http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/200...maxima-review/

Please, I ask all of you to go here and add your comments, it seems that most people aren't too keen on our cars.

Thanks

 

that article is really old..

 

yea review is old but dis is whack neways..ppl i talk to and friends and fam always wnt or end up gettin a max also..so some ppl jst hate lol

 

Brendan sounds as though he just stepped out of "creative writing 101".
So, does he like the car or not? On one side of his face the car has samurai-helmet headlights and refrigerator door doors. And out of the other side he can't pass the cars reflection without staring. I think he is just flat out wrong about the interior quality. It makes me wonder how much time he actually spent with the car. One think is for sure…I could give a flying rats *** what morons like him think.

 

Considering he used stock photos in his article, I'm willing to bet he never even sat in the car. Real car reviews don't use stock photos.

 

I didn't expect to see this article again. It made the rounds here two summers ago.

Not a bad writeup. He pans things, yet makes it clear lots of things about this 7th gen impressed him, and he left no doubt he feels Nissan took the Maxima back where it belongs. He has never liked CVTs, yet admitted the redesigned CVT in this Maxima is obviously tighter and nicer than the older ones, and is now performing rather well.

As to the responses, I seldom read them. From long experience, I have found most car review responses are either uninformed (such as looked at the pictures, but never saw the car in person), are jealous (have to justify in their mind why they will be happy keeping their old car; they can't afford a new one at this time), or have an agenda (drive a competing make/model, and want folks to feel the new car is not as good as their ride).

 

Please check the latest review on a "s" Trimmed Sedan on the same sight. This reviewer actually bought one. Reviews are like opinions they change over time. No one seem to even complain about the headlights any more.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/rev...nissan-maxima/

The only complaints I still see is not having the option of a manual tranny Hee hee

I like this Quote:


Anyway for every bad review the max gets there is about 8 to 10 good reviews now a days.

 

These reviews speak for themselves:

http://www.edmunds.com/nissan/maxima...merreview.html

 

I actually found this article to be not as bad as I thought it would be. It seemed he had every intention of hating this vehicle clearly being an Altima lover. In the end it seemed to win him over whether or not he wanted to admit it.

 

Same exact feeling I got.

 

Agreed

 

when will the last year of this model be made.. that's when i'll buy it new... left over of something.

 

I read this artical before I made my purchase. It made me have second thoughts on if I wanted a Maxima and if the extra money over the Altima was worth it but that all went down the drain after a test drive. Bias reviews suck and opinions should be left to the buyer. That's why I didn't knock it off my "want list" till I drove weighed my own Opinions into the mix.

 

I did the exact same things you did; I test drove both a 2.5SL followed by a Maxima SV, suffice it to say that the Altima was really nice and comfortable but the Maxima was superior to it and almost every regard! the Maxima had slightly better material quality and ergonomics, the front and rear seats were much more comfortable, especially the front seats, the ride was much more refined and comfortable over the altima, though the altima did have a compliant/comfortable ride as well, and the Maxima had more room in the front and rear then the Altima did, at least the extra width made it appear that way! also, the altima had TOO much road feel translate through the steering wheel and pedals while driving it! the Maxima on the other hand had the absolutely perfect/more refined balance of letting just the right amount of road feel translate through the pedals and wheel giving just enough feedback without going overboard like it did in the altima! I test drove a camry too and the Maxima fit right halfway between the Altima and Camry in road feel regard; the Camry gave absolutely no road feel or response back to the driver while the Altima gave TOO much; the Maxima almost was halfway between the two!

 

This confirms what I would have suspected to be the case. I briefly drove a friend's Altima (my frugal wife likes the affordability of the Altima), and drew the same opinion you did.

As for the Camry, I dropped Toyota off my 'interest' list back in 1996, when the first 'runaways' began to be reported. I think it is interesting that Toyota recalled only Camrys from 2007 through 2010, basing that cutoff on the fact the floormats and gas pedal were redesigned that year. And yet U.S. government statistics show the runaway problem count for the Camry has stayed fairly level (and clearly high) since 2001. Whether this is criminality or just incredible incompetence, I want no part of it.

 

Well, the trend with Nissan always seems to flow between 3-5 years (mostly 4) for Maximas when they make a major exterior change by then it'll be best to wait until the year 2012 (near the end) and then purchase one because if they make a major re-do on the outside then the price of the 7TH Gen will drop insanely.

I remember when I went to purchase my 03 in 04, the price was rock bottom, i only financed 15K for a 2003 Maxima SE with roof and goodies, that was a steal of a deal for me.

 

I personally think, now that Nissan finally got the 7th Gen Maxima right, compared to the 5th and 6th Gen, that is will now be on the 5 year design cycle that the altima, sentra, and most of their models are on! You'll most likely see in the the third model year, 2011 a slight refreshing, front and rear end tweaks, minor interior changes, some color changes, some shifting of packaging options, etc!; the 8th Generation won't probably be until the 2014 model year! now I'm just assuming Nissan will do this, but you know like anyone else, auto companies change their minds frequently!

Just keep in mind that the 5th generation was short lived because of how Nissan screwed up with the 2002 altima, making it just as powerful, bigger, and more features then that current Maxima; personally, the Altima became Nissan's bread and butter TOP sedan model from 2002-2008! Because they rushed the 6th Generation design, we got that ugly big boxed Maxima for those 5 years which, at least for me, did nothing to even make me want a test drive in it! thank God they got the 7th Gen right!!

I mean for 2007-2008, the Altima V6 had a 270HP engine while the Maxima V6 (which cost a heck of a lot more) was only 255HP, the altima had a nicer interior, just about the same technology and amenities that the Maxima had for less money!!! that was no brainer of what one to buy? my how the table of turn starting last year!!!

 

interesting comments on the lifespan of the 7th gen.. i don't know if i can wait another 5 years!

 

like I said it might not, but I think it could considering the 6th Gen lasted 5 years and that sold lousy for Nissan so you never know!

 

Little correction about 02 nothing was screwed up, Nissan intentionally cut Maxima production big time that year to well under 100k units a year in anticipation of the 02 Alti. 02 was the 1st year that Nissan started moving the Max upscale. Also in 02 the Altima had no were near the features of the Max and the interior quality was way subpar vs the Max.... Max had, heated steering wheel, memory seats, Hid's available nav..etc etc. In 04 comparisons were made between the 2 as the interiors of both were criticized quite a bit for quality.

Also I know and read this in a few publications M/T, C/D, the Max sorta has a "cult" following. Most buyers that buy them are repeats and have had other generations, not considering Altima.

 

well thats your opinion but I don't agree with it; if everything wasn't screwed up as you claim it was then why did Nissan end the 5th Generation early and rush the ugly design of the 6th Gen in for the 2004 model year? the reason is, the 02-06 altima was bigger in almost every regard over the 02-03 body style and loaded up, the V6 altima I think had 240 or 245hp while the Maxima was 255hp! people complained that, that little difference in HP wasn't worth the few thousand dollars more Nissan wanted for the Maxima over the loaded altima! plus, except for maybe the heated steering wheel and power folding mirrors, almost everything you could get in the Maxima, including HID you could get for less money in the Altima if loaded up correctly! If you think about it, today, the Maxima has 290hp while the Altima 270hp which still isn't that big a difference; I guess the 20hp difference today is better than the 10hp difference back in 03-04!

don't get me wrong, I personally liked the the 02 and 03 Maxima inside and outside and would have bought one over the altima at the time, but sales of the Maxima were not great for those years! subsequently from 02-08, the altima stole the spot light from the Maxima and especially when the redesign for it came in 2007; it was a no brainer in 07 and 08 that the altima was better than the Maxima in almost every regard, better handling, 270hp vs 255hp, more refined/better quality interior, etc and it cost less then the Maxima did!! thank God they correct this in 2009 with the 7th Gen and now the Maxima if finally back on top as Nissan's premier and upscale 4 door sedan again!!

 

Like I said prior Nissan planned this........this was planned (mentioned in late 2000 what there intenions were) before 02 itself. That is just the year that it went into play. They just can't say in 02 itself we are going to change things in 02 and initiate it then..... this has to be thought out and planned. The Max got softer those years with more luxury in order to push the 3.5 Alti as there affordable sporty sedan, remember prior to 02 the Altima just was not a very attractive nor a big hit. Nissan had to do something to make it more competitive to its counter part Accord and Camry which have been offering V6's etc for many many years by then.

 

The 09-10 Altima is bigger than the 09-10 Maxima in interior passenger volume and rear legroom. So?

Most probably in 2012, Nissan will come out with the new gen Altima while the current gen Maxima will at most get a midcycle refresh. Given the price, looks and feature content of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, Nissan will have to do something great (as opposed to good) with the next gen Altima to not lose market share. It will not be surprising if the next gen Altima gets the S-shaped side profile of the current Maxima and 2011 Infiniti M and the V6 gets 300hp (i.e. 10hp more than the Maxima) along with optional memory seats, heated steering wheel and outside mirrors, etc. What do you think you will do with your Maxima then?

I owned an 07 Maxima and loved it just as much as I loved my 09 Maxima. The space in my 09 Maxima was missing while the nimble handling in my 07 was missing. Overall, the 09 Maxima was better which it has to be as it was a later model. But it was certainly not better than my 07 in all respects.

Since you find the 6th gen Maxima ugly, I believe, you find the current Infiniti M ugly too since both of them have very similar body proportions and shape.

If that is what you think, IMO, the Maxima has never been in a more precarious situation than it currently is in. It is in the same price range as the G37 which has more luxury, sportiness, hp/torque, RWD (with AWD option) and even better gas mileage (19/27 mpg in G37 RWD as compared to 19/26 mpg in the Maxima). Who will buy the Maxima?

If you want to save money, go for the Altima 3.5SR.
If you want luxury and sportiness, go for the G37.

And Nissan knows that very well. That is why people (including maybe yourself) are regularly getting $6-8k below MSRP and 0% APR for 60 months on the Maxima.

 

I never said that about the current altima vs maxima, the altima has more interior room right now over the Maxima; I was talking about the 02-06 Altima compared to the 02-03 Maxima in that regard

Your absolutely right here, I don't care for the current M, just like the 6th Gen Maxima! The current M is too boxy in my opinion, especially in the rear-end! I love the 2011 M coming out though, so many curves and a much more aggressive body style, Infiniti did a great job with it!

Absolutely agree with you about the precarious position the Maxima's in but a lot of that is due to Nissan's stupidity in trying to market it as a true 4-dr sports sedan with a CVT-FWD set-up and because they have the entire line-up priced way to high!

I can tell you that your definitely not going to get better gas mileage in the G37 than the Maxima; first off, I yet to find a G37 Sedan at my local Infiniti dealer that didn't come with AWD, especially since I live in NJ and RWD in the winter would be suicide; second, the only RWD Infiniti's my dealer has are their loaner cars that come completely stripped! third, I'm getting much better gas mileage in my Max with the CVT then the EPA estimate on the window! (right now, getting 22-23mpg avg, with 28-29 mpg on open highway/interstate) and it keeps getting better the longer I have the car and the CVT learns my driving characterisitics to maximize fuel efficiency!

I'm not sure where you heard 6-8k off msrp but I myself didn't have that or here anyone else getting that kind of money off on here? When I got my 2010 SV, the msrp was I think 37K and I got around 2-3k off of it I believe for around 34k, and this is when the 2010s first came out last summer!

 

Be wary of gas mileage quotes on CVT vehicles. Federal testing procedures do not handle the CVT correctly. Remember, we have had several folks here on the ORG getting 30 MPG, even 32 MPG on long freeway trips. The 7th gen Maxima achieved a higher overall MPG during Consumer reports testing than the RWD G37. The AWD G37 would be worse yet.

CU also gave the price of the G37 as $33K to $44K, while their Maxima range was $30K to $33K. Sounds to me like the G37 costs more. CU also says the interior and trunk on the G37 are small for that class. Also keep in mind that the majority of the general public knows that FWD is safer than RWD, especially if the weather isn't great. Sales figures tell me the Maxima is doing very well compared to every competing vehicle.

I fully expect to continue my 25 1/2 years of owning nothing but Maximas right into the future. The Maxima has been very very good to me for a very long time. Of course that relationship would end if Nissan made the mistake of returning the Maxima to the RWD of the 1st Maxima generation.

 

A few examples taken from another thread in this forum:

 

The CVT is present in many vehicles outside Nissan's lineup, especially in the hybrid vehicles like Prius and Civic Hybrid. Unless a third party like the EPA has some enmity against Nissan, they would treat Nissan's CVT vehicles in the same way it treats Prius' CVT which happens to get 51 mpg. I have driven the 09 Maxima myself and while it did get better mpg than my 07, I never came close to 32mpg.

I have only test driven the G37, so cannot say how realistic its mpg rating is but since both ratings come from a third party, I believe in it. In any case, the mpg rating of Maxima and G37 are very very close inspite of the G37 having 38hp and 8lb-ft torque more.

Check out an equally equipped Maxima and G37 and you will see that the price difference is minimal (of course, before any incentives).

FWD is safer than RWD and AWD is safer than FWD. You get RWD and AWD in G37, and only FWD in Maxima. If safety is your concern, the choice is easy.

 

oh you were talking about buying, I was talking about leasing since I am leasing my Maxima! that would make a huge difference there wouldn't it; if people are buying it probably is certainly possible to get 5-6k off the msrp of a Maxima; a lot though has to do with where you live in the US

I have found, here in central NJ where I live, because of the proximity of NYC and Philadelphia, and the fact that I live in a really high rent area, I have found no dealer around here willing to take that kind of money off on a car whether your buying or leasing! the most I've ever gotten is 4k!

I have heard that people in many areas of the south and midwest getting insane discounts on cars that I've tried to get here in NJ and have only been laughed at, and I'm talking not only Nissan, but Infiniti's, Acura's, Toyota's, and Lexus's!

 

Every thread in the 7th gen section seems to turn into a "CVT" or "Maxima vs. Altima" or "Maxima vs G37" discussion lol

 

Of course the MPG Consumer Reports published was their MEASURED MPG (nothing theoretical), and the Maxima got better fuel efficiency than the G37, although both are close.

You are lucky you can obtain these two at similar prices. That is absolutely not the case with my dealers. My Nissan salesperson always gives me top dollar for my trade-in (rates them as 'certified'). For three Maxima generations, she has always accepted my offer (which was always below invoice) without haggling.

My Infiniti dealer (within walking distance of my Nissan dealer) has never been willing to knock off nearly as much on the price of his precious Infinitis as my Nissan dealer will on his Maximas. And the window stickers of seemingly comprable Gs and Maximas still favor the Maxima. I will give my Infiniti dealer credit for consistency; he has been equally unwilling to deal with every generation of his G. He has never liked me since I corrected him on several features of his G over 10 years ago, and his sales folks act as if they are better than their customers. I don't need that.

AWD is out of the question. Not only does AWD add a significant amount of money to the initial cost (widening the price margin between the G and the Maxima even more); it also reduces fuel efficiency, and definitely increases the chances of mechanical problems. In CU's reliability tables, with vehicles available in AWD and either FRW or RWD, the AWD has the lower MPG and the poorer reliability record.

The G is a very nice car. After all, it is built by Nissan. But I like the Maxima styling better, and, where I live, there is no comparison between those two dealers. I have dealt with my dealer for 15 years, know almost everybody there, and they have always treated me like royalty. This shows in that I see tons of Maximas on the road in this area, but far fewer Infinitis.

 

I never looked at the G in person though I thought it was a real nice ride. As far as AWD goes, I'd agree with light on the MPG part and here in FL, I don't see a real need for the AWD anyway. I would imagine it would be more useful in the snow. This is the first nissan I've ever purchased and obviously the first Nissan dealership I've dealt with. The dealership treated me like I was a long time returning customer, didn't play games with me, sold the car for under invoice and even made a copy of the invoice with my VIN for me to take with me. Though I never looked in person at the G I did some pricing and research on it. More bang for the buck it seemed with the Maximas added options compared to the G. The other difference is the G had a couple more options that didn't really matter to me like illuminated kick plates and such. The only thing I invy is the engine. Other than that, the loaded price I paid for the Max was around the more base version of the G. The name doesn't mean anything to me, to drive and infinity over a Nissan, it was more how I felt about the whole buying experience and value on the dollar. Unless somthing drastic changes, I will make my next purchase for the same dealership

 

I am not sure what you mean by "theoretical" but there has to be a scientific method of measuring mpg that is applicable to all vehicles. A random guy drives a vehicle for some 500 miles and then declares what mpg he got is certainly not that method. We can keep on arguing on the fuel efficiency of G37 vs. Maxima (or any vehicle for that matter) but the fact is, currently there are no better numbers out there than EPA estimates. Period.

I am just like you in that I cannot obtain an equally equipped G37 and Maxima at similar prices. An equally equipped G37 and Maxima are very close in their MSRPs but when you factor in the manufacturer incentives, it makes a big difference. For e.g., Nissan is offering 0% APR for 36 months on the 2010 Altima and G37 but 0% APR for 60 months on the 2010 Maxima. Have you ever wondered why?

The fact is, even though an equally equipped G37 and Maxima have very similar MSRP, their values are very different. A G37 has much more value than an equally equipped Maxima. At the end of the day, the sticker price is merely a number. The price of a vehicle is determined by its real value based on how much consumers want it and at what price (just like stock prices).

More technology = Chances of more problem. So CU is not saying much more than common sense. G37 AWD is rated at 18/25mpg as compared to 19/26mpg of the Maxima -- not much difference there either.

You never put out the numbers for your purchase in this forum, did you? So we never know what kind of deal you got. If you were consistently offering so low that the dealer barely made any profit, your beloved dealer would have done away with you a long time back. Your dealer still does business with you only because they make profit out of you, not because they love or admire you for anything, not even for owning Maximas for 25 1/2 years!

 

Value is completely relative to the needs of the user. The Maxima performs extremely well, having all the power I would ever need. It does 0-60 in around 6.0, while the G can beat that by up to half a second. But I have never run an all-out 0-60 in my life, and never will. Such things do not interest me.

Some things ARE important to me. The Maxima has excellent slalom times, feels very secure in abrupt maneuvers, has a very tight turning circle, has the heated steering wheel my old gnarly hands absolutely require, seemed to me to be roomier than the G, has (for me) extremely comfortable seats, is a very reliable car, has styling I love, and meets my every need.

Why should I be interested in paying more money for a car that 'has more value'? It stands to reason that we usually should get 'more value' if we pay more. I want the best service FOR ME at the best price FOR ME. When factors that concern me are considered, the Maxima has a very clear edge over the G FOR ME.

As to what I paid, I paid right at $5,500 below MSRP, which was below invoice, and probably about $3,000 less than I would have had to pay my Infiniti dealer for a G equipped as I wanted (which is with everything, including navi, individually air conditioned driver's seat, music box, rear camera, etc.

I agree with you the G has a slightly greater value than the Maxima, and because of that, costs slightly more. Sort of the old 'we get what we pay for' thingie. For some folks, the G will also fit the image they wish to convey better than a Maxima. But the extra money for the G would have been a total waste for me, especially since I prefer the Maxima styling and my Maxima dealer.

I weigh tons of personal factors when buying a car. Every person is different, and the 'best car' for my situation may not be the 'best car' for the next person. I think we would find that a general consensus of knowledgable car fans would say the G37 may be at a very slightly higher level than the slightly lesser powered Maxima, has a tad more prestige for those who care about image, and will cost the purchaser an equivalent slightly higher price. Were the G really superior to the Maxima at an equivalent price, we would not be seeing more Maximas than Gs on the road. Simple laws of economics in action.

 

from what i saw it received pretty good comments regardless. as a teacher, that is the worst grammar and spelling I recall ever seeing in an article. Who would take it seriously? He tried too hard to use words he had to look up, while skipping simple ones and making huge grammatical errors. Yet he does seem to give a good deal of compliments at the end.


Now for the future of our Maxima brand, what can we really expect to happen since the Altima has surpassed what the Maxima was know for... the Maxima is at Infiniti level of features and pricing.
It's basically the FWD Infiniti for Nissan to sell primarily in the North East. They have admitted this to me before in emails.

 

What I think myself and others are have been trying to say though is that your getting to hung up on EPA numbers between the two cars and they don't really mean anything! Most people are getting better, and sometimes much better, than the EPA numbers on the sticker are now days!

Despite the fact the EPA numbers on the windows for both the G37 and Maxima look almost the same, as you pointed out, they both have different engines and transmissions (3.7L 328HP 7spd-AT [vs] 3.5L 290HP CVT)!

Because of those differences, I think most people will agree, your going to get better mpg in the Maxima then you are in the G37, and to hell what the epa numbers are saying! I'm getting a 23mpg avg with 29-30mpg open highway/interstate with my Maxima! If you can find someone with the 328HP 7spd-AT getting that kind of mpg please tell me so that I can apologize to you now

I tend to agree with you on this; I have gone back to the original Infiniti dealership where I got my Infiniti from who on two separate occasions give me worse/much higher prices and offers then what my own local Infiniti quoted me who I didn't even do anything with in the past.

This proves only one thing to me and that is brand or dealership loyalty mean absolutely nothing when getting a car, at least not in my area; that is why I pin Infiniti dealers against each other and the same with Nissan dealerships and go where ever I can get them down to the lowest price and best treatment!!

 

There's too much emphasis placed on a hood ornament these days. I "down graded" from an Infiniti coupe and couldn't be happier. Why?

Value.

I could spend a bit more and drive a stubby-fat looking G37, OR I can buy what appeals to my eye and delivers the same creature comforts. For less.

That is called "win".

Cheers.

 

Agreed. I paid cash for my car with no trade in and choose the max because it appealed to me and I felt I got a good deal. To each his own though, I could have been attracted to the M series infinity which is a nice car and if I felt I got a good deal I might have went with that. I also could have been attracted the the Nissan sentra and if I felt I got a good enough deal I might have drove home in that.

Two things, 1) Everyone is attracted to somthing and that thing may be very much unlike the next person or very similar. Everybody is different.
2) The feeling of a good deal goes a long way. I think everyone is guilty of atleast one time in their life making some kind of purchase they didn't ever need or couldn't even use, but didnt pass it up because "Its was a good deal". Like a 3 gallon jug of milk for one person because it was only 25 cents. You know your not gonna use it all but hey, what a deal.... That might be a little extreme but you get my point, a good deal goes a long way. I'm not bashing the G, ( like the reviewer in the artical did to the maxima, which is what this thread is about.... Yea! I managed to tie the original meaning of this post into what it has spawed into, the max vs. G in the battle of value and MPG) I think the G is a very nice car but I love my max and love the deal I got.

Cheers