Compare the2026 Nissan MuranoVS 2026 Subaru Forester

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Forester 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 Forester doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

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 Forester’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Murano has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Forester and it’s not available on the Base.

Compared to metal, the Murano’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Forester has a metal gas tank.

Both the Murano and the Forester have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.

Warranty

There are over 66 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Murano’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Murano has a standard 760-amp battery. The Forester’s 620-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 Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 11th.

Engine

The Murano’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 61 more horsepower (241 vs. 180) and 82 lbs.-ft. more torque (260 vs. 178) than the Forester’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Murano’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 47 more horsepower (241 vs. 194) than the Forester’s optional 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Nissan Murano is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	Murano	Forester 4 cyl.	Forester 4 cyl. hybrid gas
Zero to 30 MPH	3.4 sec	3.7 sec	3.3 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.6 sec	8.6 sec	9.3 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	3.9 sec	6 sec	5.4 sec
Quarter Mile	16.1 sec	16.8 sec	17.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	88 MPH	84 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Murano has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (18.7 vs. 16.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Murano 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 Forester doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Murano	Forester	Forester Hybrid
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	12.4 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	11.8 inches	11.8 inches

The Murano stops shorter than the Forester:

	Murano	Forester
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	137 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	152 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Murano has larger tires than the Forester (255/55R20 vs. 225/60R17). The Murano’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (255/55R20 vs. 235/50R19).

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 Forester’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 Forester. The Murano Platinum’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Forester Sport/Touring.

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 Forester doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Murano’s wheelbase is 6.3 inches longer than on the Forester (111.2 inches vs. 104.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Murano is 5 inches wider in the front and 4.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

Chassis

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

Passenger Space

The Murano has 1 inch more front legroom, 2.2 inches more front hip room, 3.1 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 3.2 inches more rear hip room and 1.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forester.

Cargo Capacity

The Murano has a much larger cargo volume than the Forester with its rear seat up (32.9 vs. 29.6 cubic feet).

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

	Murano	Forester
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	38.2”/73.7”	36.5”/70.7”
Max Width	55.9”	51.2”
Min Width	43.7”	43.3”
Height	31.7”	34.9”

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

Servicing Ease

The Murano uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Forester uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

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 Forester doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Murano and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Murano is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Forester prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Murano’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 Forester’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Forester Premium/Wilderness/Sport/Limited/Touring’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

On a hot day the Murano’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Forester can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Murano has a standard Intelligent Key that allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Only the Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Wilderness/Touring offers a Keyless Access and Start.

The Murano’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Murano Platinum’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

The Murano’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Forester Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring.

Both the Nissan Murano and Subaru Forester offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Murano 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 Forester’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

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 Forester.

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. Only the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring offers wireless charging.

Recommendations

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 Forester isn’t in the top three.

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