Degree of Seperation

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08-19-2018, 02:47 PM

dgraham2038

Junior Member

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Join Date: Jun 2003

Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma

Posts: 57

Degree of Seperation

I recently purchased a used 2015 Altima S as a third car for my wife and I. The car will eventually be given to my oldest boy. This is my first time spending a significant amount of time with an Altima as I am on my fourth Maxima (currently have a 2017 Maxima Sr). The Altima has exceeded all expectations, the gas mileage is awesome, the ride is smooth and the 4 banger has decent power. When I used to see these on the road I used to think the Maxima should have a bigger degree of separation. However, after driving both (I realize the very basic S doesn't compare to a loaded Maxima SR) the degree of separation is a lot bigger than I thought. The interior in the Maxima in my opinion is underrated. I think its one of the best interiors around. The power is simply awesome. I have yet to find a situation where I thought I didn't have the power to accomplish whatever I needed to do. CVT Hate, I just don't get it. 300HP and 25-27 MPG - I will take that all day, every day. Even when you shut the doors, there is a noticeable difference. The Maxima is heavier and the handling is night and day. The Altima is a good car but it aint no Maxima. And damn they sell a ton of Altima's as they are all over the place!!

08-19-2018, 03:29 PM

slava

Member

Join Date: Apr 2017

Posts: 126

Yup. I had an Altima SV as a rental recently and it felt very rudimentary compared to my Maxima S. It's actually reasonably fast and quiet, and handles well, and has better visibility than the Maxima--but on the whole it feels much less "nice." I think the Maxima's front seats are better, and I'm used to the cockpit feel. Also, the Maxima's interior is just more upscale.

08-19-2018, 03:50 PM

Fishlet

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Join Date: Mar 2017

Posts: 718

Dgraham,

glad you are liking your Maxima! I agree the Maxima is a very underrated car, CVT and all. It's a great all around car. There's a few disappointed folks because it's not really a "sports" car, but it is great at what it is, a well rounded above average performing near luxury car.

08-19-2018, 04:08 PM

zup28w

Junior Member

Join Date: Aug 2018

Posts: 87

Quote:

Originally Posted by dgraham2038

And damn they sell a ton of Altima's as they are all over the place!!

The price points between the 2 cars is quite significant. You can get an Altima 3.5 SL for about the same price as the base Maxima. It comes with all the safety and electronic goodies which aren't available on the S and SV Maximas.

- Zup

08-19-2018, 05:41 PM

Fishlet

Senior Member

Join Date: Mar 2017

Posts: 718

I rented an Altima on my last vacation. Didn't see the point in paying mucho donero to rent a car I already own, even though I would have preferred it. The rental agencies put the Max in the premium category, so when they're trying to gouge us for 50 bux a day for a lousy econobox, it's hard to justify spending one bloody cent more than I have to

that said, I quite enjoyed the Altima during my 2 weeks with it. No it didn't compare at all, but it was comfortable, reasonable quick, and the driving dynamics seemed pretty natural to me (perhaps all Nissans have a similar feel) . So good enough for the average joe

08-19-2018, 07:22 PM

Mike Dee

Junior Member

Join Date: Jun 2018

Posts: 48

Interesting post. I’ve never owned either car before until now when I purchased a brand new leftover ‘17 Maxma SR. I was in the market for this size of vehicle and was torn between the usual contenders . I ended up with the Maxima for the obvious reasons you described. I’ve never given the Altima much thought until recently. It seems I see them all over the road and very few Maxima’s for some reason. I started to wonder if maybe those Altima owners knew something I didn’t. So, this post is just the thing I needed to put my mind at ease about my purchase.

Last edited by Mike Dee; 08-19-2018 at 09:04 PM.

08-19-2018, 08:00 PM

zup28w

Junior Member

Join Date: Aug 2018

Posts: 87

My wife and I recently test drove a 2015 Altima 3.5 SL and some 2017 Maxima S/SVs. The Altima was very comfortable and drove well. She's been driving a V6 Hyundai Sonata and wasn't too keen on a lot of the 4 cylinders. She was happy with the Altima but then we drove a Maxima and the extra power was quite noticeable. She made up her mind that she wanted an Maxima.
- zup