Chris Alexander

I'm anxious to see what is going to come out of this because the Murano hasn't been out but for a second and already having a few issues.

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/04/28/2...duction-video/

wtgkb8

Autoblog has been the only online long term reviewer to have this many issues to my knowledge. Check out Edmunds.com long term review of the Murano and you'll see a different story. I also own a new 2015 Murano and none of these issues are present. In fact...the build quality is incredible compared to the 2012 Maxima SV I traded...and it had only 30k mi.

R1600Turbo

I think I heard somewhere that Nissan is taking care of this.

lightonthehill

Actually, this review is very good. He emphasizes that this is not a true 4DSC, but we already knew that. It is a very near luxury family sedan with a sporty leaning. Other than pointing out that this was not a 4DSC, he praised almost every facet of this car, especially the interior. I was very happy to see so many positives mentioned in one review.

Chris Alexander

With those sleek fenders I can almost Guarantee Ricky Perry is gonna be first to buy one and use it to help promote his bid for president.

lightonthehill

Now that is an angle that had never occurred to me. His will have the puddle lights and panoramic roof, so he can avoid stepping in anything, and can rise through the roof and wave. He will need a set of longhorns as a hood ornament.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Lol, lol at you and Chris!

Chris Alexander

We'll see how durable those seats are when he's next to buy a 8th gen after Rick Perry

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...uring-meetings

Von Miller Reveals Broncos Fine Him for Passing Gas During Meetings

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

What?

You made me go back and re-read the AutoBlog review. Buddy, we must be reading two totally different reviews, because I completely stand by what I said. It was tepid and disappointing. If someone were excited about getting an 8th Gen, but then read that review, pretty sure they'd have serious second thoughts. I think maybe you've convinced yourself you want something so badly that there's no way you could be disappointed. And given your 30 years history of buying new gen Maximas, I suspect that's a familiar psychology. (No offense. Honest.)

As for Rick Perry.... LOLOLOLOLOL! Not in a million years. How someone with two outstanding felony indictments hanging over their head could possibly make a second run for it after crashing and burning so badly three years ago... SMH.

lightonthehill

WE agree on Perry. He will be gone after the first few primarys.

We may have to disagree on the review. Some quotes:

'The interior is easily the best in its class'

'The sculptured broad shouldered exterior has the muscles of Nissan's sports cars, the GT-R and the 370Z, but it exceeds both of those in outright attractiveness'

'Generous spread of oomph throughout the rev range. Midrange grunt is particularly potent'

The CVT - 'Its behavior is unobtrusive and relaxed, lacking any of the histrionics that have typified CVTs for so long'

'The coefficient-of-drag drops from .34 to .29'

'best in class fuel economy'

'better power-to-weight ratio than BMW 328i and V6 Acura TLX'

'Maxima drivers will now be enjoying a significantly more refined drive'

'The SR is comfortable and composed with a relaxed smooth ride. The Platinum is even better'

'The SR is both sharp and agile despite its size, around curves, even at high speed and around sharp turns. Body motions are very well managed'

'Reacts pleasantly to sudden steering inputs. Turnin is particularly sharp, as are brake and accelerator inputs'

He says the price of the SR he drove is 'a real bargain'

'The Maxima is a tour-de-force of style and content the likes of which the domestics are simply unable to match'

THE ONLY NEGATIVES I saw in this rather comprehensive test were that he felt the steering feedback and the chassi feedback were short of that 'tactile viscereal character' found in some German sports cars. Per his article, that was the thing keeping this Maxima from being a true 4DSC. Not that folks that have kept up with the Maxima are saying it was.

Even then, he said this was a 'minor fly in the ointment', and that most drivers will never be driving the car hard enough to detect this.

I read several car reviews each week in my local paper, read all car reviews in Consumer Reports, and read reviews in the car mags of vehicles I am curious about, and I seldom see reviews as positive as this one.

But I understand every reader will interpret any article slightly differently, depending on what the reader is looking for in a vehicle. I am just unable to find a way to consider this as anything but a positive article overall.

I suppose this may be a case of 'glass half full/glass half empty.' I know I would be very encouraged to read this article if it was about a car I was not familiar with, but was considering buying. But then I strongly want a good-looking, very well equipped sporty car, but not necessarily a true sports car, which would be of little use in the county where I live.

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

But while the new Maxima may be less four-door sports car, it's much more full-on luxury car.

the 2016 Maxima fails to add zest to a staid segment from behind the wheel

At normal cruising speeds, the exhaust and intake noises are hardly noticeable.

Although the Maxima's steering is fast, precise, and enjoyable for an electric rack, it just won't talk to the driver.

you can't easily interpret body motions through the comfortable driver's seat.

there's a lack of feel from the front end around high-speed bends.

So no, the eighth-generation Maxima is not a "four-door sports car."

continuously variable transmission
continuously variable transmission
continuously variable transmission



LOTH, I respect your optimism and enthusiasm for what to me seems like an otherwise unexceptional car. This just reinforces how we have different automotive values, and I suspect you would strongly dislike how I've modified my G37, to the same degree that I would dislike your stock Maxima. As I continue to mod it, my G is becoming more and more like a 4DR musclecar (albeit Japanese), whereas Nissan is turning the Maxima more and more into a luxury sedan.

It also seems that as you and I age, we're going in two different directions for what we want in a car. That said, I may come around to where you are in 20 years.

lightonthehill

I will admit that I am not as enthusiastic about the SR as I am about the Platinum, because my old organs do not take bumps as well as they once did. I once opted for lower profile tires when possible. Now I opt for a little higher profile in order to enable me to occasionally bypass a rest area. I can see where you are coming from with regards to a true 4DSC, and even as I spent a few hours last month sitting in each of the four seats in this 2016 Maxima, I was thinking plush luxury more than 4DSC.

This new Maxima may outrun and out maneuver a few cars that fall more in the 4DSC class than the Maxima does. But it is doing that more through power and technalogical advancement and a very competent CVT than through driver skill, which is where the true 4DSC comes in - something that tests the driver, and rewards skilled driving.

Yes, the 2016 Maxima falls a tad short of 4DSC territory, but could not possibly fit my needs and wants any better. I once relished hitting curvy mountain roads at speed, but now prefer stopping at every overlook and thinking back on my long life. But doing it in a car that does have looks, power, panache, room, full array of options, and is fun to drive.

stodge

"Yes, the 2016 Maxima falls a tad short of 4DSC territory, but could not possibly fit my needs and wants any better. I once relished hitting curvy mountain roads at speed, but now prefer stopping at every overlook and thinking back on my long life. But doing it in a car that does have looks, power, panache, room, full array of options, and is fun to drive."

I think lightonthehill has it right. If you take the whole 4DSC off the table, the new Maxima looks to be a solid near luxury car with a bit of sportiness. Probably much more near luxury than Buick or Lincoln claim to be. It might not be as sporty as Nissan claim, but I think there's a segment for whom it's sporty enough.

R1600Turbo

Think "4 Door Sporty Car" instead of "4 Door Sports Car" and it makes more sense.

NissanFreak2000

I am judging the Maxima against its history. This Maxima is the best version that Nissan has produced to date. They have taken the shortcomings of the previous generations and fixed those flaws, which makes this car a homerun for me. They improved the exterior, interior, engine, transmission and made it lighter. Well the 8th gen work for everyone, of course not, neither did the previous generations for a lot of people. With each new generation of any car, customers leave and new customers come. At the end of the day, I am pretty sure this maxima will be the most successful to date.

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

You can't. It's embossed in huge letters right on the shift ****.

Every time you get in the car, you'll be forced to acknowledge something that you've compromised.

I suppose you could replace the ****. That makes some sense.

R1600Turbo

Funny that **** is censored here. Edit: Or it's censored when you're not logged in, weird.

I thought the 4DSC knobber was a dealer installed option.

gizzsdad

It is listed as a dealer installed accessory. I'm guessing it was installed on many/all of the pre-production models.

I am seeing (from invoices) that many of the cars arriving at dealerships have some of the accessories installed from the factory.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

I agree with you Roch!

coasterswim

FYI, Bordeaux Black doesn't look nearly as purple in person as it does in Nissan's promotional images:

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

Looks like Infiniti's Malbec Black to me, which was first introduced on the 2011 IPL Coupe. It runs the spectrum between black and dark purple, depending on the lighting conditions. From what I've read over the last 4 years, few people are ambivalent about Malbec Black... they either love it, or really really don't.

steevo

Reading up on wines, a Bourdeaux is darker than a Malbec, but Malbec grapes are one of the grapes used to make a Bourdeaux. Bourdeaux has 6 or more different grapes so tends to be very dark.

steevo

My 2011 Maxima was Crimson Black. I liked the color, but feel most of the time it looked like dark brown. You really only notice the color in direct light when the car is super clean, like parked under a streetlight.

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

Those are some pretty attractive shift ***** for a car that doesn't shift.

Very attractive designs, IMO.

lightonthehill

Agree. I will be switching to the woodgrain pattern, which will match the woodgrain in my Platinum.

If I were about thirty to sixty years younger, I would be all over the the SR, and probably the right ****.

Off the track - Rochester, did I see where there was a tornado in the Rochester area yesterday?

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

Yep. Crazy.

Word is, it landed on Jim Inhofe, who coincidentally was leading a prayer circle against the evils of the Climate Change hoax.

Way to go, Senator Snowball. Way to go.


If I were thirty years younger... I'd still lust after the car I'm driving right now, and rock this solid titanium shift **** I got last year

lightonthehill

Neat, clean interior. I am not familiar with the interiors of non-Maximas, so can't identify the make. I always did sorta like the hand-operated parking brake. When I use it, I feel like I know exactly how tight I have engaged the brakes. I engage them very lightly on relatively flat ground, then tighter as I park on steeper slopes. If I had just done a lot of heavy braking in hot weather, I would try to find a level parking area, as I never liked to clamp the parking brakes tight when I knew the brake assembly was very hot.

Edit - Every year it seems we get the news that somethingg like 11 of the 13 hottest years ever recorded on earth have taken place in the last 15 years, or something like that. The fact that we are having warmer temps is not deniable by anyone who looks at the numbers. The big argument seems to be the reason. I feel those who point to the endless millions of tons of pollutants we pour into the air are on fairly firm ground, but personally feel the fact mankind has cleared most of the forests (especially the rainforests) of the world and covered the ground with concrete and macadam and other things that absorb heat is also a factor.

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

Right there in my sig line, LOTH. It's a modified, 2011 G37S Sedan 6MT. Owned it for 3 1/2 years now... currently has about 23K miles on it. I barely drive the car 5K/year, so I expect to keep modding it for long-term ownership. Probably another six years. After which, assuming everything goes according to today's plan, I'm hoping to pick up a 2016-2018 F-Type S Coupe 6MT, and drive that right into retirement.

After that, I'll probably... well, I'll probably buy another Maxima, LOL.

And that hand-brake handle... that's just a parking brake, not actually an E-Brake. No Rockford turns for me. Kind of sucks, actually.



BTW, I saw my very first in-person 8th Gen Maxima today. While there as online pics of the car that give it a positive spin, in person it looked absolutely ridiculous. (heavy sigh)

carz

2016 Maxima SV