Maximam

Here are my observations.

*No chance in making 29 mpg at anything over 70 mph. Hwy 15 has a 80 mph speed limit and the majority of the rest was 75 mph. When traveling a long distance in a short time you are not interested in squeezing out every MPG. Averaged 25 mpg.

*Seats, not great but not disappointing. Could be better.

*The suspension needs work. This is something I have always noticed. The car loves to bump steer, irregularities in the road upset this car like no other car I have owned.

*Factory Goodyears are worse in the rain than the snow! Major hydroplaning on the way back. It was so bad I could not keep the cruise control on as it would turn off when it sensed slip.

*Model "S" headlights are a safety hazard. Driving through mountain canyons at night with the factory "S" headlight is dreadful! It bothers me safety is an "option" when buying a vehicle.

*Dropping from 5280 ft elevation to 93 ft in California made me realize how much power I have lacked in Denver. This makes me want a turbo car in Denver to eliminate some of the thin air. 3% per 1,000 ft loss but it sure felt like more than 15% a gain in Cali.

*Tranny. I am one of the haters of the CVT. During long climbs to a summit the air vents will emit a burning smell. I thought it was a truck in front of me so I stuck my head out the window and smelled nothing but fresh mountain air. I then stuck my nose in the air vent (on fresh air) and smelled a burning smell. This was not the first time. When I pushed my first 2.5 '13 Altima I had the same problem. The dealer bought back that car because of that and many other issues. The second 2.5 '13 Altima had the same issue. I thought I was safe then buying the Maxima since it did not have the "newly" designed CVT. Nope! Burning smell on all three CVT cars I have owned!

On the plus side:

*Wind noise was minimal.

Daaavid

"Model S headlights" as in the halogens or non-HID, correct? I have an S, albeit with the Limited Edition package, so I get some extra goodies that includes xenon (HID) headlights. The HIDs are obviously a definite improvement over the halogens, but the lack of a hot spot took a little getting used to as my old vehicle used halogen reflectors. Overall, it was a play in my eyes since I was so accustomed to seeing the center of the road lit (foreground) compared to my now HID projectors evenly lighting the road with a lot more width and defined cutoff. I also did a H9 retrofit onto a H11 on my old vehicle, and that made it more predominant. I have not driven a Maxima with the halogen projectors, but a quality HID kit will improve your situation if that is your case. The only downside is that our projectors do not have the auto-leveling system (vertically and horizontally).

As for the bump steer situation, I have noticed that, too. The roads down here in Houston are as bipolar as the weather. You can have the smoothest tarmac, and then in a couple hundred feet have dips and potholes in the road. I usually drive with two hands on the wheel, but the car will immediately straighten itself out even with one hand. I've gotten used to it, especially after driving a truck that would react similarly over bumps, so it was not surprising. In no way does the Maxima handle like a truck, at least not like a Nissan Frontier. It does, however, out-handle the floaty suspension of my '09 Buick.

I only have 750 miles on my car, so these issues are kind of making me paranoid considering this is the last year for the 7th generation Maxima. I will be paying attention to it, but it was also another reason why I bought new. So I can take advantage of the warranty. But new car woes are something someone never wants to deal with.