Compare the2026 Nissan MuranoVS 2026 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

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 Alfa Romeo Stelvio 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 Stelvio doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Stelvio doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Nissan Murano achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio has not been tested.

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 Stelvio doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Murano SL/Platinum has a standard Around View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Stelvio only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Murano and the Stelvio have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger 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 and rear cross-path warning.

The Nissan Murano has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2026 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, a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test. The Stelvio has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2026.

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

There are over 10 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Murano’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Murano has a standard 760-amp battery. The Stelvio’s 525-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Murano’s reliability 11 points higher than the Stelvio.

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

The Murano has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Stelvio (18.7 vs. 16.9 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 Stelvio doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Murano higher (5 out of 10) than the Alfa Romeo Stelvio (4). This means the Murano produces up to 5.2 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Stelvio every 15,000 miles.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Nissan Murano, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Stelvio.

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

The Murano stops shorter than the Stelvio:

For better traction, the Murano has larger tires than the Stelvio (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 Stelvio.

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 Stelvio doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Murano offers an optional space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Stelvio; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Murano is 3.2 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than on the Stelvio.

For greater off-road capability the Murano has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Stelvio (8.3 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Murano to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

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

The Murano has 14.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Stelvio (112 vs. 97.6).

The Murano has .9 inches more front headroom, 7.7 inches more front legroom, 3.3 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 4.4 inches more rear legroom and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Stelvio.

The Murano has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Stelvio with its rear seat up (32.9 vs. 18.5 cubic feet). The Murano has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Stelvio with its rear seat folded (63.5 vs. 56.5 cubic feet).

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

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 Stelvio doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

The Murano’s LED headlights produce a white, bright light using less electricity than the Stelvio’s xenon high intensity discharge (HID) headlights. HID headlights can be slow to reach full brightness or power cycle, causing issues when flashing them to signal other vehicles; LED headlights light instantly. LED lights also last about three to four times as long.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Murano to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Stelvio 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 Stelvio’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Murano (except SV) keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Stelvio doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 Stelvio.

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 Nissan Murano retains 44.66% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 41.36% resale value of the 2026 Alfa Romeo Stelvio after five years, which can save the Nissan’s owner up to $6334 in depreciation.

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 Stelvio isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Nissan Murano outsold the Alfa Romeo Stelvio by almost 23 to one during 2025.