60 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.

The XC60’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.

The XC60’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Murano’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Murano SV/Midnight/SL/Platinum’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the XC60 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Murano doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The XC60 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Murano doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC60 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Murano doesn’t offer cornering lights. The XC60 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The XC60’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 XC60’s standard 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.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the XC60 is less expensive to operate than the Murano because typical repairs cost much less on the XC60 than the Murano, including $2 less for a water pump, $138 less for a muffler, $30 less for front struts, $553 less for a timing belt/chain and $559 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the XC60 as the 2018 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Murano has never been chosen.

The Volvo XC60 outsold the Nissan Murano by 20% during 2022.

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