I have filled the tank three times now and received the following gas mileage:
Tank 1: I don't know that it was completely full when I got it, so I can't calculate the mileage
Tank 2: Indicated 32.1 mpg, the actual was 31.2
Tank 3: Indicated 31.7 mpg, the actual was 28.4
My Altima always indicated a higher mileage than actual, but I don't think it was ever over 3 mpg off.

 

Indicated mileage that the car computes is never as accurate as actual where you divide the miles traveled by the amount of gallons it took to refill the tank. There are just too many variables contributing to gas mileage that the computer does not use, therefore the computers computations are generally higher and less accurate.

 

Well said. Even calculating by dividing mileage by gallons needs to be done over an extended period. I have a list somewhere that I posted here over ten years ago listing 46 things that can affect this calculation. But, if done over many (like a dozen or so) tankfuls, we can get a very accurate MPG figure. It is difficult for the onboard computer to measure fuel use accurately, although it can sometimes be quite close.

 

Hi Max8.
I have a 2013 Altima 3.5 SL and part of the reason I didn't get a Max is that
the Altima seemed to have the same power plant, better mpg, and just
Felt better to drive.
But I wonder if things change for 2016 with the new Maxima. I know about the
Increase to 300 hp, but I wonder if you could compare your Altima to your Maxima, or at least comment on what you like about the 2016 Maxima,
Thanks !
Hal n Va near D.C.

 

I have had a 2016 for about 6 weeks, 1200 miles Loaded SL , I had before 2013 Altima SL loaded. I miss it already, the new max has the horsepower and is fun to get on, but you pay to play.. Needs premium fuel , $ .60 a gallon more.
The Altima was way better on fuel. The new Max sits low, and is very hard to get in and out of. The Altima is a much more of a functional car. All the new electronics on the 2016 Maxiam don't work correctly . My Bluetooth worked perfect on the Altima , does not work on the new Max , called the dealer and they said Nissan knows and a soft wear up date is needed, other then that you are on your own and that's what you get for buying a new model. I miss my Altima , but the Maxiam has a nice new fresh look, and I paid $10 k plus more?

 

dummy post to re-subscribe to this thread.
Hit 'unsubscribe' inadvertently.
Hal

 

I also had a 2013 Altima 3.5 SL and absolutely loved it. The Maxima (Platinum) has way more features, including more safety features, but omits the lane change warning which I do miss. I've had Max of 6 weeks and am still waiting for some accessories. Some of the greatest improvements over the Altima are.


1) Intelligent cruise: You can set the actual miles per hour. It will flash if you go 2 mph over the set speed. It keeps you a certain distance behind the car in front of you (adjusted for speed), which you can set to one of three distances (close, medium and far). I do like to drive 2 seconds behind the car in front of me, and I find I have to change the setting occasionally to accomplish this.


2) I love the four cameras and especially the over head view that shows a representation of the top of the car and everything around it. When parking in a lot, you see all the lines on the pavement so you can see exactly where your car is in relation to the lines.


3) The layout of the interior is far superior to the Altima. No complaints with the Altima, but the Max is fantastic.


4) Gas mileage is running about 2 mpg higher than the Altima.


5) Power and handling are the same to me, but I don't hot rod it. The Max is a little better on both counts.


6) I wanted a red Max, but the Altima was red and I didn't want to get the same color again. I got a Bordeaux Black and it is a very cool color. It looks black until the sun hits it and then the contrast between the Bordeaux and the black accents really stands out.


7) The memory seats would be very nice...if they worked!


8) I absolutely love the air conditioned seats. Three settings cold and three settings hot.


9) The Display Commander is great. It's a control at your fingertips as you're resting your arm on the center arm rest. It is a combination turn ****, joy stick and push button that controls just about everything on the touch screen including audio, menus and navigation. You don't have to reach for the screen or get fingerprints on it. It especially helps during times your hand might not be steady during driving situations.


10) The instrument cluster display is like the Altima's on steroids. A whole lot more information and prettier too.


I loved the Altima and planned on keeping it for more that two years, but couldn't resist when I saw and drove the Max. It also lowered my car payments! But it did stretch them out another two years.

 

Premium fuel is RECOMMENDED for the Maxima, but the reality is that it runs perfectly well on MIDGRADE. MIDGRADE will NOT affect the MPG, as fuel efficiency is not tied directly to octane. Of course, if we dropped to REGULAR fuel, that could affect MPG simply because the engine is no longer running at its efficient best. The engine is expecting fuel around 91 octane, and runs best at octanes between 89 (midgrade) and up.

Nissan recommends premium because electronic timing will usually show a very tiny improvement in acceleration with premium, but not enough difference to detect by the 'seat of the pants.'

I will say it again - The Maxima runs perfectly well on MIDGRADE.

 

First tank indicated 27. Actual 24. More of a difference than my last max but it is only the first full tank recorded. Always a bummer though to look at the drive computer and see a great gas mileage and then do the math at full up

 

Hal - not sure where you are in N VA but the inventory for the Maxima's is building. I purchased mine at Browns Nissan Dulles in late June. You should go and test drive one or even just "kick the tires", sit in one. Pictures don't do it justice. Ask for Jad the General Sales Manager. I've purchased 4 cars from him in the last three years and the prices have always been right (2013 Altima 3.5 SL, 2013 Maxima SV w/premium, 2015 Murano Platinum and 2016 Maxima Platinum).

Having owned a 2013 Altima SL, 2013 SV Maxima, and now 2016 Maxima Platinum here's a couple of observations.

Quality:
1) Three main issues with my Altima. One was a faulty airbag ODS switch. You could put a 200 pound adult in the passenger seat and the airbag on/off indicator light would stay off. We made three trips to the dealer and came away each time with a new ODS sensors but they were unable to fix it. Nissan NA unofficially admitted that is was basically not fixable and the airbag sourced for the latest Gen Altima was “junk”. I have a daughter who is over 100 pounds and frankly not knowing if the air bag was on or off was a little disconcerting.

2) The OEM Bridgestones’ tread life is awful. Many owners reported an average life span of 20-25000 miles. We got about 28,000 out of ours (another factor in trading in the Altima early for a Murano) which won’t cut it on a 36-39,000 mile lease. The Bridgestone’s are also terrible in the snow.

3) We had a fully loaded SL and the backup camera was just about worthless if not dangerous, particularly under direct sunlight. I’m surprised that there hasn’t been a recall or TSB due to a pedestrian death.
There was also a recall for a faulty hood latch.

Driving Impressions
The 5th gen Altima has a wonderfully stiff chassis bared out by its hushed and compliant ride; however the suspension is pinned to it too softly. The Altima has considerably more understeer than my 2016 Maxima. Seat-of-the pants instincts tell me that my 2016 Platinum would be faster around a road course than the Altima 3.5. That being said skid pad and straight-line performance are comparable to the 7th and 8th gen Maximas. The Altima is very quiet and actually has more interior volume than the 7th gen Maxima.
The 7th and 8th gen Maxima seats are more comfortable than Altima (I’m 6’4” and 250 pounds) . My 6’3” son cannot get comfortable in the 8th gen passenger seat. The foot well seems tighter than the 7th gen Max and Altima. It reminds me of the passenger side space in my M35s – a little tight.

Other posters have commented on a feature-to-feature comparison of Altima vs Maxima. That’s not ever going to be an apples-to-apples comparison as they are in different market segments. However I paid $29K for a fully loaded Altima 3.5 that had every option imaginable. If you can live w/o memory/vented seats, intelligent cruise control, and the improved center stack and features then the Altima still represents a tremendous value. The 2016 Altima and Sentra are getting a refresh to bring their appearance more in line with the Murano/Maxima corporate design.

I loved the Altima, 7th gen Maxima and love my 2016 Maxima. I noted some quality issues with the 2016 in another post, namely the cheap sun visor, loud seat ventilation fans, choppy throttle response at 20-25 mph and a weird “air bubble” in the driver’s seat upper seat back. The designers of the new Maxima seem to have raided Altima and Infiniti parts bins. Having owned a slew of Infiniti’s, the cabin materials are comparable to an Infiniti and a big upgrade – it’s a nicer place to spend time than the Altima or the 7th gen Maxima. I thought that the 5th gen Altima had really closed the gap on the 7th gen Maxima. But the new Maxima is a really nice piece. Quieter, gets better gas mileage, has newer technology and added features, and drives better than the 7th gen Max. A big part of this is the improved CVT. And they're absolutely gorgeous.

 

I don't want to dispute lightonthehill's word, but the matter of differences between the on-board computer and "manual" calculations is subject to discussion.

To quote Mark Allen, GM’s director of global energy, mass, and aerodynamics,

This quote was in a an article claiming the on-board computer isn't as accurate, but these variables affect manual calculations the same as they do computer calculations ... namely, your manual calcs are affected by fuel density and other factors the same as the computer is, and since the variables aren't calculated at the same time (the computer in real time and your fillup only at the moment you fill it), there are going to be differences. And since you can't fill the tank to same exact point each time, measuring fuel as it flows from the tank is inherently more accurate.

This argument has raged ever since cars started using the computer to display gas mileage, and unfortunately there's not a perfect way to compare the two calculation methods.

Even if you do manual calcs for months, you're still doing it at a specific time of day, while the computer measured use over all different times of day, under differing temperatures, and taking into account fuel foaming and densities and formulations, etc., etc., etc.

Not trying to re-start the argument, but I believe the on-board computer calculation is as believable as your own manual calculations. You have to be the judge because there is no "right" answer.

 

The computer mileage is consistently overstated by 1 to 3 MPG. My last car was a Lexus ES350 and their computer was very close to manual calculations, sometimes over sometimes under, but not by a lot.
Nissan could tweak the programming to make it more realistic

 

I hear ya and agree, unfortunately the gas mileage computer has been off by about that amount even up to 4 MPG since it became standard in 02 on the Max :-(

 

My experience as well - very well stated. I found over time, that the manually calculated vs. on-board came closer and closer together, to the point that I actually quit calculating manually.

 

My two 7th Gen cars were always about .2 different. I filled the tanks til some gas burbled out and then gave it one more slow fill until I could see gas again if that makes any sense. To accurately measure manually, the fuel shut off on each pump will vary so the is a need to see the gas...seeing it twice was pretty accurate especially at the same pump. I know...the manual says not to do that but otherwise measurements will vary by heat, pump shut off settings, tilt of the ground where you fill up and etc., etc.

 

I also noticed the outside temperature thermometer exaggerates by 3 to 5 degrees. Even on cloudy days and nighttime it always indicates a temperature higher than all smartphone weather apps, TV weather, and my own thermometer at home.

Guess Nissan likes bigger numbers.

 

I feel the ONLY way to verify the mileage is to fill up at the same pump 2 or more times in a row and fill until the pump clicks off so that there are no differences in how it was filled each time. Then you take away any variability in when one handle shuts off versus another. They should all be very close, but minimizing the measurement variables will increase the accuracy of the calculation.
I'll have to try this in my cars and see how the on board computer measures versus the calculated mileage.

 

BTW - I agree with Kevin above!

The last time I filled up I neglected to notice how many miles were on the trip meter when I reset it. I DID notice that the MPG reading was 30.0. The last mileage I remember seeing was 234, but that was before I got to the station. It took exactly 8.0 gallons to fill, which would be 29.25 mpg, but that would not include the last few miles to the station.

So it would seem that mine seems to be fairly accurate so far. This was for a mix of two lane, four lane and city driving. I am very happy with my fuel economy at this point.

 

Well I NEVER used Premium in my 2010 Max bought new and covered 45,000 miles. Not ever a ping either. The boy racers might squawk that you are not getting your full horsepower or fuel economy, but I thought it was plenty good for my needs with regular. My 2016 is being leased so as long as it runs well, regular it will be! BTW I am getting 28.8 average for the 1st 6 fill ups.

 

I have an 8th Gen rental right now, I have a 130mi round trip M-F that's almost entirely highway. I set the cruise for 70-75 and clear the MPG display each way I go. It reports that the car is getting 33-35 mpg each way, it varies by how much traffic I have on my route. I manually calculated it and it averaged 29.6.

This weekend, I was all over the PA/NJ/NY area (about 1000mi) and didn't clear it since I left work on Friday. Said I averaged 29.1, really averaged 26.5. So, for me, I'm seeing a 10-18% higher reading on the display than I'm actually getting.

I do use premium fuel because I'm used to it in all the cars I've ever had, the money difference is negligible for better quality fuel, higher MPG, and car feel. So all of these tests were done in premium fuel, didn't bother trying it on the tank the car came with.