Compare the2024 Mitsubishi OutlanderVS 2024 Nissan Murano

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Mitsubishi Outlander 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.

The Outlander 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 Murano doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

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

Both the Outlander and the Murano have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, 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.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Mitsubishi Outlander is much safer than the Murano:

The Outlander 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.

Mitsubishi’s powertrain warranty covers the Outlander 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.

The Outlander’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Murano’s (7 vs. 5 years).

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Outlander’s reliability 20 points higher than the Murano.

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

The Outlander has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Murano doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mitsubishi Outlander higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Nissan Murano (5). This means the Outlander produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Murano every 15,000 miles.

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

The Outlander stops shorter than the Murano:

For better traction, the Outlander SE/Black Edition/SEL’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Murano (255/45R20 vs. 235/65R18).

The Outlander ES’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Murano SV’s standard 65 series tires. The Outlander SE/Black Edition/SEL’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Murano Midnight/SL/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

The Outlander has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Murano’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Outlander SEL AWC handles at .85 G’s, while the Murano Platinum AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Outlander SEL AWC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Murano Platinum AWD (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Outlander’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Murano’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outlander ES has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Murano (8.3 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Outlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outlander SE/Black Edition/SEL’s minimum ground clearance is 1.5 inches higher than on the Murano (8.4 vs. 6.9 inches).

The Mitsubishi Outlander may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 350 pounds less than the Nissan Murano.

The Outlander is 7.4 inches shorter than the Murano, making the Outlander easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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

The Outlander has 17.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Murano (125.5 vs. 108.1).

The Outlander has .7 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front legroom and 1.2 inches more rear legroom than the Murano.

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

The Outlander’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Murano’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Outlander uses the Active 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.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Mitsubishi service is better than Nissan. J.D. Power ranks Mitsubishi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 15% lower rating, Nissan is ranked 16th.

The Outlander SEL offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Murano doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Outlander’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 Outlander SE/SEL’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 Outlander SE/Black Edition/SEL’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.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Outlander S-AWC has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Murano doesn’t offer headlight washers.

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

Both the Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan Murano offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Outlander offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Murano’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

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

The Mitsubishi Outlander outsold the Nissan Murano by almost three to one during 2024.