The GT-R isn't that uncommon. I'm nestled in the woods of Upstate New York, and we see them from time to time, even here. Heck, this morning I saw an Acura NSX while hunting bagels. That's far more rare than Godzilla here.

 

no problemo!! =)


@ Rochester .. the NSX is an everyday car here in OC. sad.. mycousin from NY and NJ came and was like..wth.. they drive this everyday. it's so LA.. so I'm amazed that the population that aren't use to seeing it everyday saying that it's rare .. i guess..so different in LA than other cities. and u guys areright.. thank god for the ONE LA we have!! ( they're screwed anyways budget wise) =)

 

Yes true, I lived in Cali, in SoCal it's hard to stand out as far as cars go. In NorCal more specifically San Jose and SanFran/San Mateo area you'll see geeky looking guys that look no older than H.S. age driving the exotics such as Murcielagos, and Carerra GT's (these are the guys who survived the dot.com market crash in the early 2000's and the Google/Apple/Microsoft/Yahoo stockholders).

 

i know riigghhttt!! it ain't about ballin'.. it's who u know with teh credit and down paymt u have! hahaha..

anyways.. my SERVICE ENGINE SOON light came on.. sighs* gonna find out what code it's shooting out later.. watch .. it's gonna be my tranny becuase it's been feeling kinda awkward.. but I will leave that for the 6.5 gen! lol.

 

Spinning the tires is easier on the transmission than not spinning the tires, assuming the same amount of power is being transfered. Besides, spinning the tires isn't *that* hard with a VQ35 anyway. I can get mine loose at half throttle off the line, even worse when the pavement is cold. Could be the stock tires are chosen for their ability to spin a bit off the line as a way to extend transmission life.

Try some full throttle launches with a CVT and slicks...

 

^^^^^^^^



.....poor 7tH gens will never know what it feel like to launch again

 

Personally, I've had enough of the CVT. The only thing about it which some people may see as a plus is the seamless shifts (and theoretically better mpg), but it absolutely kills the branding of the Maxima being a "4DSC". If I can't tap into the power of my engine on demand, then I simply do not feel as though I am driving a sports car

 

what do you mean "on demand"? you click the shifter down two notches and watch those RPMs rise on up for ya. It doesn't shift out of manual mode back to auto on it's own.

 

Batman had a 5 speed.

 

Do not confuse WOT takeoffs with '4DSC' capability. These are quite different. WOT is TRACK stuff. Sports cars are more tied to handling and maneuverablity and acceleration instantly available at points it is needed in sporty driving.

When I am stuck behind slower traffic on a two lane road, I mash the pedal on this 7th gen, and it jumps from 40 MPH to 80 MPH before you can say 'scalded cat.' MUCH FASTER than any of my shifting-tranny Maximas ever did.

I can certainly 'tap into this power on demand.' And the wider, shorter wheelbase on this new Maxima, with key suspension parts borrowed from the M45, makes this 7th gen a real pleasure to take on a curvy mountain highway.

I will admit it took me several months to begin to see the many ways this CVT was better than the shifting trannies I had driven for over sixty years. But this CVT has really grown on me, especially when I found I was getting around 30 MPG on freeway trips. I couldn't approach that in my previous 26 years of owning nothing but Maximas.

Driving the CVT is definitely an acquired skill, and there wil always be those who either aren't interested in learning to drive it to optimum advantage, or don't understand driving the CVT is FAR more than simply putting the lever in 'drive' and mashing the gas. So be it.

 

I love the CVT in my 09 Max. Huge difference in performance compared to my 05 Murano SE.

7th gen max CVT... thank you.

 

lol superman tooo!

 

Batman, Superman, bias ply tires and shifting trannies; quintessential icons of the twentieth century.

 

this one?

 

Ok so I have what might be considered a dumb question but im new to the was the VCR drives. Anyway when I'm coasting to a stop with the Rpms at like 1 I feel a slight lag or almost downshift like the car doesn't want to slow down it almost like a slight jerk or like driving a stick. Is this normal or should I have it checked out, I know this is prolly a dumb question but like I said I'm new to the cvt world.

 

Its normal. Your car is trying to save gas.

Pull up your fuel economy mode on your information display. When it lags, look at the meter jump up to around 40-60 mpg.

 

Like catfish said, this is normal.

Another 'feature' that may be new to some drivers is something Nissan added to the Maxima at the beginning of the 6th gen: as we begin drifting gently downhill at low speed (foot not mashing the gas pedal), Nissan has things set up to make the engine compression hold the car back slightly, unless we feed it just a little gas. This process manifests itself as sort of a very gentle jerk, as if the tranny is shifting.

Nissan said this was to make driving the car 'more sports oriented.' I really like this feature, which often results in me not having to use the brakes.

 

i love this thread!

 

i think i would need to agree with this one on the 6.5 gen! what am I still doing here?!!??! lol!

 

I noticed something interesting about the manual ratios in Ds mode. They aren't fixed. Sixth at 25 MPH is not the same ratio as sixth at 70. There's also some CVT action in high gears at low speeds. Didn't expect that.

 

I'm heading to the Tail of the Dragon in a few weeks, so I was testing out the "gears" on some local twisties. Not nearly as twisty of the Dragon, but very few roads are.

"1" can go to ~45 mph but doesn't sound so great at sustained high RPMs.
"2" sounds much better and the performance seemed better coming out of the corners. I didn't get to the top speed of that gear as I was already well above what I would need the gear for (50 mph). The speed limit of the Dragon is 30 anyway

any Dragon goers care to comment?

 

I am part of the "OLDER CROWD" I like the cvt. I am sure they will keep it,

 

Thank yall for clarifing...I really appreciate it! Def new to the whole cvt feel so I almost thought something was wrong!

 

What is wrong with Nissan not giving this generation a transmission option.

 

Not a frequent 7th gen board reader, huh?

Shouldn't this be post number 2,364,985,936 on one of the 4,097,985 'why not a manual' threads on this board? Or have all those threads overflowed their server space?

There are many dozens of valid reasons, but one short answer is, for a limited production vehicle, offering tranny options quickly adds to production costs, and leaves the dealer without enough lot room to offer both option packages, color choices, AND TRANNY options. Nissan already produces 17(?) different vehicles that have to be squeezed onto dealer lots.

When I say 'limited production', Nissan will be lucky to sell 60K for each model year of the 7th gen, while they sold 131K of the '04 Maxima. The Maxima is now a near-premium sporty sedan, NOT the affordable 4DSC of bygone days. Times have changed, and the Maxima has changed with them.

Another reason is that the new 7th gen Maxima CVT has caught or passed the shifting trannies of the past in efficiency and performance, and promises to pull further away as it continues its development. Impending strict government fuel requirements (2015) are going to mean downsizing engines and using the most efficient power trains available.

There are many other reasons, but you can find them in any of many dozens of 'CVT vs other tranny' threads on this board. Maybe this thread should be attached to one of them?

 

Silly MoMax,
It's easy to see where this thread is headed. Your treading deep in to what I like to call, the "Merg Zone".

 

There already is an extensive CVT vs manual transmission thread (Hint: it's one of the "Stickies").

There is even less reason to offer a conventional automatic transmission in the same model that features a CVT.

Carlos Ghosn is enamored of the CVT and he's the biggest boss.


Norm

 

Merging.... Or should I just delete it since it's. um. said and done approximately 3,129 posts in.

 

That might be a difficult task, since the instantaneous meter only goes to 30 MPG!

 

Yes it has changed to another run-of-the-mill sedan in league with the Accord, the Camry, the Avalon etc. with little to distinguish it. Without a manual choice, a new Maxima no longer holds my interest. And since Nissan is unwilling to cater to my interest, I will be looking elsewhere for my 2006 replacement when that time comes--way down the road!

I find your claim of 30 MPG on the highway to be interesting. My wife and her friend just came back from Las Vegas in our friend's 2010 Maxima, and the highest they got for mileage there and back was 28 MPG. Even driving very conservatively in her car, I have never gotten close to 30 MPG on the highway for any period of time.

 

That's correct on the color monitor but for the dash instantaneous meter, it goes up to 60

 

Try coming up behind a semi on a two lane road in each of these vehicles, and reaching a short passing opportunity. This CVT-driven Maxima can go from 40 MPH to 80 MPH faster than any sedan I have ever driven. If you can't detect significant and meaningful styling and performance differences between the 7th gen Maxima and the Camry/Avalon type vehicles, then you would be wasting your money buying a Maxima. For me, there is a world of difference.

As to fuel efficiency, you and your wife are probably driving the Maxima as if it were an auto-tranny vehicle. When I drive this CVT-equipped Maxima, my eyes are constantly on the RPM gauge. This car can move from a standing start with very little increase in RPMs IF the gas pedal is nursed very carefully. Using the cruise control or trying to maintain a constant speed in rolling terrain or on hills is another way to ruin fuel efficiency.

Several posters here on the ORG have gotten HIGHER than 30 MPG on long freeway trips in their 7th gen, but my long freeway trips usually result in 29 or 30 MPG. Which is better than I ever got in 26 years of owning nothing but Maximas, and my earlier Maximas were lighter and had less power. This 7th gen is REALLY impressive.

Thank goodness Nissan had the guts to move past those shifting trannies and take a step into the future. When the strict government fuel efficiency standards go into effect in 2015, Nissan will have improved the CVT even more, and have the Maxima poised for continued success.

 

If thats the best mpg you've been able to get in your 6th Gen then you really don't know how to drive a car adequately to get great mpg! I guess the rest of us who have gotten over 30 mpg on highway trips are all a bunch of compulsive liars with nothing else to do but make lies up about your Max's!

 

Actually, in my 6th Gen Maxima, I have gotten 30 MPG easier than I've gotten it driving my friend's 7th Gen. Since my other car is a hybrid, I would say I can squeeze mileage out of a car as well as anybody! However, my experience driving the 7th Gen tells me getting 30 MPG driving constant 65 MPH is a pipe dream in that car. That is unless you have a 40 MPH tailwind!

 

You have your fun watching the RPM guage, I have my fun shifting the car myself. I'm sure when I get to be your age, I will want an auto-tranny too, which is all the CVT is.

Yes you can slow down going uphill in rolling terrain, but when you are going 800 miles in a day, that gets old real quick. Why worry about a few MPG when you need to get someplace. In the same vein, you can nurse any car to get maximum mileage by accelerating real slow, but after a while that gets old too. I have squeezed 63 MPG out of my Civic in city driving, but who wants to drive like that all the time!

I know you are proud of your car like most folks are, but after driving my friend's 7th Gen for several thousand miles, I can honestly say I enjoy driving my 6th Gen more--I do enjoy the cooled seat in her car though!

 

She was a good friend to let you drive her nice car

 

No, the CVT is NOT AN AUTO TRANNY. The auto tranny is just a form of SHIFTING tranny that automatically does the shifting for the driver. The CVT is a significant step forward from all shifting trannies. Like it or not, the CVT is here to stay. It is now more fuel efficient and faster accelerating than the manual, and will only get better.

For you to bring age into this shows a clear lack of understanding of the situation. If AGE were a factor, then I would be driving the other cars you mentioned - Camry, Avalon, etc. I have a little too much spirit and appreciation for a great driving vehicle than to step down to those type cars.

Your MPG logic is strange. If I have a long way to go, and am in a hurry, then I worry less about fuel efficiency and drive the way that best suits the situation, in which case, I would not expect to get as high an MPG.

As to your 6th gen, I drove a 6th gen for five years, and admit it is a very fine vehicle. But I MUCH prefer my 7th gen's CVT, aggressive styling, MUCH sharper turning radius, more power, better MPG (at least for most drivers who owned both gens), individually heated and cooled driver's seat, etc.

If you read the magazine testing articles that proliferated around the time of the release of the 7th gen Maxima, you will remember they uniformly expressed the opinion the 7th gen Maxima was a big step in returning the Maxima to its traditional place in sporty four door passenger cars. They liked this car a lot, as do I.

 

Any tranny you don't have to shift yourself is an auto-tranny, you can say what you want! CVTs were used in Cushman and other scooters for years, and the only reason Nissan uses them is the same reason they deleted the manual option; to make more money at the expense of the car-buying public. At the same time, while they added some options, they also deleted some nice features, as I mentioned before, such as the cruise set light (even the Versa has it!), the double sunshields, and the rear heated seats.
Quality is also going downhill; my friend has had the cup holder cover break, the rear shade switch mounting broke, and one of the rear seat belt buckles was installed reversed.
I do like the styling of the 7th Gen better in every way except for the front--to flat-nosed, but the sharper turn radius is nice.
Age is definitely a factor. My 96-year-old dad drove a stick-shift most of his life, but I would never dream of recommending anything other than an auto-tranny for him now.

 

She insists on me driving her car anytime we go anywhere in her car. I drive it several times a week--sometimes on 100+mile trips, so I get a very good feel for the mileage in hers compared to that in mine since I drive both the same way.

 

The term 'automatic' as used with trannys for over fifty years has always had the connation of a tranny that shifts gears 'automatically.' The CVT has no gears, and hence cannot be shifting gears. We will just have to sort of disagree on whether the CVT is an 'automatic' or a new form of transmission or both. Not that it really matters.

You could not be more wrong on your nefarious reasons why Nissan deleted the manual or chose the CVT for the Maxima. The manual was dropped for the simple reason dealers would not accept them because buyers were not buying them. Nissan went to the CVT because it weighs half as much as a 5 speed automatic, has fewer moving parts, and gives better fuel efficiency and better acceleration than shifting trannies. Purely cold scientific logic.

To judge the quality of the 6th gen vs the 7th gen on one sample is hardly a logical way to measure anything. I could cite the six problems that existed on my '04 SL when I bought it, one of which resulted in the driver's footwell filling with several inches of water, and compare that with my 7th gen, which has been problem-free for almost 19 months. But that would again be trying to judge quality on one sample, which is meaningless.

Age is definitely a factor in what? What does the tranny a 96 year old driver uses have anything to do with normal drivers, 99.99% of whom are NOT yet 96?

The manual no longer exists in the Maxima, but the Maxima is being enjoyed by drivers from age 16 to age 99. A majority of drivers posting on Maxima.org's 7th generation board are between age 18 and age 38, so those who try to associate trannies with age are defeating their own argument.

The last vehicle I owned before buying my first Maxima was a 5 speed manual, and I have driven manuals off and on for over sixty years. But choosing to drive an automatic or a CVT because of having to spend lots of time in traffic gridlock has no connection to age. My personal opinion is that using a 96 year old in order to assign trannys to ages in general is about as unscientific as one can get.