I'll look into it, given our friend Slava's definitive statement. I'm intrigued, especially since the Accord has abandoned the V6 starting this year, and gone turbo in line four.

 

OK, I just did. I went to https://www.zeroto60times.com/vehicl...-60-mph-times/ for that.Between 5.6 and 6.1 depending on which trim (Sport vs Touring).
2016 Maxima: 0-60 mph in 5.7s

So Mr. Slava speaking without actually knowing.

Nissan Maxi Quarter mile 14.3

 

Twice, the reviewer said, "The Maxima requires Premium". Where did he get that? I did enjoy the review however.

 

He is probably referring to this one where the 2.0T Accord got quite a bit quicker at 40k. 0-60 in 5.3 sec and 104 mph in the 1/4 mile! https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...y-maintenance/

 

Premium fuel is recommended for best performance. It is not required. Some people can't read or are to dumb to understand what they have read.

 

OK. If Mr. Slava calls a 0.4s difference "spanking", I'd say he has very, very high standards :-)

 

5.3 to 60 is pretty damn good

 

Sure is and with a "quoted" only 252hp it's reallly good, and 104mph trap speed is just insane with that amount of power!

 

273 LB-FT. of TORQUE, not the 2.0T's 252 HP is what makes this Accord (with detuned Civic Type R) QUICKER to 60 mph. It is HP that produces top SPEED. Accord 2.0T having more torque and 150 lb. less weight than the Max is the diff. when running 0-60. Now, run the 2.0T Touring against the Max SR (or S, SV, SL for that matter), at a running 40-80 time and I'll bet the Max will "walk" the 2.0T! Proly the 2.0T's trans. will hunt all over the place for its engine's torque sweet spot, as viewed from the Max's rearview mirrors. Of course, your experience may vary depending on your reflexes.

 

‘People buy horsepower, but they drive torque!’ Or something to that effect.

 

Well I know these things....but h/p shows it place by the 1/4 mile and with a 104mph trap speed with 252hp is impressive no matter how you look at it!

 

The Accord has to make more than 252 hp to get those numbers in the quarter mile. BMW does the same thing.

 

That's the official number, 252 HP, and it is believable because it's just a 2.0L engine, even though turbo.

... But the points I was trying to make are:

- even if the Accord is better than the Maxima by 0.3 or 0.4 s I really don't think that qualifies as "spanking"
- you would have to drive really aggressively to benefit from getting to 60 faster by just 0.4 s. I would argue too aggressively.

Not to mention there are factors other than HP, torque and 0-60 to consider when comparing the two. I have not driven a 2019 Accord Turbo, so I can't comment on that one. However, I did test drive a 2016 Accord, and was not impressed ....

 

Did you test drive that 16 with the V6? The V6 is legendary and a fantastic motor. Glad to be back in one with our new Passport. I test drove again the 19 Accord Touring 2.0l automatic and liked the V6 much better. Preference I suppose since many love the new 2.0l turbo.

 

DUDE, that's his opinion. look's are subjective.

 

No, I did not. The one I drove was a four cylinder. My sister has a 2017 Accord Touring (V6, 19 inch wheels), she loves it. I don't doubt it is a great car, I just have a problem with it "smoking" the 8th gen Max.

 

Nice thing about the VQ is the effortless power. You don't have to rev it to redline to get the motor to give you a smile. I am not a fan of 4 bangers........

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/rese...MBd?li=BBnb4R5

This Toyota is not on this list

 

There is always something faster. I also own a 2018 Camaro SS. Accords are the last thing on my list to worry about. Not to mention the heat soak in a turbo car is awful down here in the south. I've owned an FD, 300zx turbo and both suffered in the Summer.

 

Wow ... that is good to know, thanks for sharing. At almost 9000 miles on my 2018 Max, still no problems but too soon to call.

 

This! There's always gonna be someone quicker on the road then you, might as well get over it. The Max' features more than make up for the lack of a few tenths of a second in a drag race.

Fact of the matter is Nissan played their hand pretty well with the Maxima. I don't have the link handy but last time I looked it has sold better than any Maxima since the 4th generation. That's not to say they sell well, but they're doing ok for a sedan in 2019 (when most people are not buying sedans)

As for all those people who say they'd buy the Maxima if only it were RWD, If only it didn't have a CVT, if only it had 50 more HP. No you wouldn't. Maxima has always been aimed at those who want a little bit of sportiness, a little bit luxury... without going all in on any particular direction. Nissan understands their actual customers pretty well. Those who buy the Maxima love it for what it is.


.

 

Agreed. After my wife got her rogue, I said I'd never drive a vehicle with a cvt. What people don't realize is the maximas cvt is completely different than the average car with a cvt. Once a person drives a maxima on a daily basis like myself and everyone here, they realize how good nissan did with the maxima. No, it's not a perfect car, but I'd put it as a front runner in its segment

 

Thanks for remembering, gizzsdad. Yep, I am officially nearer age 100 than age 70. I have owned nothing but Maximas since October 1984, and was driving Datsuns until they changed their name to Nissan in 1984.

I do drive a tad more carefully now than I did 'back in the day', because I don't want to put a scratch on my Platinum.

I have always respected Avalons, and consider them to be a good transportation vehicle for my more elderly friends. But every time I drive by my local Toyota dealer, I glance at the Avalons and wonder if the person who designed their grille is still working for the company.

 

This Avalon grill is an industrial size "Cheese Grater" that somehow got grafted on the Toyota.

 

Hard to imagine a grill like that actually made it to production, I've yet to hear a single person that actually likes it. Do they even do any market research to see how people will react?

I wasn't a fan of the last Camry update either. Looks like they are trying to come up with something Darth Vader would drive.

 

I agree 100% with Fish. 300 HP and 261 torque are not the highest numbers on the market, so if some folks want more than that by all means look elsewhere. There are other, more powerful choices out there.

What is even more remarkable and demonstrate the overall value of this particular make and model is that for reasons hard to understand, as many others have noted, Nissan does absolutely nothing to advertise the Max. Nada. Zippo. Rien de rien. Even though it's supposed to be Nissan's flagship sedan. They push the Altimas really, really hard, heck, there are even more commercials out there for the Versa. I think what that probably means is that they don't need to [advertise the Max], because the car has so many qualities it sells itself to those who've even driven one before, or take the time to test drive one.

Also agree the CVT is quite good for a CVT, even though to be completely honest I still would have preferred a 10 speed transmission (maybe because I had driven regular auto or semi-auto trannies all my life. BTW, what I call semi auto is auto with a stick shift but no clutch - they were somewhat popular in Europe, years ago, but they seem to have disappeared). I drove an Altima with a CVT several years ago (a rental) and it was just awful, like driving a golf cart at high speeds. The CVT on the 8th gen Maxima is a world apart by comparison - and maybe I just need a bit more time to fully embrace it. At least in city driving, because on the freeway I have absolutely no complaints, this car is a beast.

RWD: um, no, thank you. For those of us living in the snowy parts of the US, RWD is a very bad thing. The last time I owned an RWD (a 1986 Chevy Celebrity - yes, a long time ago, and the car as a whole was a real piece of ****) I ended up in the ditch because of black ice and RWD-induced fish tailing. So again, thanks but no, thanks. Now, AWD would be a really nice change and hopefully we'll see it on the next gen Max.

Finally, my own story about the choice between the Avalon and the Max. 14 years ago I got a nice big fat bonus at work and decided upgrading from my 2000 Camry LE V6. I had been a staunch Toyota fan, that one had been my third Camry in nine years so Avalon, naturally, was my top choice for an upgrade. Went to the dealer, test drove one. Liked the additional features and extra horse power, clearly it felt like a big upgrade vs the Camry, but acceleration was tame and suspension was kinda soft. Nevertheless a significant upgrade and I'm ready to buy, But then my wife suggested I stop by the Nissan dealer too, next door, to test drive the 2005 Max. See, her dad [just like the esteemed very senior member on this board who is closer to 100 than to 70] was a huge Datsun/Nissan fan, proud owner of a 1990 Z, twin turbo [plus other, older Datsuns], so wifey says give the Max a try, too. Whaddaya gotta lose?

To make a long story short. Got into a 2005 Max SL, and after the first five minutes on the road my decision was made. Five minutes, if that - is all it took. Went back to the dealer, haggled for some 15 minutes, signed the papers and drove away in my silver SL, which I then owned for another 11 years.

So unless Nissan discontinues the Max, or really **** it up somehow, I am a Max fan for life.

 

I think part of the reason is that It's in this weird pocket where it's not lux enough to win over the Mercedes crowd, and not really a sports car either. It's not really a family hauler either, despite having 4 doors. rogue and pathfinder have that covered. So who do you advertise to? Ads work best when they present a simple message... but the Max is a complex mashup of different inspirations. At best, they may view the Maxima as an "upsell" for folks who already like the Altima, but want a little more.

The other sad truth is most Americans can't afford it these days. The Maxima is a squarely aimed at middle class... not super wealthy but not flipping burgers at McDonald's either. But that class is growing smaller everyday.

.

 

I think the 2 weakest things about the Maxima are the Jatco CVT (long term) and resale value. Buying the extended warranty would be smart for the Maxima. CVT potentially being the weakest link for long term reliability. Still love the Maxima fantastic car even though we got a dud and no longer own it.

 

It does require PREMIUM fuel as stated by NISSAN. if you wish to get the 300HP out of the car premium fuel will do it.

 

Doubt you would ever notice the small difference in Horsepower so I never feed mine anything but regular!.

 

No, it does not require premium. Premium is recommended for max performance.

Seems to me you either haven't read the manual carefully, or don't understand the difference between the words "required" and "recommended".

I put premium in mine anyway, but that's because I choose to. It is not required by Nissan or anybody. Read again.

From the 2018 Maxima Manual, page 10-3 (my underlining):

<<FUEL RECOMMENDATION NISSAN recommends the use of unleaded premium gasoline with an octane rating of at least 91 AKI (Anti-Knock Index) number (Research octane number 96). If unleaded premium gasoline is not available, you may use unleaded regular gasoline with an octane rating of at least 87 AKI number (Research octane number 91), but you may notice a decrease in performance>>

 

They targeted the car to me. I am 66, don't want a suv, already have a Titan pickup, wanted a road touring car for the wife and I. Looked at Avalons-dowdy, looked at lincolns-kinda dowdy, Looked at Honda Accord, every other car on the road seems to be an Accord, Camry, Lexus, Optima. The Maxima has plenty of power, a really nice cockpit, and in my opinion one of the nicer looking cars in its class or even a little above.

 

I had a 2004 GTO. It was actually better in the snow with All seasons than my Altima's. Are the Max's good? My SR altima is very bad.

 

Warranty:
When I bought my '16 SR (off a lease) I added the most bumper-to-bumper extended warranty I could from Nissan. It is a nice peace of mind from that standpoint.

CVT:
I've been test driving other cars lately (mostly to compare with the Max) and I must admit the whole CVT debate has me going back and forth at times. So far, I have test driven a 2015 Acura TLX (FWD) w/ 35k miles. And now just recently, a 2012 Infiniti G37x w/ 52k miles. The TLX did not feel nearly as tight, and not as responsive in steering and handling vs. the Max (SR). Acceleration was strong in the TLX, but I didn't notice a difference when comparing to the Max. If anything, the tranny in the TLX was too punchy in certain and I think this particular car will need a tranny swap (per Honda's recall on these ZF transmissions for the 2015 model year). The G37x was a different story. Acceleration was awesome in the G, however, handling was very close to the Max--again I have the SR. I may have noticed slightly a little more body roll in the G, but overall the suspension and handling seemed more consistent. The G seemed more agile due to being smaller, as well as being closer to even weight distribution.

 

@JS Bach I beg to differ. This new Maxima with its CVT is not more "4DSC-ish" than the original "4DSC", the 92-94 Maxima SE 5spd manual with the VE engine. You seem to have owned every max except the one that defined the term you are trying to relabel. Up until the new Max SR, it was also voted the best looking. A sentiment I also agree with.

 

The design engineer should be fired over that hideous grill.

 

I'm gonna be 60 soon, and have a '13 Premium....I wonder if I would regret trading it for an '18 or '19? Would an SR compare to a '13 or '14 Sport or no?

 

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/3-featu...erfully-weird/

 

i went to the philly auto show in 2020, and saw the newest maxima (in the corner , alone and almost in the shadows of the show) and i saw the Avalon (up front along a big walkway of the show), and the Avalon was way more appealing. and they have a TRD version to boot. the grille is huge and doesn't look great from every angle, but that cane be fixed just like all the things we switch on our maximas. the avalon was way more comfortable to sit in as well, the maxima had an awkward center console shift area.

im sad to say this but the Avalon was a more appealing car this year at the Auto Show.