A few months back when my car was in the shop, I rented a Nissan Altima (4-banger) and noticed that it rode a lot smoother and was unbelievably smoother than my 2000 Maxima SE (on the highway at least).

I'm getting older now and prefer to have a car that rides smoother over potholes and bumps. Does the 2004 Maxima SL have a comparable and smooth ride to the Altima? How would you compare the ride quality of the SL Maxima?

EDIT: Did the Forums get upgraded already? I can't live without checking the forums at least once per day.

 

I rented the Altima 4cyl a couple of times, and now have owned my 04 Max SL for almost a year. I would say that the Max SL's ride is comparable to the 4 cyl Altima, except the Max feels a bit heavier and more solid. The best thing to do is to test drive each for enough time to decide for yourself. Be sure to include time over rough roads and on the highway. Then, let us know your impressions.

 

I'm in the same boat as you. I have purchased nothing but Maximas over the last twenty years, and always picked the 'sportiest' (i.e., hardest riding) option when there was a choice. I love my 2000SE, and it has given me no problems for the five years I have owned it. It will peel rubber and turn on a dime.

But, as inevitably happens, we get old. I am retired, and my wife is almost finished with her career. We will be taking lots of long leisurely trips, and will not be participating in any 'road races'. We found the SL to be the perfect combination of performance and comfort.

I have never driven an Altima (the '05 Altima is getting great reviews), but would surmise the SL would be in the same neighborhood as to ride comfort.

 

I have a 2004 Maxima SL and a 2000 Maxima SE. Indeed the ride is much smoother in the SL (wifes car) then the SE (mine). In fact I can barely hear the SL pull into the driveway and stopped at the light you'd swear it has died. It handles the bumps with a lot less vibration (haven't driven an Altima, so I can't say how it compares). On the long highway trips I prefer the SL.

The doors on the SL have that big soft thud of a large heavy door, compared to the SE. Much less road noise at highway speeds, you can actually carry on a conversation. The seats in the SL sit up a bit higher and the roof seems a little more restrictive, even though the car is taller (I'm 6' 3") but my wife (5' 11") doesn't complain about that. The view through the interior mirror is not as open since the back window has been redesigned (this is my wifes only complaint).

One complaint I have about the 2004 is that we have leather interior, but Nissan does not offer leather panels for the doors or around the dash in this model year. The 2000 SE has nice leather on the door panels and it adds a little class to feel of the ride. I am waiting for an aftermarket option.

But for fun and around town, I still enjoy my SE, a little more positive in the steering and yes you do feel every bump. It is getting a little long in tooth, 103k miles and the transmission is starting to slip a little (I had a 1990 whose tranny went out at about 120k, I hear thats a problem still).

Good luck

 

Why don't you also try the 05 Altima 3.5SL? It gives the smoothness and acceleration of a V6 without the ride stiffness of an Altima or a Maxima SE.

 

Actually someone posted pictures a while back of some leather interior door panels. They replaced all the panels in the car, looked really nice. Not sure were they came from but I liked them a lot.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like the Altima, but I still prefer the Maxima for some reason. My lease is up in November, and I think the easiest method for me is to just get a 05 Maxima (other prospect is a 300C). However I don't think I can stand the harsh ride quality on the highways on my 2000 SE anymore.

My 2K SE handles well, but as I said i'm getting older and a little smoother ride would be welcome for me.

 

I recently rented a 2004 Altima 4 banger. I found the ride quality some what disturbing. There is no comparison between these two vehicles. The tires are much, much louder. The car does not feel as solid as the Maxima SL. The Altima is an alright car, but the feel is toatlly different.