mnmsnowbeast

Ya,and the only car to beat the maxs 0-60 was the dodge charger,i mean really,a v-8 with gobs of hp was barley quicker,and they dumped on the cvt,really,there is no auto trans,that compares to any CVT tranny as far as quickness out of the hole is concerned,i have raced snowmobiles for years,on grass,asphalt ice,they flat out go,on asphalt go watch a top sports bike say a zx1400 compared to a well set up sled,the sled wins hands down every time,and this cvt in the max,is awesome,and just plain rips,heck my max only had 780 miles on it last weekend and ran a very impressive 134 mph on my gps,and talk about lane changes,select sport mode on the tranny,that wakes it up even more.

mnmsnowbeast

The only thing I will agree with them on the enterior space,is with my width,i am a good sixed bodybuilder,with a very big back and lg. legs,so snapping in the seat belt,is tight for me,but its no different on my f-150 ecoboost truck either,and my right leg does rub on the panel some,but I just took it for its first trip 500 miles up and back to my camp,and did not find it crampy or to tight. Than my wife wanted to drive,so we swapped seats,and I sat in the passengers peirch,well I do wish all factories would install a 8 way on both seats,for 41 grand plus,you would think all of them would have it,but hardly any do,but in that seats defence,it sat me high enough that I could see everything I wanted or needed to,and talk about foot apace,i rolled the seat back and no way could I touch the firewall. Love the car.

mnmsnowbeast

Can you exsplain how sales for a 2016 car that is still in 2015 11th month be disappointing in sales,the year for the car has not even started yet,mine was a loaded platinum with window sticker of 41,495 and I got it for 30,000 after trade and discounts,i am a first time Nissan happy buyer,and love my max.

Max8

I couldn't agree more. I am quite short and when my wife drives, I can hardly see over the hood. I drive with the drivers seat all the way up.

mnmsnowbeast

You and I are not the only ones who agree,that these manufactuers should install at least a 6 way,for the passenger.

ATDoel

Where on earth are you getting your numbers? Are you comparing new to used? Comparing MSRP to MSRP, this is what you get. Maxima SR $37,670. BMW 435xi $49,950. For the BMW, any color other than black and white is +$550, Luxury package for leather and 19'' wheels +$2350, driver assistance package +$950, driver assistance plus +$1700, technology package $1450, active cruise control +$1200, cold weather package +$950 grand total is $60,400 for a similarly equipped 435xi. Comparing the Maxima S to the base 435xi is a $17,540 difference and the Max is still better equipped. Comparing the SR to the similarly equipped 435xi is an almost $23,000 difference.

These cars are in no way shape or form in the same class.

jinzen

The numbers are pretty simple. The Maxima is almost $40k territory so it WILL be cross-shopped with entry level luxury cars like the 4 series, C class, A4 etc.

I don't need to break down the numbers, but you can easily buy a 4 series for 10% discount, I just threw out 2x easily attainable deals for a 435xi. You could get a 428i Gran Coupe for about the same money as a Platinum Maxima.

/Evidence: I cross-shopped all of these cars, I also traded in a 2015 C-Class. So yes, I am the exact kind of buyer that considers cars like the Maxima and very similarly priced cars like the Q50, 3/4 series, etc.

weazel

This thread is old but I figured I would reply anyway.

I bought the 2016 SV. I still got the stitched leather interior and lots of features. I didn't want the stiffer suspension of the SR since it is my familiy car.

I was actually about to purchase another Altima SL with the 3.5L. Last minute I decided to drive the Maxima.

The way Nissan prices their cars is different than BMW or Acura. Nissan gives large rebates and dealers give incentives. ($8,200 off MSRP in my case buying a 2016 is November of 2016) I paid a hair less than $28K. (now compare that real world number with the luxury sedans real world purchase prices) I was comparing this car to a fully featured (every available feature) Altima that was $500 less. The Maxima just felt like more car to me. (at 2 inches longer and 1 inch wider it is really just a perception thing)

That being said, The Altima had a familiar feel and the available 3.5L 270HP version is equally as fast as the 300HP Maxima. (without premium fuel recommendation I assume) The Altima has smaller pillars in the front and way better visibility in the rear. The Altima has more interior space overall and a smaller center console with more cup holders. Over the years Altima has grown to meet the needs of the American market and Maxima, from what I understand it mostly popular in America and the middle east. I watched a podcast where they interviewed one of the engineers. It was designed and built in America for the American market. (and the middle east apparently)

With the Atlima having more interior room and being better in the snow I still opted for the Maxima. I live in Minnesota where 10% ethanol is required by law. (with some exceptions) ethanol is a cheaper way to get high octane so our premium fuel is not that much more expensive. The wide tires and lower stance of the Maxima may not be as good in heavy snow as the Altima with a higher stance and skinnier tires to 'cut' through heavy snow but I can deal with it. (I will know more soon)

I for one, love the exterior of the car. I have heard the criticism from some sources but looks are a personal preference. There is a 'concept' of this car that was released in 2014 which is almost identical to the production model but the concept was lowered with larger rim and the biggest change was that the concept had a very low roofline. (maybe unrealistically low) http://www.caranddriver.com/news/nis...-and-info-news

Maybe I should chop my roof. just kidding then my rear visibility would be even worst.

Some review on youtube said it looks like a smile in the front end and that may not be the most aggressive look. I don't see what they are talking about with that. The rear end looks good to me. (though I haven't over analyzed it)

The rear visibility and the fact that my right leg touches the center console were my 2 biggest concerns when buying. I no longer care about the center console leg thing as the soft touch leather is very cushioned and I don't seem to rest my leg on it anymore anyway. (3 weeks of driving)

The rear visibility isn't as bad as a 1990ish Dodge intrepid or the new Camaro but it isn't great either. I have gotten used to it though and the 8" screen on the backup cam helps a ton. (plus sonar in my model)

I have heard some mention of 'engine' noise. My car is very quiet. I even put a short ram intake on it and it is still quiet in the cabin. I do know that the models equipped with Bose have some way to pipe in engine noise in sport mode and I believe it uses 'white noise' to cancel engine noise in normal mode. (using the factory stereo) I don't have those features.

I like knowing that I have the famous Nissan VQ engine and after the redesign, 60% of the parts have been revised. (better fuel economy and more performance)

The CVT is great. I know that some car enthusiasts don't want to hear it but the CVT isn't a '1 speed' rubberband car but more like a 1000 speed car. (depending on how small of increments the stepper motor can take in the full range) Tiny little shifts that you can't feel.

It is very responsive, even more responsive in sport mode. If you compare the initial gear ratio and final gear ratio of the CVT to most 6 speed automatics you find that the initial gear ratio is lower than you can find and the final gear is often higher than you can find. (large range with 1000 steps in between) This car and even the Altima CVT jump off the line. This CVT feels better than the 2012 Altima CVT I traded but that was good too in my opinion. (I didn't miss the shift rattle)

It doesn't shift rattle you though, at all. Even in sport mode with the synthetic gears 'shifting' it is super smooth. If you want that jerky automatic trans feel (we are all used to) then don't buy a CVT. It literally took me 3 weeks to get used to it and get over it on my first Altima. (hardly ever thought about it again) CVT's are good for not spilling your coffee. It will however push you back in the zero gravity seats off the line or anytime you wish to sink your foot into the pedal. The speedometer tells the story better than that though. (my butt dyno has never been properly calibrated)

I wanted a luxury family sedan (without paying the price), not necessarily a 4DSC (4 door sports car) I think that bit of marketing causes negative reviews since 4DSC means different things to different people. Some purists say it should be rear wheel drive, have a manual transmission (or automatic maybe) and have unusable back seats. Maybe 4 door luxury sports sedan would cause less criticism but it doesn't sound as good. (4DLSS)

The bad: It does have some torque steer. I'm no expert on this but it is considerably less than some other front wheel drive cars. They must have done something to mitigate some of this because it isn't bad. (though it still exists)

The interior has won awards and is very nice. (leather dash and soft touch are great)

Overall, it is a nice car. It has flaws just like any car. I didn't compare it to Lexus and BMW. I went from Altima to Maxima. It wasn't going to a 'bigger' car however, it was going to a car with different features and a way different feel. Altima and Maxima are pretty close to the same size.

I have heard that this market segment (full sized car) is on the decline and small SUV's are taking their place. Nissan Rogue or Toyota Rav4 for example have taken quite a bit of the market share that used to be possible Maxima buyers. That makes sense. If you really think about Nissan, they are full line car manufacture that makes the Titan, Leaf, Rogue, Murano, Armada, Maxima, Juke, Sentra, Versa, GTR and of course the Altima. (and some industrial vans) They just happen to sell a ton of Altimas and Rogues. (the rest of the line is available but they could just sell Altima and Rogue and do just fine) Its like Mitsubishi who used to sell lots of different vehicles but now sell the SUV and Lancer in North America and occasionally they sell something else like a Galant. Nissan has a much larger market share than Mitsubishi though.

I really wanted Apple CarPlay which is available on the 2017 Maxima. I wasn't however willing to get less rebates and incentives for that one feature. Nissan Connect is pretty bad. The iPod integration (wired) is still good though. The GPS and most of the features work really well. (just skip the Nissan Connect app I guess)

More cupholders, the nice 2 level center console storage and a little better visibility out the back would make this car even better. (though the latter may destroy some of its good looks) I bought my car in Pearl White which I didn't realize added $550 to the price tag. Only that color is premium. I prefer black cars with black leather interior but pearl white is really nice too. I tinted my windows and it looks great with the black outline around the windows on the side. (turned out nicer than I even expected) I tend to buy the Nissan branded rubber floor mats that I use all year. They are great for spills and snow and they are comfortable too. The short ram intake is supposed to give 12HP and 11LBS of torque (AEM branded cold are intake without the metal box installed) It did change the sound. It is lower and throatier. It isn't much louder though. (at least inside the car) I'm not sure I can tell the different, 4% HP and 5% torque isn't much when you are already at 300HP. It looks line in the engine bay though and may give slightly better mileage. I don't have to buy air filters for a really long time as an added bonus.

I may be biased, since I bought the car but I'm pretty happy with it.

lightonthehill

weazel - I think your review is very fair. I personally think driving the Altima is like eating at McDonalds. McDonalds is usually fast, efficient, dependably consistent in its quality and taste, etc. But there comes a time when I feel like moving upscale from McDonalds, and since I moved upscale with the Maxima in 1984, I not only have owned nothing but Maximas, but have never set foot in McDonalds since.

If getting from point 'A' to point 'B' is all one wants in a car, by all means, opt for the Altima. Costs less, and will get you there. Just add a few do-hickies to it so you will be able to find it among the thousands of other Altimas I tend to see in every mall parking lot.

I think the fact Motor Week chose the 2016 Maxima as its 4DSC of the year for 2016 tells me a lot more than Consumer reports snipping and grousing. Motor Week said they prefer non-CVTs, but the 2016 Maxima has overcome the faults they have found in past CVTs. They also said they prefer RWD in 4DSCs, but that the Maxima handles FWD so well the driver tends to not notice that he is driving a FWD car. They particularly liked the styling and interior quality.

weazel

Thanks, I wasn't sure anyone would read this post in an old thread.

I liked my Altima but like you say, there are so many out there. In fact, my 2.5L SL was single owner and very well cared for but getting a good trade value was difficult due to the sheer volume of cars out there. I would have done much better with the 3.5L as far as resale value goes (they are more rare) I hope Maxima has better resale value....I'm pretty sure it is better than the 2.5L Altima.

When I test drove the 2 cars, the Maxima won. I gave up lane monitoring, led interior lights, adaptive cruise control and many other features I could have got on the full featured Altima for 500 less. The fact that the prices where so close really changed my opinion last minute. (was about to sign papers on another Altima truth be told)

That didn't bother me though, I can change lanes without assistance and the led interior lights didn't do much for me. Maximas cruise tells me the speed I have it set for. (which I have never had before) I love that. I was more concerned about the 2017 having Apple CarPlay.

I kept thinking about the interior on the Altima seeming kind of 'cheap' and the center display facing right down the middle of the car. (best viewed from the middle of the back seat it would seem)

I thought about keeping my old Altima and buying a C5 or C6 vette but in Minnesota I would store it 1/2 the year and I would have had 2 older cars.

Someone else in this thread said they look forward to spending time with their Maxima. I find myself looking forward to driving places. (I find a reason to go somewhere just to drive) I don't speed much so I just do zero to speed limit really fast.

I'm not sure how many buy the SV trim. Leather was my big hot button. I had a moonroof in my last car but rarely opened it. (though the Maxima's moonroof is much more elaborate I have to admit) I saved a bit of money to get a monthly car wash subscription and some accessories that I wanted.

Not being able to get my favorite color which was super black was disappointing but I really love the pearl white. (when it is clean) I also like that water spots aren't so easy to see and I won't miss swirl marks. (black is super hard to take care of and I wash a lot in touch car washes)

I have seen other color Maximas since that I really like too. Does everyone tint their windows? Every one I see on the road has some tint. Did anyone else opt for the SV?

The other day, an acquaintance of mine needed a ride. He asked if I had a car and I just hit the lock button to light the car up at night and show him where my car was. I park far away to avoid door dings. He said "is that a Lexus?" (from the front end view he thought it looked like a Lexus I guess)

The guy at the car wash commented that it was a really nice car. I have owned Altimas and Mazda 6's and never got a compliment from the car wash before, even when they have 40 miles on them. (they clean BMW's and Acuras all day long)

I'm pretty happy that I stepped out of that class of sedans that I was in. I really didn't look outside of that class at all.

I have watched every episode of the UK Top Gear with my 14 year old and he loves cars. He was there with me at the dealer and got excited when he saw the sport mode button. Sometimes I hit the sport mode button 3 times to put it into 'triple sport mode' for him. (yeah it doesn't do anything but he loves that button)

I may do more mods to get more horsepower but I want to avoid things that give unicorn power vs real horsepower. My kid really enjoyed helping me install the short ram intake but my opinion is that throttle body spacers for example give you the same unicorn power boost as racing stripes. (not real)

Getting ready to watch episode 2 of "The Grand Tour" now on Amazon Prime.