Normal vs Sport
 

I own a 2017 Maxima SL. I've drive in "normal" mode 99.9% of the time. I've only used "sport" on long road trips to west Texas where the added sip comes in handy for passing farm equipment at 90 mph lol. I've seen in threads where people drive in sport mode exclusively and claim sport mode is more efficient. Is this true? I would think the opposite but I'm really ignorant regarding cars. Would someone please explain to me the "benefits" of sport mode? Advantages/disadvantages vs normal. Thanks guys!

I can't say that Sport over Normal gives me better MPG. I have a 2016 SR. My Max is averaging around 27.6 (Sport or Normal). I haven't seen it get above that average. I typically travel 80 to 85 MPH HWY. I suppose if I were to bring it down to 70-75 MPH, I might see an improvement. There are occasions I open it up in a remote area on a straight line and take it to 120. I have topped it only once at the limit (135). It's hard to contain myself with this car because it doesn't take much on the accelerator to get it up there quickly. I like the softer ride in Normal Mode and not having to white knuckling the steering, but I also love Sport Mode where the steering tightens and you feel the ground much more pronounced while the enhanced throttle gives you quite a bit of pop on the gas. The biggest rush is running at cruising speed, whatever that may be, and then nailing it. The car is just very responsive and quick.

So, as it relates to MPG in Sport and Normal, I'm not experiencing any better results one way or the other. I can also say with all the fun I have with the car getting on it, I'm not seeing it affect it adversely either. I just enjoy this car very much. Once you understand how to manipulate the CVT, you get around any potential droning and just let the car perform as it should. I also don't rabbit jump from a stop. All my hard accelerations are from cruising speeds. That's where you get a really good taste of the powerband.

<<So, as it relates to MPG in Sport and Normal, I'm not experiencing any better results one way or the other. I can also say with all the fun I have with the car getting on it, I'm not seeing it affect it adversely either. I just enjoy this car very much. Once you understand how to manipulate the CVT, you get around any potential droning and just let the car perform as it should. I also don't rabbit jump from a stop. All my hard accelerations are from cruising speeds. That's where you get a really good taste of the powerband.>>

Agree 100% with everything said. I have seen no gas mileage difference between the two modes, and I use the sport mode mostly when I am on the highway. And yes, it is very true that you get to experience all the power this car has to offer when accelerating from 40 mph upwards, not from a dead stop.

Do we have a consensus that sport is faster than normal from a cruise?

Nothing official I have read indicates that Sport Mode changes the suspension. It changes throttle response and transmission logic, while increasing steering feel. Cars with Active Sound get a change in that as well, but nothing with the suspension.

I concur

Sport mode adjusts engine, transmission, and steering to enhance performance.

Don't count me in. I find no difference in accel. at cruise in either mode, except for my radio to mimic engine sound. Gawd I hate fake noise. Use the money, Nissan, and cut me a break on better flow mufflers. I need that good, real sound coming in through my windows, not traveling from inside to outside!

From the Owners Manual on Sport Mode: "The Sport Mode adjusts the engine, transmission and steering to enhance performance. In the Sport Mode fuel economy may be reduced."

From the Owners Manual on Active Sound Control (also called Active Sound Enhancement, came with the SL, SR and Platinum): "Active Sound Control enhances existing engine sounds according to the engine speed and driving modes through the speakers and woofer."

More on the above from Bose, which they call Active Sound Management: https://automotive.bose.com/technolo...und-management

Above link found at this Bose site that describes the Bose system in the Maxima: https://automotive.bose.com/vehicles/nissan/maxima

Guys, I respectfully beg to differ with you. If a computer program tries to mimic (enhance?) my existing engine sound (is that engine sound, exhaust output sound, or both, or what?) and pipe it through my speakers then I consider that faked. I want to not only hear the roar, but feel it as well. I want to hear those dB sound pulses directly from my exhaust tips directly to my ears, not through the danged Bose speakers... and I want those outside the car to hear my roar as well. Likewise, if the tire manufacturers were to drastically reduce the tire squeal on aggressive launches to "barely audible", I would not want Nissan to enhance what miniscule squeal was left and pipe it through my speakers. Is it just me?

I want to hear my exhaust, not the engine noises. Suppose there is a mic in the exhaust headers? Still would not work for me. I'd go Corsa Extreme any day. Wonder how much engineering $$ went into that piped-in sound, and I don't even use Sport mode mostly due to the faked electric stiffened steering. That's all you will hear from me on this subject. Normally agree with your opinions and info however, Fatties.

Sport mode 99.9% of the time. The car is super responsive at Highway Speeds flying around another vehicle or on surface streets to get up and go from a dead start at a light. Normal mode is sluggish at best and I only use it in very heavy stop/go traffic to reduce tranny shock. If you can't feel the difference, then you are not really pushing the car to go. The most annoying thing is that I cannot place it permanently in Sport Mode, but have to chose it every time I start the engine, but the car is so awesome that, well, if that's the only hangup then no biggie.

I found that during stretches when I use sport quite a bit, my MPG drops very slightly. It almost has to be that way, because sport is both increasing the RPMs and moving the weight of the car more quickly than normal mode. I consider sport mode to be either for fun driving or for situations where I want quick acceleration on tap, or for when I am driving curvy mountain roads and want to have engine braking as part of the equation.

For regular everyday driving where traffic is very heavy or sluggish (which is most of the time where I live), and speeds are closely monitored by law enforcement, I keep the tranny in normal and just slog along with the rest of the herd.