lindros2

Does anyone notice the large/wide door sills on the Maxima?

This seems like a cheap oversight of platform sharing (with Altima?).

Am I off base here?

Fishlet

Im not sure I know what part your referring to. Is it the pillar between the front and back seats?

lindros2

Sorry no. That’s the b-pillar.

The actual thing you step over to get in the car.

Super cars have huge ones (ie McLaren, Ford GT, Lamborghini, etc) because of the carbon fiber, aluminum, etc tub that forms the passenger cell.

On the Maxima, it’s just a retarded oversight in platform sharing.

Fishlet

Hmm ok. Hadn't really noticed. Mine is dressed up with the illuminated kick plates, seems ok to me. A little off-topic, but the only part of the body of the car I feel is a bit cheap is the trunk lid. Feels pretty lightweight compared to some other cars I've looked at. Wish it had a more solid feel to it.

lindros2

Not apples vs apples, but with a Rogue loaner, it’s pretty dramatic.
I almost fall out of the Rogue towards the ground when getting out, versus the Maxima forcing me to step up and outward.

Not as bad - by a long shot - compared to a Camry... or even an Altima (whose trunk counter balance/swing arm whatever - I bent with a cardboard box).

Fishlet

Ah ok. Yeah we have a bit of trouble climbing out of the Max sometimes. But that's just thanks to it very low seating position, and my being on the tall side. Perhaps the side "thickness" is a good thing, probably good for the side-impact crash ratings.

kendall89

yeah they're wide. Actually my kids use it as a step getting in and out.

gizzsdad

The width is to achieve higher body stiffness.

Todd Preisler

On a similar note, does anyone notice how these sills are hard to keep dry when washing? This is definitely the hardest car I've ever washed. These sills always have accumulated soap/water after a wash and usually takes several returns to get them dry--perhaps it's inadequate seals or just the design I'm not sure.

robtroxel

Agree with you about the fact that there is more to wash and dry. Still I think the wide sill is a plus for structural rigidity and crash protection. Also agree that getting in and out is a little harder especially as you get older.

lindros2

I dunno man. The doors (at least mid-point) stick out further than the sills (almost convex). The rocker panels (which are basically what I'm talking about) are a lot of plastic - I'm not going to remove it to see what's there for rigidity.

I think this was basically a "how cheap can we share a platform and not have anyone notice".

unreal2k1

I agree with the wide area it covers and having it in super black I find that it was very easy to scratch and that annoys me. I ordered the 3m clear protection for it from amazon and applied it on the driver side which helps a lot. it does take 2 to 3 tries to keep it dry after a wash but yeah its weird how much road dust gets there especially in the winter. I have not put the protection the passenger side yet because I am usually alone in the car lol but I will in the spring when its warmer.

lightonthehill

I was fortunate enough to have a long conversation with a Nissan design tech back before the 8th gen Maxima was released for sale to the public. That conversation took place in April of 2015 IIRC. The 8th gen Maxima was released for sale to the public on June 3rd of 2015. I had been invited by my longtime dealer (from whom I have bought five Maximas) because the Nissan tech had asked my dealer to have a few 'real Maxima fans' on hand when he arrived. We were going over the car closely, and one of the first things I noticed was the very wide sill. The Nissan tech said it was part of a restructuring design process to enable the car to exceed government test standards for side impact collisions.

Being a real 'oldtimer', I had noticed that wide sill because I had to maneuver to get over it when exiting the car, and my best 'maneuvering' days were back in the 1950s.

Another problem I have had with this wide sill (and have since communicated to Nissan) is that driving on a wet road leaves the sill covered with water, and every time I exit the car after driving on a wet road, I soak my pants in the calf area.

But, as fate would have it (and as I have posted here in several places), as my wife and I were driving north on I85 in downtown Atlanta last October 7th, a young lady from Roanoke VA lost control of her Volvo, went into a spin, came across three lanes of the freeway and T-boned us in the driver's door. My wife was driving, and the impact was very sudden and very loud. We were left sitting in the rain in a car with a driver's door that was totally inoperable, and we had been knocked too close to the guardrail on the right side to be able to open the right door.

But we did not get even the slightest scratch. The damage was over $5000, and it took almost two months to be fixed. But we feel the solid structure of the car was very important in our not being injured in any way. So I will happily live with that wide sill and the wet pant legs.

Fishlet

Thanks Light for the story. Glad to here you and yours came through it ok. While I largely ignored my practical side in choosing this car, I was quite happy to learn it scores so well in the safety department. Kinda wonder how that Volvo fared?

lightonthehill

Thanks fishlet. Volvos have always been very solidly built, with the emphasis placed on safety over all other considerations. We know the front of her car was bashed in. We could not get out of our car, so told the police and EMTs we would struggle home despite the damage. As we limped off, we saw the Volvo in our mirrors and thought it was also driving off. The police and EMTs had left. But just as were losing her in our mirrors, we saw her pull over to the guardrail and open her driver's door. Maybe the fan or cooling system had been damaged by the collision, and the engine may have overheated as she sat there while the police and EMTs were working the accident.

You are correct that the Maxima is top-rated in safety. Five stars on each type of collision.

Incidental note - She was insured by Liberty Mutual, and we tried to get them involved for several weeks, but they never called back. So we turned things over to our insurance company (State Farm). State Farm paid all the expenses to get our car fixed, then billed Liberty Mutual for the repair costs. That saved us a lot of inconvenience. I have been insured with State Farm since April of 1958. My wife is also insured with State Farm. We also have our homeowners policy and our umbrella policy with State Farm. Rather than mail our premium payments in, we always stop by their office (we pass right by their office every few days) and pay the premium and and chat a moment. We know several of the folks there, and like to be on good terms with them. Imsurance agents and their staff have quite a bit of leeway in how customers and claims are handled.

Fishlet

Heya Light,

Good to hear you have had good luck with State Farm, but I'd be remiss to not point out that they are at the top of a number of "worst insurers" lists. Google worst insurers and see. Fortunately, you must have someone at the local branch that's putting in a good word ya

lightonthehill

I must admit State Farm has always been very helpful and cooperative with us. We love our agent, his wife, and the six people he has working in his office. We had a bad hail storm at our summer home three years ago, and State Farm paid $18,500 for a new roof with no questions asked. We did pay around $2000 of that cost in order to step up to 50 year architectural shingles. Of course neither my wife nor I have had a chargeable accident in the last fifty years (lucky at times), and no traffic tickets for over twenty-five years (wife keeps me well in check). We also have a fairly elaborate security system in our home. All this helps us get very reasonable rates. I have never priced another insurance company's rates. Our son has not been happy with his Allstate insurance. Our daughter likes her insurance, but I don't recall which company she has.

I think you are correct that the agent you have can be every bit as important as the insurance company you have.