Fellas,

Test drove the 2009 Maxima at the dealership today and all I can say is WOW!!! I drove the top of the line model ($42K) and it has everything but the kitchen sink. I went to the stealership for a service call and the service rep personally took me and showed the three cars to me. The car handles pretty good, a little smaller than my 04 but feels tighter and the fit and finish is better.
Even riding on 19" wheels and tires the ride was pleasant. The car has some ***** now, I was bliping through the gears on the paddle shifter like I was at the track. If you don't like using premium fuel in your maxima don't get the 09, it is REQUIRED! The gas mileage is not that great either but for almost 300 horses its not the worst. When I punched it I didn't get any torque steer!! I don't know if I will buy the new max but I will sleep on it tonight.

Mike

 

42000US? Holy crap. That is way too much. I call my Max my "Cheap Japanese Muscle Car" and I like the fact that we get a pretty decent performance @ a pretty decent price. At that price I think I would start looking at an Audie or a Lexus.

 

There is definately a mark up on the price. The one I drove had everything you could get in the car. The base model still costs $32K, at least these are the prices in Virginia.

Mike

 

I read in a car mag that premium is recommended, or at a cost of like 7 hp, and 3 ft lbs.

 

It says you can use regular under certain precautions. It's 9-5 in the manual.
2009 Nissan Maxima Owner's Manual
http://www.nissanusa.com/pdf/techpub...san-Maxima.pdf

2009 Nissan Navi Guide
http://www.nissanusa.com/pdf/techpub...-04IT-Navi.pdf

2009 Nissan Maxima Quick Reference Guide
http://www.nissanusa.com/pdf/techpub...Maxima_QRG.pdf

 

Does it have the "light spark knock is normal" page on the '09 Max?

 

Premium? That's probably because they are in cahoots with the oil companies. Try 87...if it's bad...go to 89...if still bad...stick to 91/93. Otherwise, keep using the cheaper fuel if you are gas concious. I prefer 93 and will only use 93.

 

page 381

However, now and then you may notice
light spark knock for a short time while
accelerating or driving up hills. This is not a
cause for concern, because you get the
greatest fuel benefit when there is light
spark knock for a short time under heavy
engine load.

 

Black on black SV with sport package and navigation. Stickered at 37K.

First the good: looks much better in person -- perhaps it was the black color, but looked aggresive and sporty as others who have seen it in person have noted. No torque steer, and CVT did not bother me much. Put it in drive sport and really couldn't notice any "shifts". Ride is pretty good as well even with sport package. Lots of power and handling was ok. Good sized trunk.

Now the bad. Couldn't get comfortable in the front seat. Didn't know if it was the seats or the adjustments, but my 6'1 frame didn't fit well. Inside is really a mish mash from the Nissan parts bin. Side door handle also rubbed against my knee which was real annoyance. Hood curves were a distraction. Really a weird feeling going down the road as you can't see the front edges of the car. Steering was TERRIBLE. Seemed to be some play in the wheel and did not feel buttoned down at all. Some have mentioned that the TL Type-S is too stiff, but this didn't seem stiff enough. Felt like I was driving a high powered Buick. CVT/engine droning was very annoying (think the Edmunds video). Rear seat not as roomy as the TL or my 99 Maxima. I could sit "behind myself" but my knees rubbed the seatback when getting in.

Overall, very disappointed. Really wanted to like this car, but did not feel like a 4DSC at all, and thought my 99' SE was sportier. Curious to see how others feel, especially since most of the reviews have been pretty good.

 

I drove the basic SV model today (before any sales rep even got the chance!) No premium or sport package on this one. The ride was very smooth and unbelievably quiet. A nice sound to the engine when it is started. Overall I was very pleased and will be getting one. All of the negative comments about the CVT had me worried but when I pushed the petal, that car took off (from a dead stop)... we went on some 2 lane roads and then interstate. No problem or hesitation getting me merged into 5:00 traffic. No torque steer that I noticed. I really like the exterior of the car, it a great redesign for Nissan, it is really awesome in person. One thing I enjoyed was looking in the side mirrors and seeing the muscular rear quarter panels. I have an 02 and have enjoyed it but it will be replaced when pricing settles down. This one was stickered at $36,100. A little confusing when the only thing on it was the tech package shown on another thread at $1800. I figure this car should have been right around $34,300 ($31900 base, $600 delivery and $1800 tech package). I want one but will not pay retail and certainly not more than retail... I think until the "build your own" is on the Nissan site the dealers will get away with anything because we don't know what the actual retail prices for the packages are. I also enjoyed educating the sales rep about his product!! Overall a 9 out of 10.

 

42k???!!!! anyone who pays anything north of 32-33 for a max is on crack. a well optioned faster, sexier, more prestigious, rear drive g35 can be had for about 35k....are these dealers serious??????

also, nissan has certainly disappointed me with this car: motor trend just did a road test and their car went 0-60 in 6.1, virtually identical to a boring v6 camry 0-60 of 6.2. and let's not even get into the quirky cvt, and questionable exterior. and dealers want as much as 42k?????.....i'll be over at the infiniti dealer thank you.

 

The dealer I stopped at had just 1 new Maxima. No one drove it, and they didn't let anyone drive it. After a handful of people drooled over it they took it to service. I will say it is a NICE car! I did sit in it and it was very comfortable. I thought the interior was nice. The one I looked at was not a premium or sport version and the sticker price was $36k. As much as I liked the car there is no way I will pay $36 for a non-premium Maxima. The new Maxima now stands out from the other Nissans on the lot.

 

I drove my first 09 today.

Sticker was $36.5k.

Over all, very quick, drives good.

I couldn't really see the nose of the car due to the curves, I did NOT like the steering wheel material (too smooth, easy to 'slip' with).

I dunno why you all hate CVT...this is the first time I've experienced it and I LOVE it.

Good car, but I'm going for a G35x/TL-S. This generation is over-priced. It would have to fall down to $32k for a LOADED one for me to consider it.

 

At their new place in Palatine, IL. Well, I saw it as I drove by. It's out on the lot, right in front for all to see. I'll have to stop by this weekend to take a closer look. I think it was black. lol

 

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.

 

42K WTF lolz just wait half a year till they dont sell any and then they'll be at 30K or less lol . I saw the car in person at maxus looks sexxy but i still have doubts to the reliability of a cvt holding 300hp. Awaiting first tranny failure thread.

 

Virtually all who knock the CVT fall into one of three categories:

• Never drove one.
• Drove one for a quick spin around the block and proclaimed "it sounds funny".
• Need something to take out their frustration on over the loss of the 6MT.

I have not heard much, if any, negative stuff from CVT owners. I'll be the first to admit that the 6.5G CVT has room for tweaking the the ratio mapping, but even without the tweaks found in the 7G, it was without a doubt a better transmission than the 6G 5AT.

Can't wait to drive the 7G CVT to see exactly what's been tweaked.

 

Yeah we all know these sticker prices are not going to be there for long. With the shape of the economy and gas prices you will see major discounts. I will not be buying this car for another 6 months to 1 year. But I will also wait to see what the reviews are on the Diesel model or even the rumured RS model.

I am disapointed that all these car companies are now combining options into packages that force you to take something you do not want just to get something else. I began to see this with Lexus about 3-4 years ago. I was looking to price their new GS 300 but then saw they only had 2 options $4000 for a technology package and $2000 for navigation. You could not just get a sun roof and xenon lights you had to get the $4000 Package.

 

All mags and sites have panned the CVT, as well. Nissan would've been much better off just using an FWD variation of the JATCO 5AT from the Z/G/M/FX - great gearing, lightweight, 200 millisecond gear changes, prevents power from failing above 80MPH.

The death sentence of all CVTs is that they die once they reach 80MPH, it's the same with the Altima 3.5 and the Murano. If the CVT is such a Godsend, someone needs to explain why the Altima 3.5 is much, much faster as a 6spd. The difference in power between a CVT and MT reminds of the older days when the performance margin between MTs and ATs was enormous.

 

Equipping the Maxima with Jatco's old 5-speed auto would kill the MPG rating. It would likely go from 19/26 to 17/24.

And, the ONLY criticism the CVT has gotten has to do with the fact that Nissan is calling the Maxima a sports car. Otherwise, the reviews of the CVT have been glowing. Most owners won't even know or care the car doesn't have a traditional automatic.

 

I would suggest that the magazine tests fall into the "took a trip around the block and proclaimed that it sounds funny" category.

I always wondered why the 6G Max had an Aisin AW55 5AT considering Nissan's close ties with JATCO. My Volvo S60T5 also had an AW55 and it was the biggest POS auto tranny I ever drove. Sold the car because of it. Always loved getting back in and playing the CVT after getting out of the otherwise superior Volvo.

The falloff over 80mph in the CVT does exist... its one of the things I was referring to about room for improvement. Easy workaround is to drop her into manual mode 5th gear. I'd still take the CVT over the AW55 any day of the week. Whether that trait is engineered into the CVT purposely by Nissan as some self-preservation method or they just didn't spend much time developing that portion of the ratio map, I really don't know. I suspect it might be a little of both. I also suspect that the percentage of Maxima buyers who really care about it - or would even notice it - is about the same as buyers who opted for 6MTs, and we know how much Nissan worries about them. Its certainly not a trait that represents a "death sentence" for the CVT - just one that concerns only 2-3% of the potential buyers.

The CVT is most advantageous in city & suburban driving. In that environment, it is smoother, quieter, quicker and more fuel efficient than a stepped AT ever will be. It is such a pleasure to have a transmision instantaneously respond to throttle changes without any of the crap you have to put up with in most ATs. No waiting for downshifts, no indecisiveness over what gear it should be in, no sloppy shifts that are either too hard or too soft but almost never "just right". Its also a pleasure getting 15%-20% better fuel mileage than I did with the same engine coupled to a conventional AT.

 

I don't know what 09' Max CVT ya'll drivin'. The one I drove went to 100+ without any hesitation; and yes the salesman was a little nervous.

 

I got a chance to drive the Dark Slate SV today, my first time driving a car with a CVT, and that thing had no problem pass 80 mph. Heck, I merged onto the highway and when I looked down, I was doing 90. I eased up off of it for a bit and cruised at about 70. Then the traffic opened up for me. I stepped on it and the needle was pulling strong at 105!! I slowed up at that point. Sooo, failing pass 80 mph I definitely didn't experience anything like that and I have to give the CVT two thumbs up.

I found a nice cloverleaf to test out how it hugs in a curve. FLAT all the way around! It felt really good. This was in an SV without the sport package.

The vehicle was very responsive. No torque steer. VERY QUIET!!. Soaked up bumps really well. Brakes hauled me down very effectively. I'm thoroughly impressed with the Maxima.

 

14.79 is your best time, seems like you should be running a few tenths slower than that with your mods, how are your launches? I'm thinking once some of us get our hands on the 7th gen will be running low low 14's, heck some 6th gen auto's and myself in my 5.5 gen auto can run 14.6-7's stock.

 

My local dealer has one but they said they arent letting anyone drive it. Sheeesh, its only a Nissan!!

 

I highly doubt this is the case. I know people in the industry, and they tend to put hundreds of miles on the cars before they're done with them.

AISIN transmissions suck in general, be it ATs or MTs. The 6MT AISIN unit in the 350Z/G35 is a piece of sh*t, to be frank. But I should mention that Nissan doesn't have close ties to JATCO, they own it - it's a subsidiary of theirs.

 

Yes, several auto mag testers panned the CVT.

BUT

We must remember that those auto mag testers bear no resemblance to normal people (i.e., the general public). They are REALLY into cars, and very likely from that 2% of the population that prefers manuals, and which will always hate anything else, especially the CVT. Two of the clowns testing the '09 Maxima virtually said as much.

The fact one of them (Motor Trend) actually tested the NON-SPORT version of the FWD 290 HP '09 Maxima against a 10,000 HP (or something like that) RWD G8, and made NO evaluation other than elapsed time, handling and braking, tells me all I need to know about the meaning of some of these 'tests'. Talk about a blatant agenda . . . I would be far better off doing my own testing.



Edit - I sometimes peruse other car sites (shameful, I know), and I am getting a very distinct feeling that the dropoff at high speeds some folks noticed in previous CVTs seems to have been overcome with this new '09 Maxima CVT. If so, then I personally see the CVT as being very near the point in its development where, despite the refusal of some to embrace it, it will soon be acknowledged as the most effective and efficient tranny available, and Nissan will have won their somewhat risky CVT bet.

 

I test drove one this morning.

The short: All in all I really liked it. It felt smaller and more stable than my 2002. Definitely had better pickup and the paddle shifters where very quick. As noted, they will hold the gear in DS mode.

The long: I test drove a Maxima SV with the Sport Package (19" wheels). I was very interested in this because my SE with 17" tire produce a lot of sharp feedback.

Went on a back road drive first (45 to 50 mph). I kept hitting 60+ mph, the car is quick and you don't notice the speed coming on. It had a lot less lean than my 2002 in the corners. My 2002 is outfitted with the FSTB and the Stillen RSB. The new max has neither of these and felt much more planted, mainly due to the wider track I would assume.

We crossed over some expansion joints and a set of railroad tracks. The sound/feeling was on par with a Lexus. I could feel it and hear it, but it was very muted. My 2002 would produce sharp jabs over these types of roads. The 19" wheels and tires were quiet and responsive. They held the road as good if not better than my 17" wheels and they didn't punish you with their stiffness. At the same time, the car was very stable in corners.

I played with the paddle shifters all on the back roads. They were great, quick and responsive. I used them twice to slow down when approaching a red light without the brakes and again to hold the car in 6th gear to glide toward an intersection. They are much more impressive than the 2007 (which I test drove in 2006).

As we came out of the back roads, we got onto the highway. My salesman insisted I nail it on the winding exit ramp...and I did. I don't know how fast we were going, but I had to beat another car trying to merge. The wheels didn't squeel, the car didn't lean much. It did lean some, but not to the point where I felt unsafe. Leaving it in D we took off up the highway to the dealer.

On the highway it was free of engine noise and vibration. The only time I really "heard" the engine was in DS mode when I would build the revs for shifting. Other than that it was very quiet...no drone.

All the materials were of high quality. My Maxima still "thunks" like when new, but the 2009 is better still. No wind noise, no road noise. I don't know how I feel about the view out the front window. It would take some getting used to the two "humps" on either side of the car and no idea where the front end is located.

Would I buy the car today? Absolutely. I want to wait for a better price and more over I want to see how the new diesel will stack up in terms of sound and performance. If the diesel is anything like the VW 2.0 TDI I drove later in the day, it's going to be no decision on my part. I'd go with a diesel Maxima.

 

My launches are great, it's the 3rd gear drop in power that gets me every time. Didn't notice that in the 7th Gen I drove. I would luv to get an '09 Max on the track; I bet I can shave at least a .1 off Motor Trend's time.

 

on main st. I didnt even know these are out yet, I thought they were coming in a few months or at least end of summer, but I could of sworn it was a gen 7. Had the same look and I looked in the back of me and saw the tails that I reconized as well as that somewhat inspired GTR front end. It was silver.

 

did you look at any of the threads in this forum or right away think this needed a new topic? they started selling this past week.

 

I test drove the one in Tewksbury last Thursday while my car was in for service. When I went back the next day to get my car the '09 was already sold.

 

there are 2 or 3 dealers driving 7th gen around here.

 

OK, I also test drove an 09 today. It was a white SV (sorry, I didn't catch the packages - I feel stupid about that now). All in all, I'm very jealous of all of the future 09 owners - this car is amazing. The seats for me were extremely comfortable, all of the interior materials were great (I actually liked the steering wheel material), and the vents were easy to operate.

The one I test drove had the touch screen NAV (nice!), and I also played with the iPod adapter (I specifically brought my iPod with me for this purpose ). I like the iPod interface much better than the 04-06 solution, since you can actually skip around in songs. We were never able to select artists and songs, so maybe I'll read up in the manuals on line about iPod navigation before I test drive again.

I too noticed the somewhat odd humps on the hood. I'm not sure how I feel about them, but will definitely take more notice next time, The rear seats were also comfortable, and I was easily able to "sit behind myself" (I'm about 6'1", 235 lb).

The CVT was great too (another thing I need to read up on before I test drive next - D vs DS mode), but mine didn't have paddle shifters. The sales guy had me floor it a few times and honestly I noticed more sluggishness on the lower end than I did the upper end (maybe it was a function of D vs DS?). One thing that I was specifically curious about was taking off in 2nd gear vs 1st. I tried to "shift" from 1st to 2nd from a stop, but like the 6th gen it wouldn't let me. That was the last complete stop before we went back to the dealership, so I didn't test the trick where you hold the shifter in the "+" position as you stop to hold it in 2nd. Next time. Oh yeah, I did notice some engine drone at higher speeds - I'm not sure how high exactly but probably 75-80 mph.

Overall, it was extremely nice. A very quiet, smooth and comfy ride, with noticeably better handling and a sharper turning radius... and no shimmy. This is definitely a candidate replacement for my 04 at some point, just don't know when yet. Maybe a 2010 or 2011 diesel?

 

I test drove a loaded out 09 yesterday in McAlester, OK and its pretty awesome. It was white w/tan-black leather completely loaded. $38 1/2K. Torque steer is not nearly as bad and much better turning radius. I'd have to have black on black though. The only part I didn't like was the retarded salesman who doesn't know what the hell he's talking about....

 

OkieMax...Yeah it's pretty bad when you(customer) know more about the car than the salesman. I ran into a similar situation when I went to my local stealership last week. It's a shame they are actually paid to know so little about the vehicles they are trying to sell us. Ha-Ha

 

Here are my thoughts after test driving one the other night...

Pluses:
- The car is large and plenty of room. Makes me wonder what Infiniti was thinking with the layout of the G35
- Dash layout is great and flows well
- Motor is really strong
- Seats are really nice...I like them better than the G35 I drove last year
- Motor is really strong, and the ride is really smooth
- The trunk is huge...seems to be twice the size of the G35. Also has fold down rear seats which will come in handy on runs to Home Depot
- Wiper arms are the longest I've ever seen....salesman said they'd cover the entire windshield

Minuses:
- Dash material is unusual. Texture is kind of coarse and gummy vs. smooth. It seems like it would pick up and retain dirt over time. They may have made it that way to reduce glare.
- Despite all the press, this car has huge torque steer. I notice it the first time I got on it during the test drive. I honestly can't remember the last time I drove a car with this much torque steer - maybe back in the late 80s or early 90s. I was really surprised it was so strong. It didn't seem to be doing it all the time....I was coming off a 90 degree turn and then nailed it when it was starting to straighten out. But with 100 more HP than my 4th Gen...it may be worth putting up with.
- Transmission is smooth in normal mode, but sport mode seems to do a lot of blipping to simulate a 6 speed transmission...a lot of thrashing without much benefit.
- Console shifter isn't much fun for manual shifts....paddle shift version would be much more fun.
- Engine is very strong...makes my old 4G seem like a 4 cylinder. But it's a little isolated, so you don't necessarily get the feedback that you have that much power.
- Transmission gears down when you take your foot off the gas. This is a very weird feeling to say the least. I've heard other manufacturers were doing the same thing....I don't really understand the reasoning since it seems you'd get better mileage if you used the brakes vs. the engine and transmission to brake.
- Interior seems really nice, but the black interior on my tester seemed to be pretty scuffed up already....not sure if that's from the dark color or cheap material on the door panels.
- Car is so quiet that you may miss the exhaust sound. The huge flairs of the tailpipe are a little much..especially since you can easily see the real size of the actual pipe on the inside.
- Car is fairly heavy, so all those extra HP this year just help move the extra poundage added. Don't expect this car to be as nimble as some other competitors.
- My biggest gripe is the weird shape of the hood, which flairs up slightly on the sides. This seems to restrict forward view and made me feel like I didn't exactly know where the front corners were. In my opinion, this is the worst design flaw of the car....looks like the designers won on that aspect.

Overall, a huge improvement over prior generations of Maximas. I'm still going to look at the competition for '09 before I retire the old 4G.

 

My dealer called yesterday and said they had 7 or 8, and had sold 3 or 4. He wanted to know when I would like to take one for a day!

It's a forty minute drive for me, and I will probably wait and buy a 2010, so there's no hurry for me. Looking forward to a test drive though!

 

"2002 Maxima SE", i thought the SV sport package came with a FSTB and beefier RSB?

i know i will, but i'm half afraid to test drive one. down to 12 more payments... i don't want anymore

 

I went on a test drive today. It didnt have paddle shift so it was the lesser expensive model. Does this come in leather only? The sales guy said he hadnt seen any in cloth yet. Also, is there a rear spoiler option?

I have to admit, my car has ruined me. My leather Recaro seats, Nissan MOMO steering wheel, and caebon fiber MOMO shift **** and e brake handle are so high quality that most every car I get in pales in comparison. I have my car like I want it and it has made my opinions of other cars swayed.

Nevertheless, the new Maxima is a VERY nice car. The red stitching of the interior gives it a sport look. The gauges were nice and bright. It smelled good. I think the seats were good (again mine are sooooo good that few seats match its comfort). It seems to have a better turning radius. Acceleration is smooth and solid. Brakes were ok. Handling was not bad for a larger car although I did detect torque steering when pulling out of sharp turns.

I really dislike the CVT tranny. But, my car is 6 speed, so my opinion is swayed. This seems like a good car for people like older people (60+) but not me. When I got into my car, I was home. When I punched the gas and rocketed forward, I was in heaven.