Compare the2025 Nissan MuranoVS 2025 Lincoln Nautilus

The Murano Platinum 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 Nautilus doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Murano and the Nautilus have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance on the Murano for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Nissan will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance (up to 3 visits). Lincoln doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Nautilus. (Lincoln offers free mainteance on some Nautilus models.)

There are over 2 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Murano’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 58 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln With 52 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Lincoln.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 6 places higher in reliability than Lincoln.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Murano uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Nautilus requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Nissan Murano, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Nautilus.

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

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 Nautilus are solid, not vented.

The Murano’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Nautilus’ standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Murano has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Nautilus.

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 Nautilus doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Murano is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than on the Nautilus.

For greater off-road capability the Murano has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Nautilus (8.3 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Murano to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Murano has 1.5 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more front hip room, 1.9 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear hip room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Nautilus.

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

The Murano’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Nautilus’ (1500 vs. 0 pounds).

The Murano Platinum has a standard 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 Nautilus doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

The Nissan Murano outsold the Lincoln Nautilus by 28% during 2023.