I bought my 2010 Maxima Premium new in 2010. Last week I flew to the West Coast (I live on the East) and rented a new Cadillac ATS with the Turbo 4 cylinder. I won't attempt to write a review but I'll make a few bullet points on my thoughts between the cars.

Chassis: The Cadillac has a much much stiffer structure with fewer rattles and noticeably less body flex. Car and Drive says its = or better than the BMW 3 series. But I still prefer the BMW 3 over the cadillac and think its a superior vehicle.

Motor: The cadillac has NO TORQUE below 20 mph... I cannot stress how strange it is to sit in a car and floor the gas and it feel like you're just idling until about 15 mph before it starts to accelerate at all... The Cadillac has a super narrow power band, at the peak of its power it doesn't feel as powerful as the Maxima and anywhere below the peak power its downright slow. This was especially surprising considering peak torque is equal to our 3.5 v6. This was really a lesson in how the power / torque curve means so much more than peak numbers.

Handling: It handles amazingly well, driving twisting mountain roads on the way to Yosemite and throughout California and Nevada it was a blast! Stomping the gas at the apex of a corner results in 0 wheel spin. This was less of an accomplishment of the chassis and suspension but in my opinion was this weak engine with really good tires. The Maxima is more exciting and rewarding to drive I believe. The Cadillac with a big V-6 may be a different story but with the weak engine and turbo lag the maxima is much more rewarding and challenging to drive fast around the twisties.

Transmission: I'll prerequisite this section by stating that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the CVT in our Maxima! The 6spd auto in the Cadillac was a very smooth and crisp shifting tranny, not bad by any means. When in sport mode and driving aggressively it will hold gears and blip the throttle on downshifts and was very impressive. However, in day to day driving when you are cruising at a steady speed and punch the throttle, the delay while waiting for it to downshift 2 or 3 gears felt ludicrously long when compared the near instantaneous response in our cars.

Steering: The caddy has electrically assisted power steering and in a sporting driving scenario, it was terrible. The steering wheel transmits 0 information about the tires or road. While this is pleasant while cruising down the road knocking down miles, it was very disturbing to not be able to tell how close the front tires were to giving up their grip. I was trying to go around a corner as quick as possible and I felt like I had good grip and next thing I knew the car was understeering straight towards the outside railing. In a car with proper steering feel I would have felt the front tires starting to scrub and give up long before the car reached this point. This car is simply too insulated from road feel to be considered a sports sedan.

Brakes: The Cadillac with the turbo and v6 include upgraded brembo brakes and these were the single best feature of the car. I have never felt such a firm, linear brake pedal. The first day after I returned home I scheduled an appointment at a local shop to get upgraded brakes on my Max.

CUE: Cadillacs new touch control interface for nearly everything in the car was difficult to use and over complicated and personally I am ANIT touch screen in cars, give me physical buttons AKA tactical user interface.

Trunk / Space: TINY when driving to the airport in my max i had 4 pieces of luggage in my trunk and 2 in the back seat. No more than 2 pieces of my luggage would fit in the caddy's trunk. 1 large piece and 1 small piece, or just 2 small pieces.


This is longer than I intended but I still left plenty out. Just wanted to give my thoughts on this good little car.

In summary I'll just say I would NEVER trade my car for this cadillac. I think the cadillac is a good little sporty car but the Maxima is superior in nearly every way!

 

Thanks man, I enjoy these little comparisons people will post sometimes after experiencing a car in a similar category as our Maximas.
I'm with you--a fan of the CVT. I understand why some people aren't, but often after driving a normal auto transmission I remember the things I really should appreciate about a CVT.
I've wondered about what is better between these turbo 4 cylinders versus NA 6 cylinders. The numbers are often very similar, and I always figured that higher displacement without forcing induction is best, but I've never really played around with a car with a turbo to know for sure.
Thanks for the review man.

 

I expected the Cadillac to feel equal to our cars with such similar torque / power numbers but our car feels and IS way more responsive, quicker, and more powerful. In the 2 days ive been home I have found myself speeding excessively on accident without ever intending any type of acceleration... The Cadillac with no low end torque, you NEVER accidentally accelerate. I truly appreciate my car so much more than I did before spending a week / 1500 miles in the ATS.

Glad you enjoyed my little write up!

 

I enjoyed it as well. Sometimes driving other cars makes you appreciate yours more.

I'm totally with you on having tactile feel when driving a vehicle. I like being able to adjust basic functions without taking my eyes off of the road. Good old fashioned *****, switches, or buttons are good enough for me.

 

I've driven the 4 cyl, 2.0 turbo, and 3.6 6 cyl and they all handle well but anything below the six is garbage as far as acceleration goes. That 3.6 though can fly, it's got alot of power for such a small car.

 

Nice comparo, ZMan. I thought the CTS was a better matchup for the Max than the ATS. The CTS-V is actually on my list as a replacement for my 7th gen if I don't like the 8th gen due out in '15.

 

To get low end torque nothing beat engine displacement. In reference to electric steering most manufacturers like Toyota miss on the steering feedback. The only exception that I found is the BMW electric steering in my 2012 5 series with the sport package that even allows me to adjust the steering. However, the BMW cost as much as 2 Maxima's

 

I hear you on that.

I decided that I wanted AWD...so I test drove a G37x this past weekend. I was underwhelmed. I really expected to be blown away by the g37 as it's got 10% more HP than my Maxima. If the transmission isn't giving that power to the wheels...what does it matter.

I've discovered that I really love my CVT. It seems to be much faster to respond to me than the auto in the G37. One time, I revved up the G37 for a second and took my foot off the gas...it sorta did nothing. By the time it realized I wanted to go, it started to downshift...but then, I stopped giving it gas...so it revved up, and then back down as it upshifted...but hardly any power was given to the wheels.

In my Maxima, it would have started to pull hard for that 1 second rather than thinking about what to do.

I am sure in a standard environment where myself as the driver wasn't wishy-washy on what I wanted...the G37 would perform remarkably. Starting from a stop, or any other standard driving...I bet it's pretty sweet...I just really wanted to be blown away by the test drive so that it would be an easier decision for me to make.

Sadly, it wasn't so. I need a test drive longer than like 4 miles before I buy a car that I'll own for the next 6 years. Where can I rent a G37? Hmmmmm

 

I'd like to read similar reviews/comments on the Maxima vs the 3.6 CTS.

 

A friend of mine was going to get one but decided on the new Lexus GS. I'll get to check it out next month when I go down to FL.