I recently turned in my leased 2009 Maxima and got a 2012 model which claims an increase of 35 hp. However, from a standing start, my 2009 would have smoked my new 2012, and the CVT tranny is nowhere near as smooth as the 2009. I'm using the same 19" low profile rims/tires so technically the 2012 should smoke the 2009. It seems that high torque doesn't kick in on the '12 until around 3-4K revs, whereas the 2009 would burn rubber from a standing start. I never timed my '09 0-60 so I don't have numbers to compare, but I do know I can't burn rubber with my 2012, and I don't dare pull out into traffic with the confidence I had with the '09. Anyone else have the same experience? Anyone know why the 2012 sucks?

the 09 didn't have the cvt software upgrade.

A) How many miles are on the 2012?
B) There was no power increase with the 2012 model. Power has remained the same at 290 since 2009.

The reason I ask about the mileage is that my 2011 SV Sport with 250 miles on it when I picked her up felt sluggish for a while. The motor and trans need time to break in so that all the moving parts seat in the right position.

2009-2012 have the same horsepower (290)

The 2012 comes with 325hp, who told you that

The '09 and '12 Maximas have the same engine, same horsepower, same torque, same weight, same wheels, same tires, same CVT. We should expect the same performance.

There may have been some adjustment of the CVT programming, but Nissan did not mention any such change. I do know the Maxima's CVT programming is designed to gradually adjust to the driving style and habits of the driver.

Maybe your mistaken misunderstanding that the '12 had more horsepower misled you to anticipate better performance. But once the CVT software has reprogrammed itself to your driving habits, the '12 should perform exactly the same as the '09.

The only time my '09 will 'burn rubber' from a standing start is if there is a light smattering of sand or debris on the road that prevents the tires from getting a full grip. This is a near-luxury, fairly heavy (3600 lbs) passenger sedan.

No way does Nissan add 35 HP to this car. That might 'burn rubber', but 'burning rubber' does nothing to improve the performance or fuel efficiency of a FWD family sedan. This car already has more power than I would ever need, yet gives very good fuel efficiency and acceleration for its weight and power (near 30 MPG on freeway trips, zero to 60 times around six seconds).

This Maxima is the perfect car for me, and I feel fortunate to have a car that is so much fun to drive, yet so practical at the same time.

All I know is that my 2011 burns rubber way to easy the torque and HP in my max ain't no joke I hear people complaining its sluggish NOT MINE!! I had 3 of my friends in the car with a systems that probably weighs over 300lbs and let me tell u I floored it and my max screams and takes off like a beast idk maybe mine is tuned different from the factory and no bully dog or ecu upgrade I waited over 5000 miles before I even stepped on that pedal I babied her for a while until she was ready to be floored.. I heard if u beat on ur car during the break in period it will decrease the performance of ur car... I believe it cause I used to have a Titan and mine way more ***** then my friends Titan because I didn't beat on it during its break in period or drive for To long?

LOL no wonder cause last week I drove it like a grandma LOL and when I felt like punching it today it wouldn't go LOL I was like WTF and I noticed the acceleration is a lot more heavy and feels like a slug.

I have on occasions thought my car to be heavy, compared to my v6 rav4 which seems to have a lighter pedal. I know my car can go, if I choose to go hard but only because I am watching the 21/31 I choose not to.

I have have surprised the tires a few times, though it could be the [crappy] RS.

+1

Elevation and air temp can have a big impact on engine power as well.

I'm wondering if an increased weight load (4 occupants) puts more downwards pressure on the tires and give them more grip compared to just a single occupant.

Exactly and VQ's 30/35/37 definately suffer from heat soak.

I can confirm both these statements first hand. Above 4,000ft, this motor definitely loses some grunt (hard runs on the Cherohala Skyway)

This motor does heatsoak like a Sumb!tch. Both times I've been to the track, after 3 passes I had to pop the hood and let her cool down. God help the person who tries to run this car hard in 90* temps and at higher elevations

Where did u find this bit of info. i just looked at the nissanusa website and NO where does it say anything about 325 hp.

The guy was obviously mis-informed

He probably made the common mistake of talking with a car salesman on the lot where he bought the car.

I do all my research by reading every line about the exact specs and accessories for this car on the Nissan site. I also read every mag review of this car I can find. Then I check the dealer inventory of the two lots my dealers has. Nissan puts the cars in the dealer's inventory as they leave the factory, so that gives me a few days advance notice of each car's arrival.

I often sneak onto my dealer's storage lots (where the new cars sit until he preps then for display). When I find that the exact car I am looking for has arrived from the factory, I rush home and fire off an offer I prepared previously to Lisa, the dealer's Internet Manager, from whom I have bought every one of my Maximas for the last 16 years.

She knows me well, knows I tend to be rather firm with my proposed price, knows my trade-in will be a low-mileage cream puff in perfect condition (that same dealer does all suggested maintenance on my cars, including the premium 30K schedule I just had done for $700.00), knows I will be paying full price in cash up front, and knows I have referred several customers to her.

She also remembers that the one time she tried to negotiate the price up, I drove off, then returned with my wife next day. My wife easily extracts blood from a turnip. Lisa does not want to go through that again.

I then take my trade-in to Lisa, she checks it out. Then we go for a check-out ride in the new Maxima, during which she fills up the gas tank. We chat awhile, catching up on things. I enjoy talking with her. Then we return to the dealer lot, sign all the paperwork (which she has ready before I even arrive) and I drive off into the sunset. I make her work easy, and she makes my purchase easy. She is one reason I continue to be a very happy Maxima owner.

And she never tells me this is a 325 HP car.

Would be nice if these salesmen were actual car enthusiasts and not just there for a check.

Omg, I dunno wanna mention the last time I ran the Z after a couple of runs.......

Damn that sucks.

You must mean 08 Maxima. Revised at 255hp after standards change.

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This is why I try to only buy new cars

i have a 2011 and this is one of the fastest 4 door cars i've had.. i traded a 2006 supercharged grand prix (260hp/280tq) which was not slow and this car romps it.. as a matter of fact my max is just as fast as my 305hp/330tq 1996 trans am ws6 (with full exhaust) that i just sold... i felt i had no need to keep a 16+ year old v8 when my new comfy 4door was just as fast....

unless you got a 2012 lemon i think it is all in your head.... these are not the fastest cars but i know they are not even close to the slowest.

Thanks to the CVT

It's odd how the 370Z's seem to have this issue even more than the 350's with the rev-up 3.5 motor. The 3.7's have always had issues with just normal engine cooling and serious problems with high oil temps when running the car hard, especially in lower gears.

This is true. Yesterday here it was 107 here in DFW....ughhh I drove the Z to work and midway through my commute it felt much more guttless when I punched it to get on the freeway, later that eve I drove the Max to Nordstrom. After a while it felt guttless to, Vq's just hate heat.

I know these motors have pretty tight tolerances when it comes to how the motor is built. A really easy solution Nissan could do is to allow an extra 1-2 quarts of oil in the pan to circulate through the motor to help it run cooler. That, or put a 19 row dedicated oil cooler on the damn thing

Our motors take what... 4.8 quarts? To put this in perspective, the new 5.0 Mustangs take EIGHT quarts! Sure, its 1.5 liters more displacement and two extra cylinders, but that motor runs so much cooler because of how much fresh oil gets circulated through there.

Right and I agree with that, that would make a difference. Funny I just read an article that R/t did in Oct of 09 of the Z against the Cayman and said what we been talking about.... "An observation we made over the week was the VQ's sensitivity to temperature. Engines prefer cool weather, but the VQ absolutely detests hot days. During the track day, we had to pit after about four laps in each session."

Hahaha, 'nuff said! It took Nissan what, 4 years to put a factory oil cooler in the 2013 370? Sometimes you gotta wonder what the eff the engineers were thinking after so many years, people were complaining about this kind of issue