Tennesseeart

This is my first Maxima. I bought a new 2012 S. As a past 13 year Nissan employee at Smyrna, I drove hundreds of Altimas, Sentras and "Big Foots" in my secondary role as a Quality Control checker. You see, admin plant employees used to have to spend three eight hour shifts every ninety days driving new Nissans off final and running them through a static check for defects in workmanship and electronics and then a test drive over a special track. So over the years I had the opportunity to drive all except the Max, since then the Max was only made in Japan.


I finally realized, after driving my new Max for 45 days, that the Max is a different breed entirely. I finally realized you need to drive her differently than an Altima or an Avalon for that matter and certainly differently than a Charger or a Caddie.


First, I finally realized you don't sit in a Max like you do an Altima or Sentra. Instead of upright seating you sit in a lower, semi-inclined position with your legs almost fully extend with only a slight bend like you are poised on a basketball court with your knees slightly bent ready to go any direction necessary and quickly, like you do in a Max. You set the steering wheel as low as possible but stopping when you have a full view of the entire instrument cluster, nothing covered in that cluster with the top of the wheel outlining the top of the cluster. Extend the wheel to the point you have the cluster perfectly outlined AND your arms are only slightly bent to reach the expanded hand grips on the wheel at the 10 and 2 o'clock position and you are comfortable doing so.

I also finally realized you never leave the 10 and 2 o'clock position and nor do you need to unless you are doing a slow tight turn into a driveway. 10 and 2 are majic positions on the Max because she handles best in all situations when you FIRMLY KEEP a grip her wheel exactly at her expanded grips at those positions. Apparently they (the grips) are not for looks, she actually needs to be handled 99 percent from those positions. No cruising with one hand on the bottom of the wheel like you're driving a chevy around an old Shoney's drive-in on a Friday night. No way, always 10 and 2 at the grips and with a decently firm grip. Remember. She likes a FIRM grip. It actually is comfortable to hold the wheel there after you get used to it and then you realize she is suddenly following your thoughts when you will her into turns.

So, apparently there IS a sports care there after all and she is not a reskinned V6 Altima after all...nice.

STARR

iTrader: (1)

you make me grin from ear to ear when you describe the driving experience

mightyMax95

iTrader: (5)

i wonder if this was key in designing all Maximas. the driving position/style is exactly for me, in my 95's, as you described for your 7th gen. minus the whole 10 and 2 bit but you get the point, haha.

i've driven some cheap, comfy, "american" cars as well as some of the more-expensive sport/luxury foreign vehicles, and nothing drives like a Maxima. it's just in a league of it's own.

dr_2010SV

I have owned my 2010 for over two years now and I'm still learning little things about driving this car.

09Maxima_Sam

The 7th Gen Max has always been made in the Tennessee plant. I was there a few years ago for a tour of the facility.

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

Same with me and my 99. Driving it is way different positioning than my previous car (97 GrandAm), or my wife's current car (97 Outback). Much more comfrotable, too might I add.


yeah, OP did a great job describing the "driving experience"...

Tennesseeart

To be clear, I meant to say "back then the Max was only made in Japan and not in Smyrna. I left Smyrna in 1997 to pursue other interests. Thanks. When I started in 1981 we only made the truck and then we had the Sentra after proving ourselves with the truck and then the Altima came off the line and with the Altima we started driving each Altima, 100 percent of the production, a few years to make sure it was perfect. Nissan and the Smryna plant had a lot on the line with the Altima and it had to be perfect.

tigersharkdude

iTrader: (20)

Our 6th gen was made in TN so was the 7th gen too, I worked at the Smyrna plant for about a year during the 6th-7th gen transition.

Tennesseeart

I'm sure I'll be the same.

BTW, nice ride. Clean. I like that grill.

Tennesseeart

After my time. You should have been there during the big Pathfinder engine debacle. "We" had repurchased pathfinders sitting around all over Smyrna in any available empty field while the engines were replaced. For those who don't know, on year the new V6 pathfinder engine had out of round cylinders and would last a few days after purchase before making one hell of a noise as the rings scored the new engine cylinders. Nissan bought those already sold back and replaced the engines and then resold them as used. It was a mess. That took awhile because there were thousands and they sacked up around Smryna for awhile until they could get new engines in them.

Don't even ask me about the early 90's when sales were off bad and new Sentras were stacked around Smryna all over the place.

silberma

Lets not get carried away here. The Maxima is the best value for the money. A BMW 535i with twin turbos and the sport package blow it away in handling, comfort and acceleration. However, you can buy two Maximas for the price of one BMW or 4 Maximas for the price of a Porsche 911.

Ghozt

and you're just talking purchase price. on repair costs BMW will blow your wallet away lol

dr_2010SV

Thanks Tennesseart, as the saying often goes It's looks much better in person. I'm gonna have to get her out someplace and take some "good shots" one of these days.

Car Addict

Another thing I noticed is that you can reduce oversteer slightly by accelerating into turns to take the weight off the front end.

mightyMax95

iTrader: (5)

irrelevant. it's not that the Max handles the best, or rides the best, accelerates the fastest... it's about the feel of the thing. sure a bimmer will blow it away on paper, and maybe it's fun to drive, but you get the sense it's a tool or a machine where as with a Maxima, you're part of the excitement.

silberma

You are still carried away with the Maxima. I agree it is the best value for the money, however, having driven my son's 535i sport model for a few months I can attest that the BMW blows it away in real life driving. Perhaps you need a test drive in one to convince yourself the the Maxima is not the holy grail.

PS I would not buy a BMW for a few reasons such as too expensive, costs much to insure, run flat tires, soft rims prone to damage, less reliable than the average car. However, with money being no objec it is still superior to the Maxima

Ghozt

with money being no object there are lots of cars superior to the Maxima. this comparison is irrelevant...

Tennesseeart

If that means you can straighten the curve out easier by adding power whle entering the curve, I can say that I did find that out also. Until now, I thought that only worked for rear drive cars but clearly not. Either that or the Max simply can take the curve well with or without power.

I do know this for sure, the rear suspension stays glued down even when taking a curve at speed and then hitting some bump, like when the overpass on a curve is an inch higher than the asphalt. I hit one today in Nashville on a curve at about 70+ and was expecting it to jump and lose contact with the pavement and slide out but both rear wheels stayed glued down like nothing happened. I was frankly amazed. One my say the independent suspension does this on any car but I took that same curve in a mitsubishi front wheel drive with a decent independent rear end and when I hit that ramp the rear end jumped up and slid at least half a foot.

Perhaps this is the "maxima-ness" the engineers discussed as needing to be kept when designing the 7th gen. I do know this for sure, it was like there was no break in the pavement when the Max hit it, she never moved from the track I had her on. It was like she was on rails, to use a cliche.

Timmy

Bro Im 100% with you on this except for the holding the wheel with two hands haha. I thought I was the only one that drives that way but I guess not

TRUMPETGEEK

Well, I'm new to the MAXIMA ride guys but.......... no matter how I position my seat, I can never drive with two hands on the wheel.. NEVER!

carsnwomen91

cause one hand driving is g status

My2010FoUrDsC

I'm new also to the maxima and I sometimes drive with both hands.. Only bc of the bolsters in the steering wheel at 10 & 2 lol.. I love it though.