Compare the2024 Kia SorentoVS 2024 Nissan Murano

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Kia Sorento 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.

Both the Sorento and Murano have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line 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.

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

Both the Sorento and Murano have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Sorento has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Murano’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Sorento and the Murano have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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 side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Sorento is safer than the Nissan Murano:

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

The Sorento comes with a full 5-year/60,000-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 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Murano. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Murano ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Sorento has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Murano’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Sorento has a standard 760-amp battery. The Murano’s 550-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 10 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 statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 60 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 20th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 7 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

The Sorento EX/SX’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 21 more horsepower (281 vs. 260) and 71 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 240) than the Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Sorento EX/SX 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Nissan Murano:

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

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Sorento’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.

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

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

For better traction, the Sorento SX/SX Prestige’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Murano (255/45R20 vs. 235/65R18).

The Sorento SX/SX Prestige’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Murano Midnight/SL/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the Murano Platinum AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Murano Platinum AWD (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Sorento’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Murano’s (37.9 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Sorento X-Line has a 1.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Murano (8.2 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Sorento to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Sorento is 3.2 inches shorter than the Murano, making the Sorento easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Sorento has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Murano can only carry 5.

The Sorento has .4 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front hip room and 3 inches more rear legroom than the Murano.

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

The Sorento’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Murano’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Nissan Murano is only 1500 pounds. The Sorento offers up to a 4500 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Sorento uses the Electronic Stability 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.

The Sorento’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 Sorento and the Murano have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sorento 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 Sorento Prestige’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 Sorento SX/Prestige’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Murano’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Sorento to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Murano doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Sorento’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 Sorento Prestige has a 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.

The Sorento will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Sorento will retain 52.6% to 54.37% of its original price after five years, while the Murano only retains 48.45% to 49.9%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Sorento will be $296 to $3906 less than for the Nissan Murano.

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

The Kia Sorento outsold the Nissan Murano by almost three to one during 2023.