Before buying my 8th gen max I did a lot of research, read a lot of reviews from critics and drivers. From what I've gathered, if the Maxima was RWD and had a traditional slush box, it would have received 5 stars from nearly everyone. I get the hate from enthusiasts about the FWD, it is the single thing I dislike most about my new Max.

What I don't understand is the hate for the CVT, admittingly I've never driven any other CVT but this one. Is the CVT in the new Max that much better than the older ones or are people complaining about it just because it's different? I wish I could get a manual in this car but that's getting harder to find across the board. Comparing it to other automatics though, how is it any worse?? How would this car be "Better" with a traditional geared automatic transmission?

I have no trouble getting up to speed from a stop. If I want to start slow I can, if I want to spin tire I can, I can also do everything in between with ease. Passing speed? The revs climb almost instantly, the power follows right behind it. Is it instant? No, but it's no slower (and is probably faster) than shifting to third from 5th and rev matching in a manual, it also does it without jolting you. Is that slight pause too slow? In manual mode the power responds just as fast as cruising in a lower gear in a manual.

I actually like this transmission better than any other slushbox I've driven. It doesn't drop you into the wrong gear suddenly giving you more power than you wanted. It doesn't leave you in the wrong gear, not giving you enough power when you want it. It also doesn't get stuck in the wrong gear for 5 seconds whining like crazy at 5k rpms when all you want in the world is for the dumb transmission to shift and if it goes on any longer you're going to drive the car off the bridge just to get it to stop.

I've only owned manuals until now and I wish that option was there but I certainly have no desire for this to be any other type of automatic. Maybe someone with more experience with the CVT can tell me why it's so much worse than an 8 speed automatic.

 

More experience with the CVT? Okay here's my opinion. I had a 2013 Altima 3.5 SL for over two years before buying my 2016 Maxima Platinum three months ago. I agree with you. I love the CVT. I always drove sticks when I was younger and then switched to automatics many years ago. Both of the CVTs I've had act exactly as you stated and far surpass all the automatics I've owned.

 

I concur. Before purchasing the Max, I compared it to a Cadenza, Q50, Avalon,
and Taurus. I had the Gen 7 Max as well. I am not a fan of a conventional automatic for the same reasons you point out. I was able to make the Q hunt with very little effort.

I appreciate the efficiency by which the CVT transfer power to the wheels. It's plenty snappy and more so when the sport mode button is pressed.

As far as people's feedback/opinions, it really comes down to expectations and experience. I personally have no desire to manually control the gear ratio between the engine and wheels.

 

I agree with Max8 and guitarman. I drove manuals and automatics from the late 1940s until I purchased my7th gen 2009 Maxima. The earlier CVTs left a lot to be desired, but the 7th gen CVT was, other than having the software control the power on takeoff and above 85 MPH, very nice. For my driving (I want my power between 35 MPH and 85 MPH, not at takeoff or at 100 MPH), that 7th gen CVT was absolutely perfect. I LOVE to see the RPMs DROPPING as the speed of my car is INCREASING. Fuel efficiency at its best!

With the traffic in most areas these days, a manual is for those who refuce to let go of their youthful 'in control' days. Rowing through the cogs in creeping traffic is not logical. RWD is fine for those into 'drifting', etc, but is inferior to FWD in any inclement weather. So FWD/CVT is the best combination overall, but will not be the choice of those who still prefer to hang onto bygone days, or are into track or other very aggressive driving situations. My CVT takes me from 45 MPH to 85 MPH in just seconds, and that is good enough for me.

 

A lot of the CVT hate comes from older small-engined cars, where you press on the gas and are rewarded with a loud, straining engine turning 4500rpm and delivering virtually no acceleration. My in-laws had a Sentraa few years ago, for example, and that thing was dangerous to drive in anything but neighborhood streets because it couldn't get out of its own way.

I haven't yet driven a 2016 Maxima, but it looks like there is enough horsepower (and more importantly, torque) there to propel the car without the necessity of running the engine to redline everytime you accelerate.

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I drove the 2016 and it felt stronger than my 7th gen, but then again it seemed better in many ways.

 

I'm on vacation and rented a Nissan Rogue. The cvt in that car is horrible, absolutely horrible. I understood why people were dissing cvt transmissions now. It gives me very little power when I push the peddle and like you say when I want to pick up speed and nearly goes to redline and gives me anxiety. My 2012 Altima never did this and was a perfectly fine car, my first cvt and had no problems.

I never thought I would miss a car, but I really miss my maxima. The feel of responsiveness and power from that cvt is nothing short of amazing. People that complain negatively about it have never driven it and that's the bottom line. And the reviews you see wanting an automatic transmission are from car enthusiasts which 99% of people aren't.

 

There are so many different cars out there- everyone likes something different. I read reviews, test drive, look at the price and decide.

 

CVT's don't handle real power upgrades well or at all.
That's the hate.

 

Does anyone trust a person named Fakie J Farkerton? I don't think so. haha

 

 

Can you elaborate?

 

I had to turn in my 2016 Maxima rental today because it has a recall, according to Avis. I've been driving it for about a month and I have to say I don't understand the CVT hate either, but this was the first CVT car I drove, so maybe that's why. I concur with the statements above, it's quick and smooth and I have no issue with the CVT.

The car I now have is a new Charger and it's a total POS compared to the Maxima, no surprise there. I didn't realize how good the CVT was until I got in the 8 speed Charger. Waiting til they get the recall done or I find another Max or better car, the charge is awful.

 

Post #167
https://maxima.org/forums/7th-genera...-maxima-5.html

 

So you're telling me the transmission in an N/A fwd luxury/sports sedan can't handle an aftermarket turbo. Got it.

 

Absolutely. Real downer, because every Maxima buyer will be putting either a turbo or a jet engine on their Maxima. I already have forty foot wings on order, and have reserved hangar space for my turbo and jet engine equipped Maxima. I'll soon be ready for takeoff. I feel sorry for those poor slobs who will use the Maxima as nothing more than an aggressively-styled, plushly-appointed and very sporty automobile.

 

Haha my point exactly, if I wanted to put FI on an NA 3.5 sixer, my last choice would be a 35k FWD Sedan, the transmission is irrelevant.

So what I have gathered is, the CVT in the 8th gen Maxima has no down sides compared to any other slush box unless you were planning on voiding your warranty and spinning your tires for 2 gears.

 

I just finished a 1000 mile trip from central Ohio to Hershey, PA in my first ever CVT equipped car, my new '16 Platinum white Max. I had NO issues accelerating or passing. It felt like the automatics I have driven for 36 years.

My only hate was the way it used the CVT to modulate speed using cruise control in the hills of PA. It felt like pulsating brakes or random compression braking by altering the CVT ratios to maintain speed going downhill. I kind of got used to it, but the GM automatics I have LOVED for years are 1000X better at this than the CVT. In the flats it was essentially the same as any other automatic.

 

Very interesting feedback. I hate CVT's. I come from the mindset of "in control". I have been drifting aimlessly for about five years now in the "automatic" world since giving up my 5spd A33 and roughly 25 years of manual driving.

My last CVT experience was with a roughly 2008ish Altima rental. The ehhhhehhhhhehhhh as it adjusted the bands to speed felt like a slipping transmission to me. I drove that car for a month and swore off anything that had CVT at that point.

What I am curious about is what is this power management above 85? If I stab the gas at 85 what is different about this CVT versus a regular slush box?

 

I'm getting use to my automatic CVT but I do miss the 5spd out of the
3-series I traded in for it.

I guess what you're talking about with the Altima is the "rubberband" affect a lot of people have complained about. I've never driven another CVT, but from everything I've read it is virtually gone with the new Maximas. I can vouch for it because I have yet to ever hear it in mine. It accelerates effortlessly at normal speeds with the rpms sticking to around 2k the entire time. When I want to drive aggressively in sport mode, the RPMs kick up almost instantly and it "Shifts" almost identical to an automatic, except it's smoother and I don't notice any brief pauses in power.

Apparently after 85 mph the electronic throttle control will not allow you to go full WOT. I honestly haven't noticed this yet but I also haven't gone past 100. I've heard you can get this taken off but I haven't done much research into it. (This is on the 7th gens and we are assuming the 8th gens also have it, I don't think anyone has verified it yet but I'm willing to bet it does).