Anyone considering these two models? Is it possible to put the 19" wheels on the Platinum? I'm really torn on which model to even go test drive. I have a feeling even the NEW platinum is gonna feel more like a 4DSC than my 09 Sport....thoughts on that?

just went line by line with the features of the two..the SR has some nice sport touches. I think the sunroof may be worth going without to get the more performance oriented version, but I'm sure harder to find, the SR.

 

I looked at 2 yesterday at my local dealership, a silver one and a black one, and the black looks nice. The car also has way more curves and the bumped up portion on the hood is just begging to be painted a contrasting color. They're going to put 20in MoMo wheels on the 2 at my dealership sometime this week and I'm going to test drive the black one next Saturday.

I like the interior improvements such as the toggle switch for the navigation and radio and the fact that you can see it in the middle of the instrument cluster. Those shorter windows will take some getting used to for me but hopefully the blindspot system will negate that issue.

They've either fixed or removed some of the common problems, such as the **** for the tilt/telescoping steering wheel and the stupid rear a/c and radio controls that everyone just used as play things. But now they've added a flat bottom steering wheel with a "V" in the lower part that will be a pain for us people with big hands.

The engine looks the same but it now puts out 300hp and the dealer said that they're moving away from paddle shifters being that the CVT has more improvements and a quicker response when you step on it. I like the fact that even though the model I looked at had the panoramic roof the rear seats fold down again, and the front end looks mean save for the oversized Nissan emblem.

I won't be getting a new one but in the next year or 2 I'll probably be in either a 2015 Maxima or Murano.

 

I agree with your assessment that even without the SR, this new Maxima will feel sportier than your 09 Sport. I have not decided which way I will go yet, but you should also take a hard look at the SL.

 

I'm pretty decided on the Platinum. I just don't see the SR features meaning much with daily driving. I like having it all with the platinum level, and I would imagine discounts will be offered to keep it under 40k. The deal maker or breaker will be the trade in offer I get on my 09 with only 30k miles.

 

Never drove the SR but my platinum in sport mode sure does roarrrr...

 

I think the SPORT button will give enough excitement for most folks. Certainly enough for old farts such as me.

 

I have the 19" tire sport version now and those tires have been the downfall of the car. I had flat tire and air leak issues in all 4 at one point or another with the car under 30k miles...replaced 3 of them at nearly $270 a tire, I'm thinking those 18" wheels on the platinum will be plenty.

Now I'm more comparing SL to platinum....see if the top version is worth extra couple grand. Appears the SL is loaded too.

 

So I stopped by my local dealer today and they have an SR. Took that out for a spin. I have to say the car drives really well. However not having the sunroof is enough for me to overlook the sport handling stuff that the SR has. I have to wait for a Platinum to show up, but I think I'm already biased towards the Platinum.

Thanks,

S

 

It's going to depend on what is more important to you, the sport ride of the SR or the extra luxury features of the Platinum. Both are awesome trims, but the SR is the one for me.

 

The sunroof issue is what makes me think the same way, going with platinum. I want to see the SR side by side though before I chose. I'm hoping there isn't a huge difference in appearance with the 19" wheels like it was so obvious with the 7th gen IMO. It also helps that the SR is a little cheaper than the platinum...and the payment is important to me.

 

I cant even take a panaramoic roof i need a regular sun roof. I've had two accidents where the roof got hit... Florida has bad weather I just dont want a glass roof. I wouldn't want the sport model either I would want the softer ride.... I had a golf ball hit the roof on my 7th gen my company paid $800 to fix it but I doubt they would be happy to pay for a pano roof to get fixed... I think they will be mixing and matching options for the '17+ models like they did with the 7th gen.

 

It will be Platinum for me. Love all of the tech, and the airy feeling that you get with all of the light coming in.

 

I, too, was torn between the Platinum and the Sport. Finally decided and traded my 12 G37S for the Sport. Have had it one day and can truly say I am not disappointed. Don't use the sunroof much anyway. I can count on one hand the number of times I used it on the G.

 

There are a lot of luxury features in the SR. More than enough for me including blind spot monitors and interactive cruse control.

 

Yes, much like you, I can count on one hand the number of times I have used my sunroof on my Altima in the past 5-6 years. Plus I am always paranoid that it is open when it is raining outside, lol. I looked at the Platinum and SR and when it came down to it, I would have missed the SR features more that the few that the Platinum have. The SR has everything I want and need. Both trims are awesome though.

 

drove the platinum today, all i can say about the 8th gen is wow, i haven't even compared features of the sub models because, well, i can't afford one, but i can definitely see myself buying one in the future

 

I guess I have to go see the SR and platinum side by side. The SR being cheaper may lean me that way...and the 19" wheels.

 

I brought the sr about three weeks ago .It handles better than the platinum model.It has a performance suspension and it feel like a jet cockpit.I don't like the drag of the cvt, sometimes it feels log it straining when down shifting or going down hills with your foot of the pedal

 

The sr is only cheaper than the platinum depending on the options you want.my sr is fully loaded I even have the sport wing .they don't offer a sunroof on this model to shed weight and maintain a good center of gravity .My sR actually ce out to be more than the platinum.

 

Same here. The SR I am planning to purchase is more that the Platinum. I didn't choose the SR due to price, I knew that I wanted the sport suspension.

 

I’ve been driving Maximas for a long time, 1994, 1997, 2002 and 2009 models. I like the performance – value proposition. My 7th generation Sport and Tech package in SV trim provided everything I needed in a great package. The only compliant about the 7th generation SV Sport (as I’m sure is the case with other variants) is that the steering doesn’t have a firm center and the car requires frequent corrections at highway speeds (had Nissan Motor engineer examine my car, nothing wrong with it).

Here comes the next generation… I was excited to see it, but was disappointed. First, the SR driving dynamics feels very good; the car seemed to have endless supply of power, handles generally very well. The deal killer for me is the lack of sunroof and memory driver seating options in the SR trim. I use sunroof in my 09 quite frequently and would really hate to lose that feature. The driver seating memory (1 & 2) is something that comes useful after my wife or my son drive the car. I would hate to be trying to set the seat, the steering column and side mirrors back to where they should be every time.

The dealer tried to talk me into Platinum, which they didn’t have yet, offering to install SR’s 19” wheels on it. They told me that mechanically, the platinum trim is the same as SL. I drove the SL and felt that the handling wasn’t what I was looking for. It was just as fast as the SR (of course), but much softer and floatier feel than the SR. In spite of my liking the 2016 SR,
I may have to look at other cars because of the nonsensical marketing decisions that Nissan made removing some of the features from their “sports variant” offering in 2016, after they were readily available in the 7th generation. Bad decision!

 

I agree. Were they going to charge you for the 19" SR wheels and tires?

 

Well said, I concur!

 

Nissan claims the SR has more structural rigidity than a Porsche Cayman, so it's not like you're getting nothing for the missing sunroof. For me the tradeoff is worth it. For some it isn't, but that's what all four other variants are for.

 

I looked at the SL at the dealer. Sticker loaded with spoiler was $38,000 about 3k less than the platinums they had on the lot. my dealer has a bunch of SL's probably expecting that trim to sell the most cars.

 

That dealer probably based his thoughts on the SL on Nissan's earlier statement that the SL would probably be their sales leader. Folks on this board may lean more to the SR and Platinum, but the general public will probably lean more to the SL.

 

No kidding, memory seating not being a standard feature on every trim level of this car is pathetic. This is one area where Hyundai excels...they offer this kind of stuff standard on the Azera at the lowest trim level. That being said, the 2016 Platinum I drove is a much nicer car than my Azera.

 

I agree that most Maximas on the rode will be SL. The Platinum and SR models will be rarer. Glad that I am getting the SR!

 

I don't like the fake wood grain on the platinum. the SL is still very loaded option wise. I'm pretty decided on a white SL with charcoal interior. But i can't decide on the spoiler or not.

 

also in order to get the led lights you have to go SR or Plat. All other trims are going back to outdated halogen headlights.

and would it have been so hard to offer a trunk that auto opens? my friends dodge charger has that feature and rear heated seats.

 

Stopped by a local dealership today, checked out the platinum..

Was extremely pleased with both the inside and out. Like others have said the pictures do not do the car justice. wont be buying until next summer but if I can find a used platinum for around 30,000 i will definitely jump on that. Otherwise will be looking for a used SL.

Praying they will be around next summer. in the short time I checked it out I gotta say the interior tech is pretty sharp and didnt notice a huge problem with the blind spots.

 

Edmunds didn't like the SR but liked the SL....

http://www.edmunds.com/nissan/maxima...road-test.html

 

I'm letting them sit another week before heading in to try and make a deal. I havent seen any stock move at my dealer according to their website and the nissan website (not sure how reliable these are in terms of stock but) going to give it till next weekend and see what I can come up with for a deal on the SL. If they wanna really work the price of the platinum down then maybe Id consider it but Id have to see numbers. to me the SL has all I want in the car, lots more than my 09 SV Sport non-tech.

 

I see the SL on carmax for 34500 or so....a good 3-4k off the sticker. Car max has discounted all the new 2016 maxima they have on their lots a good 3-4k. should i expect the dealers to match? I think so. That price is what I need and a good trade offer to make this all work. Going within next 3 days to make the deal i hope it works out. if not ill be driving the 7th gen for a while longer

 

Do all platinums come with that fake wood grain option on the interior?

 

Yes

 

And to expound on your short and correct response, the Platinum is the appropriate and only Maxima model with the woodgrain. Woodgrain has become synonymous with plush and luxury, and the Platinum certainly is all that.

Better yet, the surface of the woodgrain in the Platinum is not simply flat, but actually has a subtle diamond-shaped pattern to match the upholstery. This pattern is only detectable when the lighting is at the right angle, or if we brush our fingers over the surface.

Nissan certainly put a lot of thought and effort into these interiors.

 

Carmax has an S for $30,438 right now, which is about 3K off. Sales out the gate must be slow. I've only seen one on the road so far.

 

I think you're right, one has sold since June at my dealer, finally came off inventory today, an SL. 14 still on lot

 

The problem is that most people think this car is hideous in pictures, but real world response is quite different. I have to admit that I selfishly don't mind at all if there aren't too many of these on the road. I found it amusing when a BMW 428i driver kept pulling up next to, behind and in front of my SR on the freeway the other day trying to figure out what the hell it was.