sschumer

As expected, minor changes.

http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/u...xima-press-kit

NisCal17

Intelligent Forward Collision Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking is a nice standard option. I wish 2017 at least had a blind spot monitor.

lightonthehill

Aha! The 2018 Maxima has added black accents to the front to better accent the Nissan 'V' whoosh. AND added a power riser to the front passenger seat! In a Nissan Corporate survey I just completed this past Sunday, I expressed the wide sentiment of 8th gen Maxima owners that we needed to have a way of adjusting the height of the front passenger seat. and here, just days later, I find Nissan has already taken care of that with the 2018 Maxima!

Other that those two changes, and dropping the storm blue color and changing the shade of red, most changes were in the audio/entertainment/communication area. This is pretty much what most here were expecting. Maybe a little more than I expected. The new height adjustment of the front passenger seat is the 'biggie' for me.

NisCal17

yeah power seat riser is a nice touch. But I could live without it.

Ian B

damn you Nissan, now you add android auto and the rest of us w 17 and 16 models are screwed.

The Director

Power riser for the passenger seat is the first thing I would have asked for.

PapaDroid

hopefully we can get Android Auto the same way people got Apple Car play, by switching out the radio. I would really like the seat riser too. That is my wife's biggest complaint.

Polarisdb

Interesting timing. Last week someone from the dealership I bought from cold-called and left me a voicemail. I assumed it was to offer me a "Great Deal!" on a trade, and maybe the 2018s coming out was the sweetener?

acamarillo

So now the big question:. How much and how hard to retrofit the seat riser to 16s and 17s?

calabs

Looks like the 2018 SL is still going to come with halogen headlights....I will never understand that. Cost or no cost, that car should have LEDs.

The Director

Oh yes. I'm wanting to know that and will get it done as soon as they say it's possible.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Wow, this is first since the 2nd gen 1988 model (30 years ) ! No Max since has had an adjustable height seat for the passenger!

stodge

The buggers! I'd have waited if I'd known about the passenger seat.

slava

I'm glad Nissan is listening to criticism and improving the Maxima to keep it competitive. The Android Auto was obvious and expected, but the passenger seat height is a really nice touch (even though Nissan really should have made it standard). Alas, the Maxima has just lost its Consumer Reports recommendation after being downgraded to below average reliability.

PhillyPhreak

LED headlights should be standard across all trims. The base S model starts at $33,000. It's not a cheap car.

It's ridiculous that a freaking Corolla (2014 and up) has LED headlights as standard and it's not standard on the 8th generation Maxima.

Fishlet

I was sad to hear that so I quickly signed up and took a look. I don't quite understand consumer reports 2 out 5 predicted reliability, when 2016 and 2017 had pretty decent scores overall. The biggest issues were related to brakes, which I think was handled by the recall. The driving impressions in the review was very negative, but I certainly didn't feel the same way about the maximas I have test drove. Hopefully their ratings of th car will increase when actual 2018 survey data starts to come in.

The Director

Consumer Reports is pretty reliable when rating washing machines, refrigerators, etc. but they are not the last word when it comes to automobiles. A better rating system is to balance Edmunds, JD Power, Motor Trend, and your personal test drive.

As for me, the 8th generation Maxima is the 3rd one I've owned over the years and I have found them all the be as reliable as any car on the road.

FattiesGoneWild

Completely agree on this. It is unacceptable not to have LED headlights standard as much as this car starts at.

lightonthehill

I agree. I have subscribed to CR since spring of 1961, and use CU for all major purchases except for automobiles. It sometimes seems they downgrade the Maxima for faults that many would say are not really there. They do not like that the Maxima has a CVT, yet the CVT in the 8th gen is probably the best CVT ever put in a vehicle, and enables the Maxima to attain very good fuel efficiency with a 300 HP normally aspirated engine.

I have owned nothing but Maximas since October of 1984, and have found them to be more reliable than any vehicle I drove between the 1940s and 1984. But I understand that the Maxima has so many accessories and options and variations and features that it would be normal for something to go wrong somewhere. But I have friends with Chrysler, Ram, Dodge, GMC, etc products that have had some kind of problem every day since they bought the car new.

dmc79

No question, it's one of the biggest reasons I went with the SR over the SL. They were priced nearly the same. I decided that I'd rather have the LED headlights and cooled seats than the panoramic roof.

dmc79

Really in this day and age, you are buying either a very reliable car or an extremely reliable car. The odds of getting a lemon are pretty low even from brands that have a poor reputation. The only new car I've had trouble with in almost 20 years was a 2006 Kia Sedona that warped brake rotors every 8K miles and failed a fuel pump which stranded me. Everything else has been basically trouble free with only minor issues like squeaks and rattles or trim issues.

Fishlet

Thanks Light @ Dmc for setting my mind at ease.

I've been haunting these forums for a good part of the year now, And overall it's been very encouraging to me. I'm not a Maxima owner yet, cause I have this crazy idea of liking to pay most of the car in cash, and no big car payment. I just got another month or so till I'm ready to pull he trigger. I'll either get a slightly used 2017 or even new if the generous discounts appear again. It's been a relief that for the most part, no one is having big issues... things like engines and transmissions. Bumps and rattles I can deal with, with a little patience. I'm a bit envious of the 2018 because of the adjustable seat, I got a short wife and I know she is would like that, but no doubt I'll get a better deal on the 17

My only big complaint is the trunk is tiny. Unfortunately that isn't the kind of thing that can't change in a minor refresh, but oh well there's always pros and cons

FattiesGoneWild

The trunk is far from tiny. Its a big trunk.

Fishlet

Perhaps it is, but I say that from my perspective of owning a Hyundai Azera , which has over 16 cubit feet. Some American cars like the impala do pretty good in that department too. I'm pretty sure my largest suitcase will not fit in the Max, it barely fits my current car. Thank goodness it offers back seats that can be opened.

dmc79

The Maxima is closer to midsize than full size, even though it competes with other full size cars. Impala, Taurus, and Avalon are much bigger cars.

lightonthehill

Yep. This is just another situation where the Maxima dos not exactly fit into any rigid classification of cars. But this is primarily only a problem for magazines such as Consumer Reports, where the Maxima does not always fit neatly into their classification breakdown, and I sometimes have to search around a little in order to find the Maxima.

I am happy with the Maxima trunk space, but have noticed that I sometimes have trouble with fitting tall things under the rear shelf/speakers. Of course my 1955 Pontiac Star Chief, 1961 Pontiac Bonneville, 1966 Oldsmobile Delta 88, etc, had vastly larger trunks. But those cars had gas tanks as large as 25 gallons, and the Olds REQUIRED premium fuel. It got 8 MPG around town, 11 MPG on highway trips, and took almost 200 feet to get stopped from 60MPH. Some things have gotten better over the years.

The Director

Price is absolutely no object for me in buying a car, but I don't throw it away foolishly either. When I finally decided I'd owned enough Corvettes, I looked at BMW, Audi, Jag, and Cadillac sedans. For the money and at the size I wanted, the new Maxima Platinum was perfect. I have 935 miles on it now and could not be more pleased, with the exception of no passenger seat riser.

lightonthehill

The Director - Nice post. I am sort of in the same boat, in that I really do look at other vehicles before buying, but always seem to find reasons to move past other vehicles and opt for the Maxima. Not the nicest car on the road, and not the cheapest. But, for me, the best balance between content, style, reliability, performance and price.

lightonthehill

Nice catch, MONTE. I think I know Maximas, but you always 'one-up' me on knowledge and history of the Maxima.

robtroxel

Ironically I had expressed the same sentiments to a Nissan rep 6 months ago. I have one year left on my leased Platinum so I might just go for another since my over all experience with my 2016 has been great!

sschumer

Went to a couple of dealers yesterday, they don't expect any '18s until December. Also asked Nissan via chat when their website would be updated to reflect the '18s, they said they had no idea.

Website: https://www.nissanusa.com/cars/maxima

R1600Turbo

'18's are headed to dealers now.

maxud

I may get flamed for this, but yesterday I had to pick up some parts from a Honda dealer and saw a new accord.
Holy batman, I hope Nissan gets one and compares the available features:
1. Heads up display
2. Android auto and Car play, as well as wireless charging mat (based on latest Odyssey spec, it has user updatable firmware in the headunit)
3. Heated rear seats
4. Paddle shifters
5. 4 not 2 rear proximity sensors

It was probably a top trim car, but I am comparing it to Platinum level Maxima.
I know, different people, different priorities, but I always wanted a HUD display. I am also sad 8th gen platinum dropped the paddle shifters.

Fishlet

I gave the Honda touring a good look too, not a bad car. It's 0-60 time is right on par with the Maxima. Ultimately, the Max still had more appeal for me in the end.

Some things that won me over...
1 - Style, love the look of the Max. No matter how much they try to the dress up the Honda, it always just looks the same, just "Meh"
2 - Interior, Nissan knocked its out of the park with this interior
3 - Safety, Honda has some good safety tech too but I think Nisssans features seem to be a bit better.
4- AFAIK, you can't get the equivalent of the deep blue pearl color in the Touring edition.

R1600Turbo

They probably will, but it won't be for the Maxima.

The Director

I looked at the Accord, the Avalon, and a few others. I just like the way the Maxima drove in Sport mode and the looks so I opted for everything and bought a Platinum.

lightonthehill

My son has a new Accord Touring on which he put very nice 19" wheels and tires. We take turns driving he and his daughter on picnic trips, to parks, restaurants, etc, and his car is very nice. Conversely, he says he likes our 8th gen Maxima better than he likes his Accord.

The reality is, of course, that the Accord Touring is more in the class/MSRP of the Altima 3.5 than of the Maxima Platinum. A loaded Avalon is actually more in the somewhat nebulous class of the Maxima. I much prefer the styling of the 8th generation Maxima to the styling of either the Accord or the Avalon. But everyone has different opinions on style.

maxud

I think my post was taken a bit out of context. I like Maxima, I loved my 4th gen, and when that went, I fell in love with 7th gen. I like the 8th gen looks too.
What I don't like is Nissan's game where they take away features and also don't support previous gen's with simple things like Radio firmware updates to bring latest features in.
I am excited that Honda is pushing the market with so many cool features and my HOPE is that Nissan reacts and brings those features to Maxima as well, hopefully before I have to go and buy another Maxima :-) or a beemer.

I think Nissan is doing ok in styling department, not gonna argue on the looks of Accord vs Maxima. Accord, by the way, came with 1.5 turbo engine. I like
natural aspiration of VQ engine.

Jlkoh102812

https://www.nissanusa.com/cars/maxima

Nissan updated their website for the 2018 Nissan Maxima.

tmokorn

It is definitely disappointing that many features have disappeared from the top trims over the years, even when forcing a higher price point. As a few others have mentioned, the way the trims are staggered makes it more challenging to get what you want without opening your wallet. This is a great marketing strategy, but doesn't make better vehicles. Hopefully these new 18 features will be maintained in future generations and not retracted again. I'll never forget the first time I parallel parked my 2009 premium in the city and wanted to fold the mirrors in... but I couldn't find the close button so I quickly flipped through the manual only to read how to get out and fold them yourself. At least they tilted down in reverse - that was a useful feature. We currently own two 8th gens: one platinum and one sl. We have owned a few Maximas: a 95, 00, 04, 09, and now the 16's. They have all been good reliable cars for us in the past and thus far, fingers crossed. 7k off the sticker price was the biggest selling point for me, along with what I find to be one of the best interiors. Not having CarPlay is a gripe for me because now I know it exists and is possible, but I will not beat the dead horse. Overall, I enjoy the 8th gen a lot and am quite happy with it. Note to self: stop buying the first new model year... every generation...