Compare the2025 Nissan MuranoVS 2024 Porsche Macan

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Murano are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Macan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Macan doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

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 for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Macan doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Macan’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Murano’s standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Macan doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

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 Macan doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Murano and the Macan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Murano 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Porsche covers the Macan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Macan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance (up to 3 visits) on the Murano for 1 year and 14,000 miles longer than Porsche pays for maintenance for the Macan (2/24,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 5 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Porsche 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 Porsche vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles, Porsche is rated lower.

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Murano uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Macan requires premium, 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 a seven-speed automatic is available for the Macan.

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

For better traction, the Murano has larger tires than the Macan (255/55R20 vs. 235/55R19).

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

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 Macan doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

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

The design of the Nissan Murano amounts to more than styling. The Murano has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .34 Cd. That is lower than the Macan (.35 to .37). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Murano get better fuel mileage.

The Murano uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Macan doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Murano has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Macan with its rear seat up (32.9 vs. 17.2 cubic feet). The Murano has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Macan with its rear seat folded (63.5 vs. 53 cubic feet).

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

The Murano has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Macan doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 Macan doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Murano’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Macan’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Murano has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Macan only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To shield the driver’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side window, the Murano has a standard extendable sun visor. The Macan doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Murano Platinum has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Macan.

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

The Nissan Murano outsold the Porsche Macan by 16% during 2023.