Compare the2023 Nissan MuranoVS 2023 GMC Terrain

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Murano are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 Terrain doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Terrain doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Murano has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Terrain doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Murano has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Terrain’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Murano has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Terrain.

The Murano’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Terrain doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Murano and the Terrain have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, rearview cameras, 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 GMC Terrain:

	Murano	Terrain
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Leg Forces (l/r)	242/256 lbs.	363/349 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	266	376
Neck Injury Risk	25%	26%
Neck Stress	124 lbs.	153 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	169/236 lbs.	264/236 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 Nissan Murano is safer than the GMC Terrain:

	Murano	Terrain
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	101	109
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	102 lbs.	195 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	148	288
Spine Acceleration	31 G’s	55 G’s
Hip Force	299 lbs.	630 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	591 lbs.	730 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Murano is .5% to 3.4% less likely to roll over than the Terrain.

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 Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 101 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Terrain last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

The Murano’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Terrain’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Murano’s reliability 19 points higher than the Terrain.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Murano first among midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Terrain was rated third in its category.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 3 places higher in reliability than GMC.

Engine

The Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 85 more horsepower (260 vs. 175) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (240 vs. 203) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Murano has 4.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain FWD’s standard fuel tank (19 vs. 14.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Murano has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain AWD’s standard fuel tank (19 vs. 15.6 gallons).

Transmission

The Murano has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Terrain doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Murano	Terrain
Front Rotors	12.6 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	12.1 inches	11.3 inches

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 Terrain are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Murano has larger tires than the Terrain (235/65R18 vs. 225/65R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Murano S/SV has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Terrain SLE/AT4. The Murano Midnight/SL/Platinum’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Terrain.

Suspension and Handling

The Murano has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Murano flat and controlled during cornering. The Terrain’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Murano’s wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than on the Terrain (111.2 inches vs. 107.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Murano is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Terrain.

The Murano Platinum AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Terrain Denali AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Passenger Space

The Murano has 4.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Terrain (108.1 vs. 103.2).

The Murano has 1 inch more front hip room, 2.3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom, 3.4 inches more rear hip room and 3.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Terrain.

Cargo Capacity

The Murano has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Terrain with its rear seat up (32.1 vs. 29.6 cubic feet). The Murano has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Terrain with its rear seat folded (67 vs. 63.3 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Murano. The Terrain doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Servicing Ease

The Murano uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Terrain 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.

Ergonomics

The Murano’s front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Terrain’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

If the front windows are left open on the Murano the driver can close them at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Terrain can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Murano has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Terrain doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Murano SV/Midnight/SL/Platinum’s standard wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Terrain’s 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 Terrain’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

The Murano has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Terrain.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Murano is less expensive to operate than the Terrain because it costs $582 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Murano than the Terrain, including $410 less for a muffler, $130 less for front brake pads, $42 less for fuel injection and $133 less for a fuel pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Murano, based on reliability, safety and performance. The GMC Terrain isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Murano first among midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Terrain isn’t in the top three in its category.