MaxFla

I'm stuck. The recent rebates can get me into a SR for 32000, or plat for 34000, so I am interested in one of these.

I drove both but only short test drives. I want sunroof, but hate to lose the headroom, especially since the the opening part is so small, so not really a point to adding 75lbs to the car. So I can do without. However, I love the 4-cam surround view and other tech stuff, and hate to be left out of the "Nissan Connect with Services"

I love the SR wheels, sport spoiler, and Alcantara. I consider myself a 'driver' so I may like the manual shifting,a nd I can do without the sunroof. I was leaning SR as an easy decision, however...


I live in south Florida, which means there are no curves. No seriously, absolutely no curves. We drive stoplight to stoplight. No hills, no dips, nothing. It is for this reason that I feel I would be wasting the sport suspension and handling benefits of the SR. On the other hand, the roads are pothole free and rain-blasted clean on a regular basis. No road salt or narrow parking spots. We can keep nice things!


Also, I read at least two youtube reviews that said the Platinum or SL are the best trims because the softer ride is more in keeping with the Maxima's virtues. It fails as a sports car, succeeds as a luxury car, blah blah, they say. Then other youtube vids say the SR is still a great suspension for everyday driving.

So my question is; for those have some experience with both SR and non-SR's, is the SR ride noticeably stiff in every day freeway driving? Do you miss the sporty nature of the SR when compared to non-SRs.

Since my two short test drives showed me nothing, help me decide!

MadMax07SL

I really think you're not going to care one way or the other. both will perform well with turns, if you're looking to actually race, then the SR will give you a slight edge but realty is unless you're really pushing it you'll never know. I'd base it on the comforts you're looking for or can live without. Another thing to consider, without a sunroof it's a safer car in a catastrophic collision.

lightonthehill

I don't think the difference in suspension or ride will be major. In fact, I always keep 36 or 37 psi in my front tires and 35 psi in my rear tires on my Platinum (and every Maxima I have owned), which gives me maximum tire mileage and driving control for my style of driving, and the resultant ride reminds me of an SE I test drove.

If I were you, I would log onto nissanusa.com and consider every item the Platinum has that the SE does not, and vice versa. Little things can make a difference. If the panel roof of the Platinum does not give quite enough headroom for you, the headroom can be slightly increased by lowering the driver seat.

As I live in middle Georgia, where the sun really beats down for much of the year, I use the rear window sunscreen full time for half the year (it is slatted so I can still see through it). That screen is only available on the Platinum. I not only use the all-around view for getting in and out of my garage, but also to be sure I am not about to hit other obstacles when maneuvering in close quarters, and to be sure I am centered in my parking space. Does the SE have individual air conditioning and heating under the driver's and passenger's front seats like the Platinum? It may have that, I just don't know. I am also not sure the Driver Alert that is supposed to catch drowsy drivers is on the SE. Like you, I like the looks of the SE wheels better than the Platinum, and also would like the 19" wheels of the SE.

Also consider whether either one you are looking at has extras such as exterior ground lighting (I love that) or the Special Interior Lighting package (choice of 20 colors for interior accent lights) or lighted sills. These can be expensive to add later. I would take the extra time to determine exactly which Maxima would suit me better long-term, because several here have made a quick decision, then regretted it later.

Good luck with whichever you choose.

robtroxel

The only thing the Platinum doesn't have that I miss is the paddle shifters. Not that I am a boy racer but I liked the down shifting approaching stop signs on my 2010 Max

MadMax07SL

Yeah, no paddle shifter is the deal breaker for me, wife was ok without them, her car, her deal.

lightonthehill

At least I can put my Platinum in manual mode and use engine braking on treacherously long downgrades, which I frequently encounter in the Appalachians and along the Blue Ridge Mountains. I did have fun with the paddle shifters on my 7th gen Premium.

MaxFla

Thanks for all the advice. I think it may come down the deal I get. I will shoot for the SR, but if a Platinum deal is too good to pass up, I'll go that route. However...

If I do get an SR, I will skip the camel interior. Looks good, but worried about wear and how long it will keep looking good. For same reason, I'll skip the parchment on Platinum. Which means, an all black interior may push me towards sunroof to brighten things up. I'm 6.1" height, but I shouldn't be afraid of the 0.9" of lost headroom, right?

Argh... curses to Maxima product managers for creating this dilemma!

lightonthehill

There has been a lot of discussion here on maxima.org regarding no sunroof on the SE. I can understand not having the double panel roof on the SE, as it definitely adds weight well above the center of gravity of the car and weakens the roof structure. But I think Nissan may eventually decide that a standard normal sunroof on all SEs might be well-received by most buyers. It would have to be on all SEs, as Nissan cannot allow roof options on any of the five separate versions of the 8th gen Maxima.

Having five separate versions of the Maxima with very limited options makes for a much simpler assembly line operation, and, more importantly, means the dealer can have all Maxima bases covered without taking up all the space on his lot. Dealer lot space has become critical at many Nissan dealers, as many dealerships are not in a location where expansion is possible, and the number of totally different Nissan models requiring lot space is now approaching twenty.

denoose

I joined this forum some time ago but life and family took precedent and while I have been lurking once in a while, I've been away from the site for a long time. I have owned seven Maximas, starting in 1990 and now drive a '14 Premium with the full sunroof, leather, nav, etc. I've driven over 800 K miles in Maximas, and while I can get a killer deal on a BMW- my son works for their corporate office, I think the Nissan still suits me well. I'm going to start shopping and I am also stuck on whether to go SR or Platinum- I love the glass roof and rear sunshade, and the new model's other amenities, but my car has paddle shifters, which I really like, and are only currently available on the SR, so I may sacrifice the sunroof, gain the 19" wheels/ suspension changes, and also go with the camel interior- love the color. I've owned a few SE models in the past and the ride quality was fine for me. I think it will come down to the best deal on either model.

robtroxel

Nice response. I ended up with the Platinum because of the 360 bird's eye view camera set up and I can't tell you just how valuable that has been! Removal of the paddle shifters on the Platinum makes no sense since this car is supposedly "loaded". My 2010 Premium Max even had radio and heat controls in the rear seat center arm rest too! This "decontenting" goes on and they hope we don't notice. Fortunately the competion is fierce.
As said earlier, the handling is not that much different bewteen the SR and the Platinum. The maxima does a great job in the handling dept without beating you down in the ride dept. Really, if it is corner carving you are looking for, then get the BMW.

denoose

Thanks,Rob- I am a bit conflicted between the Plat and SR- my premium has almost the same equipment as the new Plat and I'm very comfortable with the current model. The camel interior really has my eye in the SR, although I'm not seeing any dealer inventory here in central New England. My dealer tells me he can find a pearl white/ camel SR, and there are plenty of Plats available, we shall see...my son returns from Beijing- his current rotation with BMW, in May and I think he's going to push me to wait until then and look at the 540 X Drive- a lot of car for similar monthly cost....

robtroxel

Either way you can't really go wrong. The Max makes a statement just sitting there. By the way, we had the pleasure of touring the BMW Welt building in Munich in December and it was quite a place. The European delivery area is like no other. My wife says we can go back there anytime and she is not a car person!

denoose

We were at Welt in May- my son's office was at corporate, across the road next to the museum, and you're right, Welt is amazing- we met two guys from Chicago while doing the factory tour who were taking delivery of the new M4 GTS models- the cars came up to the delivery area from below on turntables, and were started for everyone to hear, amazing...picked up an X Drive 5 series courtesy of my son for 10 days in The Alps and southern France- also had a test ride- passenger only- in the new Rolls Dawn drophead...that was quite impressive as well!

brentla

I loved the camel color option with alcantera inserts over the platinum or SL series.

The SL does not have the custom looking diamond stitched seats like the platinum. I prefer the rich, deep camel color (a' la like the ferrarri interior colors of past) as opposed to the lighter tan color leather in the platinum. I also did not care for the fake zebra wood paneling in the plat, so I was prefering to use a wood kit from car id instead, at some time in the future. Without the diamond pattern the interior seats are like every other one....... so the diamond is a must to me as it completely sets the car apart from other rides.

THe SR has specialized sport mode select suspension, with technology that is not available on any other trim level.

I am also choosing to NOT take the $400+ rear diffuser, as it is only a "chromed" standard diffuser which is the biggest rip off in the world.. and I am going to buy the Stillen rear diffuser for less $, and get a much better look in my opinion.

The midnight package does not make sense to me as a result of that fact, i am not a fan of the black wheel option, spoiler, etc and I am using the saved money to buy aftermarket rims (VMR 710s and have shopped, called the manufactuer direct and finally found the BEST DEAL OUT there at $ 935 out the door shipped for the 19 inchers. PM me for my contact guy's number) VMR only recently were able to fit the japanses market when they made the 5x114.3 fit available. THey are going to match the cernter bore for the 2017 nissan maxima and I have not seen any custom wheels on google for this vehicle other than Stillen's 2 cars which were really sharp.

Just sayin.' The biggest diff in the plat from the SR trim, is the rims, sunroofs, and wood trim, and all leather seats, and the rearview navi cam views. NOt enough to justify going to the plat vers IMHO. Just my 2 cents..... and take... do ot want to offend those interested on have the platinum model.