Finally a new test of the Max SV, article says it has the 19's pic shows the 18's so I don't know if it truely was a sport that they tested. The 4 mph 1/4 difference in this vs the 3.5 Alti is more than what I have seen also....That new CVT must really help it on the top end.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...sv_first_test/

 

I don't get why its still called a 4DSC when you got this:

" On canyon roads, the Maxima feels heavier than its 3528 pounds would suggest. "

Heavy and 4DSC don't go well together.

 

The harder you push the better it gets.

 

It's not a sport, no paddle shifters and the 13 sport package has the gunmetal 19s and cooled driver seat. I would imagine they have an SV with the tech and value packages (Bose and Cold).

 

Yet again we see what is supposedly a 'major' car mag comparing a Maxima designed in 2006, and which is virtually unchanged since its June 2008 release, with a brand new generation completely redesigned Altima. Worse, these cars are in two different classes/categories of vehicle. The only fair comparison would be between Maxima and Altima generations of similar age, and even that is crossing vehicle categories (near-luxury and mid-class).

When the 2015 8th gen Maxima arrives in spring of 2014, the mags will not be comparing it to the older design Altima. That would not fit their agenda of denigrating the Maxima. Sometimes I think folks go to work for the car mags only if they are totally incapable of the logicical thinking necessary to hold down a real job.

 

True True, for the past 11 years the big 3 car mags have not really seemed to care for the Max all that much and very rarely do they test or have it in comparisons unlike some cars that are in the every other month..... They over look it quite a bit since the G sedan appeared in the Spring of 02, sad but true. Alot of guys posting in that thread seem know about the Max and its cult following that it has had since the 2nd gen no matter what they do to it.

 

Thats the baffling this as only the SV sport comes with what they quoted it had.... "245/40/19 Goodyear Eagle RS-A all-seasons"

 

After 35k miles of ownership over the past nearly 3 years I have to agree 100% with this article. I have made numerous posts in this forum regarding the cars feeling of instability, which this article has printed very clearly. I also agree with their assessment of the car being happier when it's being pushed towards its limits. However, I do not understand them saying there is no steering feel? My steering wheel gives me very good feedback in regards to road conditions and what the front wheels are doing...

However I cannot imagine more than 2% of people who consider buying a Maxima would also seriously consider buying a Dodge Charger... I mean really? I don't think there's any logical comparison between these two cars other than on price point.

If I could go back in time I almost certainly would have skipped buying my 2010 SV Premium driven my beater another year or two and purchased a 3 series. But again I don't really see the two cars being comparable in any way. If you build a 3 series with the features on my Maxima you will be paying over 50k. I walked out of the Nissan dealership having negotiated a price of $34k.

This article was most likely written separately from the photo shoot. And whoever was in charge of sourcing pictures to go with the article just didn't get the right car.

If Nissan didn't brand the car as a 4DSC it would receive much more favorable reviews. If they just presented it as a family car with a higher level of driver involvement it would be treated much better in reviews.

 

I cannot comment on Maximas from prior years as this is my first Nissan, but when you're already traveling 70 mph and you mash the skinny pedal, it does pick up and go rather quickly.

X2... Looks nothing like my '13.

 

They compare the maxima to BMW 328 and charger on the 35 to 40K bracket. They don't mention the 27 to 29k bargain with the rebate for the S. I would take it anyday over a loaded Altima or Hyundai Azera. More bang for buck! And yes.... sportiness.

 

Agreed. The 4DSC moniker (and sticker) is just dying to be ripped to shreds by the naysayers. It's a target, not a label. I think Nissan did themselves a big dis-service by pushing it through the generations. Especially since they are really approaching the ceiling (if they haven't hit it already) wrt power. Unless something drastic changes with the drivetrain the 4DSC term is really going to become laughable, even for the diehards (myself included).

Sporty - yes, the Maxima is and will likely always be sporty. But if the switch from the 6th Gen to 7th Gen taught us anything, it's that the Maxima is trending towards more luxury and less sport.

 

I rarely agree with auto mag reviews. They usually seem biased with certain brands or models and they often compare cars that shouldn't even be used in the same sentence.

 

That's what she said.

I think that's a fair article for some basic testing on a stock model. Every car has it quirks that you need to learn how to deal with, change up, or live with and enjoy. I've noticed the instability issues a few times (a sensation as if the tail end is shifting sideways after a bump), but this seems to be less noticeable depending on tire pressure, road conditions, and suspension (since dropping on eibachs, the car feels much more stable and responsive). The car does seem to want to be pushed harder as well, and performs surprisingly well when it does.

One of my main irks was turn radius. Just wasn't as sharp as my 98 Camry. I also wish the gauges were catchier, more dynamic but that's not really an issue. Note that I'm not comparing it to a Camry, but simply stating feeling and preference as a driver.

Then there's weight. The car is heavy. I do notice the heavy shift. Again, this has decreased since installing the eibach pro kit. If there's any mods to consider in the future, it's this. I'd say this is the main reason Motor Trend was seeing similar/close numbers across the board when comparing the max to it's little sister altima.

Sheesh, now I wanna tear my passenger seats out =)

 

This exactly!

 

This statement surprised me a little. Nissan tightened the turning radius by FOUR FEET between the 6th and 7th gen Maximas. My 6th gen left me sticking out on the roadway many times because of its very wide turning radius, but I feel like I can do a 'uie' anywhere with my 7th gen.

 

The commets to the Motor Trend article seems to indicate that those that criticized the car do not own or drive the Maxima. A few points to ponder:
1. The car is heavily discounted so don't knock the $40K price tag if you can buy it for under $35K
2. The CVT is a great transmission. Even the Honda Accord with the 4 cylider engine has it.
3. The 26 highway MPG is understated, I consistently get 29MPG for highway driving.
4. The car is reliable, rides and handles well and is a good buy for $35K. I drove the other cars mentioned in the comments in the 2012 model series and did not care for them. The Avalon rides like a boat, The 328 BMW is rear wheel drive which is a non started for snow and is cramped. The Camry steering feedback is improved but still very poor. The Honda Accord is noisier with poor seats. The Altima ride and handling do not come close to the Maxima.
5. The car has ample power and 0-60 MPH are menaingless unless you are on the race track.
The proof of the pudding is that the car sells becuase it is a great value.

 

The wheelbase was shortened a bit from the 6th to 7th gen so I don't doubt that. When I drove a friend's 6th gen, it certainly felt more luxurious than "sporty," much more boaty and yeah, u turns were pretty bad on that thing. The 7th gen does feel tighter, but driving my usual routes, I notice on one u turn in particular, my 7th gen gets so much closer to the curb at the end of the uie.

Here's that said turn. Note the car turning left. That's a frequently used u turn here.

 

oh when oh when are they going to get away from those ugly interior display colors? we live in color...why not make them exciting?

 

I really hate when ppl say this car is heavy... lol shows how much they actually really know...

Maxima SV - 3579 lbs.
TL FWD - 3741 lbs.
Taurus FWD - 4015 lbs.
Avalon Limited - 3616 lbs.

The list goes on... from a V6 Accord to a 300. In its segment its the lightest car if not its in the top 3 for sure whether its barebone or fully loaded.

Only because the car tends to lean on a curve doesnt indicate its heavy, just the suspension wasn't designed to be stiff even on the sport pkg, its a family sedan not a Porsche Panarema.

 

I started to go there, but didn't... glad someone did. lol

 

That's why its blasphemy for it to be still called 4DSC

 

No doubts about that; fair enough, for its class.

But Motortrend was comparing speed test results with the new Altima 3.5 SV, at 3323 lbs. Weight is always a factor in race times and you'd best believe that 256lb difference is a big factor in the article's arguemnts. Both cars display similar power to weight ratios @ 12.3lbs/hp (or inversely 0.081hp/lbs). Imagine if the Maxima was the same weight as the Altima; that 256lbs would likely shave off a few more points of a second to maybe a full second from the times reported in the article.

We shouldn't argue the car is too heavy for a sports car. And keep in mind, the 370z has benefited greatly from weight reduction. The Nismo 370z is a whopping 3340lbs (of course, at 350hp).

All I'm saying is, yes, the Max is a heavy car. It's gained a couple hundred pounds over the years (likely due to safety requirements and extra bells and whistles, so on, so forth). It could benefit from weight reduction methods.

And shoot. Am I the only one that thinks the 4DSC idea is pretty cool? I want some of those stickers

Just honoring the great Michael Scott and that gift of a line he left us. Heh.

 

No, the Maxima is not a 4DSC. But after reading these recent posts, it dawned on me why my Maxima actually drives a little more like a 4DSC than some here. I carry 37 psi in front, and 35 psi in the rear, and my Maxima turns corners flat and quickly. Sort of like a go-cart. Yes, it rides a little firmer, but then a firm ride is usually a 4DSC trait.

I just thought of another reason the Altima is not an option for me. Back when I passed the mid-seventies in age, I lost most of the circulation in my hands, and so I cannot drive a car the cooler half of the year unless it has a heated steering wheel option. My 6th and 7th generation Maximas had that option. My dealer tells me the Altima does not. I haven't found a heated steering wheel mentioned on the Nissan Altima site either.

No matter what doubters may say, when equivalent generations are compared, the Maxima is clearly at a level above the Altima. I would word this difference as 'limited production, near-luxury aggressively-styled sporty family sedan' (Maxima) to 'very popular, competent, mid-price run-of-the-mill-styled family sedan' (Altima).

I am already expecting the same 'Altima beats Maxima' threads when the next generation Altima arrives a year or two before the 9th generation Maxima. Some things never change.

 

I always take the heaviness statements as a commentary directed at manufacturers and engineers who have disregarded the weight of a car during the design process. The Maxima may be light compared to similar cars but its still a porker.

Over the next couple of generations we should see vehicle weights fall significantly while chassis stiffness/rigidity climbs significantly. These are very good things.





Personally I love the stickers and when comparing this car to other 4door fwd family sedans then yes it is a 4DSC. But when comparing it to a M5 then no it's a bloated whale.

 

It's like comparing a C class to an E class, or a 3 series to a 5 series, or a Camry to an Avalon so on and so on... Its retarded period.

Yes the car gain weight as the years went by just like every other car out there has done before everyone started using newer tech and different methods.

 

I had some made because I couldn't find any.

 

My E-class Mercedes did not have a heated steering wheel, so I have been happy these past few weeks. So I agree with Light.

But that was a W210 E-class, so times may have changed.

The car is peppy as all heck in this cold weather. Interesting comparing a 275hp/300lb tq V8 sedan with the Max. The Max is much more fun to press the pedal.