Compare the2026 Nissan MuranoVS 2025 Dodge Hornet

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Murano 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 Dodge Hornet doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 Hornet doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Murano has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help 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 Hornet doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Murano Platinum offers an optional 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 Hornet doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Murano and the Hornet have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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 and available around view monitors.

The Nissan Murano has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Hornet has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

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. Dodge doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Hornet.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Murano has a standard 760-amp battery. The Hornet’s 700-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Dodge vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Dodge is ranked 7th.

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

The Murano has 7.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet R/T’s standard fuel tank (18.7 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Murano has 5.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet GT’s standard fuel tank (18.7 vs. 13.5 gallons).

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

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 Hornet are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Murano has larger tires than the Hornet (255/55R20 vs. 215/60R17). The Murano’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Hornet (255/55R20 vs. 235/40R20).

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

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Murano has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Hornet GT. The Murano Platinum’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Hornet.

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 Hornet doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Murano’s wheelbase is 7.4 inches longer than on the Hornet (111.2 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Murano is 4.5 inches wider in the front and 4.5 inches wider in the rear than on the Hornet.

For greater off-road capability the Murano has a 2.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Hornet R/T (8.3 vs. 6.1 inches), allowing the Murano to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Murano’s minimum ground clearance is .3 inch higher than on the Hornet GT (8.3 vs. 8 inches).

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

The Murano has 14 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Hornet (112 vs. 98).

The Murano has 2.3 inches more front headroom, 2.6 inches more front legroom, 2.6 inches more front hip room, 5.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, 3.4 inches more rear hip room and 3.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Hornet.

The Murano has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Hornet with its rear seat up (32.9 vs. 27 cubic feet). The Murano has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Hornet with its rear seat folded (63.5 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Murano easier. The Murano’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 30.7 inches, while the Hornet’s liftover is 31.8 inches.

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

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Murano’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Hornet doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

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

The Murano SL/Platinum’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Hornet doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Murano Platinum has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction, incoming text message, infotainment and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Hornet doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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 Hornet only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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

When the Murano SL/Platinum is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Hornet’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Murano has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Hornet. The Murano also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Hornet.

The Murano (except SV) offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Hornet.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Nissan Murano has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Hornet.

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 Hornet isn’t in the top three.