Compare the2023 Nissan MuranoVS 2023 Subaru Forester

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

Safety

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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 Forester doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Murano SL/Platinum has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Forester only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Murano has a standard blind spot warning system that 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 Forester’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Murano has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Forester and its not available on the Base.

Compared to metal, the Murano’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Forester has a metal gas tank.

Both the Murano and the Forester 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, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

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 Subaru Forester:

	Murano	Forester
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	223 lbs.	326 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	242/256 lbs.	248/368 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	266	293
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	31%
Neck Stress	124 lbs.	213 lbs.
Neck Compression	78 lbs.	103 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 Subaru Forester:

	Murano	Forester
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	102 lbs.	122 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	148	246
Spine Acceleration	31 G’s	56 G’s
Hip Force	299 lbs.	670 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	591 lbs.	673 lbs.

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

Warranty

There are over 69 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Murano’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Murano first among midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Forester isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Subaru With 21 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Subaru.

Engine

The Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 78 more horsepower (260 vs. 182) and 64 lbs.-ft. more torque (240 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Murano is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	Murano	Forester
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.6 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.8 MPH	82.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Murano has 2.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (19 vs. 16.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Murano	Forester Base	Forester
Front Rotors	12.6 inches	11.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.1 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 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 Forester are solid, not vented.

The Murano stops much shorter than the Forester:

	Murano	Forester
70 to 0 MPH	175 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Murano has larger tires than the Forester (235/65R18 vs. 225/60R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Murano S/SV has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Forester. The Murano Midnight/SL/Platinum’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring.

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 Forester doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Murano’s wheelbase is 6.1 inches longer than on the Forester (111.2 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Murano is 3.1 inches wider in the front and 2.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The Murano Platinum AWD handles at .81 G’s, while the Forester Wilderness pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Murano Platinum AWD is quieter than the Forester Limited (66 vs. 69 dB).

Passenger Space

The Murano has 1.3 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 1.6 inches more rear hip room and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forester.

The rear step up height for the Murano is 2.2 inches lower than the Forester (15.1” vs. 17.25”).

Cargo Capacity

The Murano has a much larger cargo volume than the Forester with its rear seat up (32.1 vs. 28.9 cubic feet).

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

	Murano	Forester
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	37”/74.4”	35.7”/73.1”
Max Width	54”	51.5”
Min Width	43”	43.3”
Height	33.7”	34.8”

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Murano’s liftgate can be opened just by waving your foot, leaving your hands completely free. The Forester doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

The Murano uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Forester 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 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 Forester’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. The Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s rear windows don’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 Forester can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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 Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Murano Platinum keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Forester doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 is only available on the Forester Wilderness/Limited/Touring.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Nissan Murano offers an available wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Model Availability

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

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Murano is less expensive to operate than the Forester because it costs $327 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Murano than the Forester, including $101 less for a starter, $115 less for fuel injection and $35 less for front struts.

Recommendations

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 Forester isn’t in the top three in its category.

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