2012 & 2011 Nissan SUV Reviews & Ratings

Although late in the game, the first Nissan SUV was launched in the USA in 2002 as the 2003 model Nissan Murano. Nissan has never been especially well known for their heavier vehicles such as trucks and SUV's, however, they have managed to enjoy considerable success since they launched their first crossover model. Nissan is better known for their Sedans, Coupes and Hatchbacks so for many the launch of the SUV range was seen as a bit of a gamble. The Nissan SUV was also the first SUV to announce a production model of a convertible SUV in late 2011 with the launch in 2012.

In general the SUV market in the USA is very crowded with it being a popular choice for many families with the added safety, extra roominess and practicality of being able to go somewhat off road in relative comfort. As a result, there are an enormous number of SUVs on the market with Nissan SUVs main rivals being the Chevrolet Equinox, Jeep Grand Cherokee, GMC Acadia, Porsche Cayenne and the Acura MDX.

There are 6 models of Nissan SUV currently available in 2012 with the cheapest being the Nissan Juke start at $20,000 with 3 trims available. The cheapest is the Nissan Juke S Sport Utility with a 1.6 litre 188 horsepower engine and optional manual transmission. There is also the SV and SL trims all having fuel consumption of 25 mpg for city and 30 mpg for highway. In the same category there's also the Nissan Rogue starting at just under $22,000 with a 2.5 liter S Sport Utility with 170 horsepower and 22mpg in city and 28 mpg on highway. The SV Sport Utility model costs approximately $25,500. The middle of the Nissan SUV range is the Nissan Xterra starting at $25,000 in 3 trims: the Xterra X, S and Pro-4X which is the performance model priced at $31,000. All three Xterra models share the same powerful 4 liter 261 horsepower engine and suffer the same poor fuel consumption of 15 mpg in the city and 20 on the highway.

Next up, the Nissan Murano which was the original Nissan SUV with 5 trims ranging from the basic S sport model all the way up to the luxury, all leather bells and whistles, Murano LE. All Nissan SUVs in the Murano range have the same 3.5 litre 260 horsepower engine and deliver 18 mpg in city and 23 mpg on highway fuel consumption. In the same price bracket is the Nissan Pathfinder starting at $29,000 and ranging up to $44,000 with 4 trims sharing the same 4 liter 266 horsepower engine and delivering 14 mpg in city and 20 mpg on highway. Last but not least is the top of the range Nissan Armada available in the SV, SL and Platinum models with prices ranging from $38,000 to over $50,000. It's more truck than SUV with a 5.6 liter 317 horsepower engine and delivers 12 mpg in city and 18mpg on the highway.