2009 maxima test drive
Member
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 45
From: Greenville, SC
I took my new black SV (aka the Batmobile) on a long 400 mile trip to the hamptons and back to stretch her legs. Here are my impressions:
- The acceleration is phenomenal. I brought her to 90+ from 60 many times in a few seconds smoothly and quickly. I revved the engine above 4,000 rpms despite what the manual said after I was told by a very experienced Nissan technician that it's good for the car to go above 4,000 at least once a week to clear out the carbon.
- Cabin is both luxurious and state of the art. The air conditioned seat felt like a godsend to my sweaty back and butt after a hot walk to my car. Bose stereo is amazing- music is 10x more enjoyable than when played on inferior systems. GPS is very intuitive/easy to use and blows away my portable Garmin 300W, that I thought was a great GPS unit. The hands-free bluetooth is also really convenient and simple- the car recognizes my phone automatically and calls placed through my phone connect directly to the car speakers w/ no delay. After the call, hit a button on the steering wheel to end the call and the music instantly comes back on. Gotta love modern technology.
- Even in an SV premium (and not sport), you can feel the road very clearly, especially if it is rough or bumpy. If you are looking for a car to absorb the bumps or impacts, go for a Lexus or Avalon instead.
- The car is the narrowest near the driver/passenger seats. While there is plenty of thigh room, when I reach down on the side of my seat for the power adjustments, I was barely able to squeeze my wrist and watch through.
- Car makes a cool, star wars-like 'whirring down' noise when you shut it down. After my trip, I left the car in park and noticed it was making this noise every so often and I heard a fan kick in every so often as well. My guess is that the car was just winding down from the trip.
- The acceleration is phenomenal. I brought her to 90+ from 60 many times in a few seconds smoothly and quickly. I revved the engine above 4,000 rpms despite what the manual said after I was told by a very experienced Nissan technician that it's good for the car to go above 4,000 at least once a week to clear out the carbon.
- Cabin is both luxurious and state of the art. The air conditioned seat felt like a godsend to my sweaty back and butt after a hot walk to my car. Bose stereo is amazing- music is 10x more enjoyable than when played on inferior systems. GPS is very intuitive/easy to use and blows away my portable Garmin 300W, that I thought was a great GPS unit. The hands-free bluetooth is also really convenient and simple- the car recognizes my phone automatically and calls placed through my phone connect directly to the car speakers w/ no delay. After the call, hit a button on the steering wheel to end the call and the music instantly comes back on. Gotta love modern technology.
- Even in an SV premium (and not sport), you can feel the road very clearly, especially if it is rough or bumpy. If you are looking for a car to absorb the bumps or impacts, go for a Lexus or Avalon instead.
- The car is the narrowest near the driver/passenger seats. While there is plenty of thigh room, when I reach down on the side of my seat for the power adjustments, I was barely able to squeeze my wrist and watch through.
- Car makes a cool, star wars-like 'whirring down' noise when you shut it down. After my trip, I left the car in park and noticed it was making this noise every so often and I heard a fan kick in every so often as well. My guess is that the car was just winding down from the trip.
Newbie - Just Registered
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8
The 09 Max definitely gives you the most car for the money. If you look at the new 2009 A4, which also happens to be a beautiful car, fully loaded with many of the same amenities of the Maxima and similar horsepower/performance, costs about $44,000.
Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 183
Finally found the time to drive one recently. The CVT does a great job making best use of the engine--strong, drama-free acceleration. Handling is about as good as it gets with a front-wheel-drive car. I thoroughly enjoyed driving the new Maxima. Not as smooth or silent as a premium luxury sedan, but it's not priced like one, either.
My main negative, and this is entirely a matter of personal taste: there's simply too much going on with the exterior sheetmetal.
My main negative, and this is entirely a matter of personal taste: there's simply too much going on with the exterior sheetmetal.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 123
A knee pad for your right knee should be standard equipment. Seriously, the 4 times now I've sat in this car, I hit my right knee on the bottom of the steering column. I'm 6'1" / 215lbs , not exactly oversized. I remember reading one of mag reviewers having the same complaint.
Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 172
A knee pad for your right knee should be standard equipment. Seriously, the 4 times now I've sat in this car, I hit my right knee on the bottom of the steering column. I'm 6'1" / 215lbs , not exactly oversized. I remember reading one of mag reviewers having the same complaint.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
I think reb must sit closer to the steering wheel than I do. I'm only two inches shorter, but my knee clearance is generous. I admit I sit farther back than some, as I have read it can be dangerous to sit too close to an airbag. I also try to drive in a very relaxed position.
Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 183
Can't say I had this problem, but then I'm 5'9" and also tend to sit far from the wheel.
In many cars I can put the seat nearly all the way back--so clearly someone taller often has to sit more "knees up" than I do, and gets in the habit of sitting this way even in cars where it's not necessary.
In many cars I can put the seat nearly all the way back--so clearly someone taller often has to sit more "knees up" than I do, and gets in the habit of sitting this way even in cars where it's not necessary.
Newbie - Just Registered
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 2
New here and trying to post but having some difficulty. Just picked up a new 09, However the climate control driver side blows hot after setting at 63 degrees. No adjustment its either cold at 60 or super hot at 63 the other side works fine. Any one have this problem with the new model?
TIA
Dave
TIA
Dave
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
New here and trying to post but having some difficulty. Just picked up a new 09, However the climate control driver side blows hot after setting at 63 degrees. No adjustment its either cold at 60 or super hot at 63 the other side works fine. Any one have this problem with the new model?
TIA
Dave
TIA
Dave
Dave - I haven't seen this problem (or anything even close) reported here, and I try to read every post on the 7th gen board. Knowing nothing about how the '09 HVAC system works, it seems the modulating flap that is supposed to control the percentages of hot/cold air is being positioned in only two positions on the driver's side - max hot or max cold. This could be a mechanical thing, but since the flap obviously moves between hot and cold, is more likely tied to a switch/control problem.
The fact the system works on the passenger side, and does move between hot and cold on the driver's side should be two big clues to your service tech as to what may be causing this. This is absolutely a warranty fix, and is something you must get fixed fairly quickly, as driving with this problem could be very unpleasant. If your dealer is customer-friendly, you will have a somewhat equivalent loaner for however long it takes them to fix this. I would absolutely insist on a decent loaner. This is Nissan's flagship you just purchased from him. not a $10K econobox.
Be sure and let us know what happens, as others here need to watch for this problem.
Edit - What I am calling a 'modulation flap' will probably be called something like an 'air flow baffle' by the service tech.
Last edited by lightonthehill; Sep 28, 2008 at 07:36 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 951
I test drove a non sport and i loved the feel...but opted to buy the Sport instead of the tech package. I love the look and feel of the sport package and the sport gives you the XM, Bluetooth and other goodies just without the nav screen.
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 28
From: northfield, nj
Went and test drove the 09 SV with the sport package. I think now is a good time to put it out there:
About a month ago I went to the track and ran a best time of 14.799 in the 1/4 mile with all of my mods.
The '09 Maxima, STOCK runs 14.5 and now I know why.
Confirming something you guys already know is the CVT is waaaay better than the 5AT that came with the 6th Gen. I immediately put it in DS mode and used the paddles. I LOVED the paddle shifting during hard driving! The gear changes were quick and the CVT felt like it was in the right "gear" all the time.
Interesting thing I noticed though,
In DS mode, when you really stomp on it, it does in fact go to redline in addition to the shifts being super quick but noticeable. And contrary to what people think, when you stomp on it, the revs do drop a little in between "gear" changes; the revs don't stay exactly the same.
Another observation is with VDC turned off the CVT holds the gear in DS mode throughout the rev range up to redline.
The premium leather is fantastic, the dash is wonderful, everything about the car is excellent. With all that being said, I hate to say it but, I want a little more out of my next upgrade. Not that the new Max isn't great, it is for what it is; I just want more this time around.
Steering was a bit light, handling was nice though.
The '09 Max is a GREAT car even with the CVT ESPECIALLY if you're used to driving an auto.
I guess what bothers me is the '08 G35 sedan auto does the 1/4 in 13.8.
BTW the car I test drove was a SV with sport package and NAVI for 37k.
About a month ago I went to the track and ran a best time of 14.799 in the 1/4 mile with all of my mods.
The '09 Maxima, STOCK runs 14.5 and now I know why.
Confirming something you guys already know is the CVT is waaaay better than the 5AT that came with the 6th Gen. I immediately put it in DS mode and used the paddles. I LOVED the paddle shifting during hard driving! The gear changes were quick and the CVT felt like it was in the right "gear" all the time.
Interesting thing I noticed though,
In DS mode, when you really stomp on it, it does in fact go to redline in addition to the shifts being super quick but noticeable. And contrary to what people think, when you stomp on it, the revs do drop a little in between "gear" changes; the revs don't stay exactly the same.
Another observation is with VDC turned off the CVT holds the gear in DS mode throughout the rev range up to redline.
The premium leather is fantastic, the dash is wonderful, everything about the car is excellent. With all that being said, I hate to say it but, I want a little more out of my next upgrade. Not that the new Max isn't great, it is for what it is; I just want more this time around.
Steering was a bit light, handling was nice though.
The '09 Max is a GREAT car even with the CVT ESPECIALLY if you're used to driving an auto.
I guess what bothers me is the '08 G35 sedan auto does the 1/4 in 13.8.
BTW the car I test drove was a SV with sport package and NAVI for 37k.
Newbie - Just Registered
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8
Whenever I go over speed bumps with the front tires, a 'pssshhht' sound happens, like air coming out of the tires, and it doesn't happen with the rear tires. My service guys said that this is not the tires, but the suspension and it is normal. Did this happen to you guys too?
Last edited by Oasis340; Oct 4, 2008 at 02:05 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
Whenever I go over speed bumps with the front tires, a 'pssshhht' sound happens, like air coming out of the tires, and it doesn't happen with the rear tires. My service guys said that this is not the tires, but the suspension and it is normal. Did this happen to you guys too?
Yes, this is definitely the suspension/struts. I have sometimes heard this sound on earlier Maxima generations. Never had any problem result from this.
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,207
From: Maryland
This car looks amazing to me. I'm really thinking of getting one in the future, even that i will have to pay +70% of the cost for duty, taxes etc. I'm very sad that i won't have the chance to test-drive one before that, so i will carefully read all your comments on the new Maxima 
It would be great if someone with a 6th gen SE, who already drove the new Maxima, answers a few questions for me?
Is the ride more comfortable with the 7th gen SV(non-sport) compared to the 6th gen SE? I mean the whole suspension not the seats(i know the 09' has softer ones)
Which one is more "quiet" on the highway - engine, wind noises etc
Is really the turning radius significantly better with the 09'?
Thanks in advance!!!
It would be great if someone with a 6th gen SE, who already drove the new Maxima, answers a few questions for me?
Is the ride more comfortable with the 7th gen SV(non-sport) compared to the 6th gen SE? I mean the whole suspension not the seats(i know the 09' has softer ones)
Which one is more "quiet" on the highway - engine, wind noises etc
Is really the turning radius significantly better with the 09'?
Thanks in advance!!!
It was fun to drive, that's all I have to say.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 122
From: Dallas
Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 183
Did the salesman say anything? Some are more trouble than others. Some actually encourage you to wind the car out.
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