Greetings from Southern California,

Have lurked this sight a bit and since I am active on other car sights for my projects thought I would join in here for my wife's ride since I am a fan of the brand.

I have always considered the Maxima the "Blue Collar Bentley" and when my wife bought her first car after college I steered her towards the Maxima as a "reward car" for her efforts. She loved her 2001 SE and I maintained that car to perfection for 6 years. We had the dealer add aftermarket leather to complete the sale and whomever they had do the job made that gun-metal Maxima SE look like a freaking Bucati inside. After a few moves and a kid we traded in the Maxima for a (gasp) Mazda5 minivan which the wife drove while I drove my old Barracuda for 3 years. Recently my car needed to become a resto project so the Mazda5 became my daily while the wife got her wish of another Maxima (2013 CV). Given her much-earned status in her career path she got the loaded-est of all Maximas at the dealership, a pearl white with tan interior with every add-on available for 2013.

She's happy. Me, not impressed.

As much as I like the gizmos and add-ons and sleek looks of the new Maxima I cannot help but notice the sloppy quality and finish of this car. The body lines are uneven and the interior is Hyundai-ish. The leather is thin and wrinkled. The doors and trunk are lightweight and cheap feeling when opening/closing. The CVT trans feels like I'm driving a go-cart. The door, hood, and trunk seals look like they are fragile enough to deteriorate in a couple of years. The fake plastic wood's finish is milky and grainy.

What happened to the Maxima Brand? I'll trade gizmos for solid feel, reliability, and performance any day.

Don't get me wrong, my wife loves the car, but the fit and finsih and lack of attention to detail makes me wonder if we will be getting the next gen of the brand.

 

I am sorry you feel this way. Lucky it is your wifes car and not yours!

To me the maxima is like a space ship, so smooth and refined.

 

Weird, I just picked up a '13 Maxima with Tech and Sport Package. I think it's a fantastic car, void of the quality issues you mentioned. However, my expectations may be lower than yours.

You'd be hard pressed to beat its reliability and performance though. Considering its a NA 3.5, the performance is on par with comparable models.

 

I'm strictly comparing it to the previous Maxima's "feel" which was on par with many of the early 90's, late 80's European cars I had owned. You could really feel a sense of craftsmanship that is lacking in our current Maxima. Not saying that this is a slouch car, it is fast and has the bells and whistles but something has changeD in the refinement of the manufacturing.

 

Ah, gotcha. Maybe next years model will close that gap. I had a '95 SE and a 2002 SE, and they were great cars.

 

I think you're a bit harsh in one or two areas but overall I agree with you, they could have done better. I especially hate the dash material. That said, I test drove a 2011 mercedes E550 and a 2012 C350 neither was as fun to drive (although rwd was better throught the corners) and both were much more expensive and the E550 interior looked really cheap, my 2006 Mazda 3 looked better. The newer Mercedes interiors are a vast improvement

Not sure what you didn't like about the CVT, its far superior to any other automatic out there, nothin matches it for highway passing.

But in terms of looks, bang for buck and reliability (most pay less than $35k loaded), it beats everything else out there which is why I bought it instead of Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, Acura, Infinit, etc.

 

It appears to me that you have champagne tastes for someone who lives on a beer budget. For a car fully loaded priced in the low 30's it beat everything else in the price range. I should know as I test drove many other cars costing more which I liked less.

 

Most cars now are the same way. The main culprit is weight. Body panels are lighter as well as trim pieces to compensate for the added electronic nannies. Overall it is still a very sharp car. Enjoy it. Sounds like you two have earned it.

 

From the uneven body lines to the fact that you think that the interior is Hyundai-ish, to your comment about the doors being on the light side, I may be wrong, but this is either a troll or you really wish you had gotten the car for yourself.

 

I agree mostly with the OP. I have a 2012 Max and the doors are pretty tinny compared to the 2013 Honda Accord which is built like a tank. For $34.5k a loaded Max is still a good deal and I couldn't find anything this nice for 35k or under. I did look at Lexus, Audi, BMW, Honda and Toyota very closely. Nothing this good for this price. Even an ES-350 was going to cost me 38.5k at discount in my area. Max's here are not selling and can be bought below invoice, brand new, off the dealer's lots (NW PA).

Greg

 

FWIW if you bought a fully loaded max you could have gotten an infiniti and you wouldn't have nearly as many complaints.

That being said I think the 7th gen's interior is kinda cheap for a 35k car.

Hey at least it's not your car and you don't have to drive it.

 

Thanks for the replies. Sorry if I came off as strictly bashing the new Maxima, which is not my intent, I am just curious as to what happened to their manufacturing and design compared to their previous years. The Maxima is a tried and true platform. I still often see 20+ year old Maximas on the road today which is a testament to their build quality and owner satisfaction. I would hate to see the Flagship of Nissan lose that what made it great. A few pounds here, a corner cut here,....that's how it starts. But I guess that is a topic for another discussion.

Thanks rteenie22, this makes me think about the "MPG Wars" and what Nissan must be attempting to do to compete. I could understand lighter panels and structure but things like the gear shift is what grinds my gears (pun intended). To me, the gear shift is one of the few things that can give a driver the overall "feel" of a car. This 2013's shifter looks sleek and crafted but as soon as I touch it it is a different story. It weighs next to nothing and instead of a solid movement into gear it is a cheap click,click,click of light plastic. The same with the paddle shifters. they could have easily, and afford-ably been billet aluminum or chrome plated steel. A maximum of 2 extra pounds in the shifter and it's mechanisms would make this car's overall feel entirely different. Safe story with some of the trim pieces like cup holders and the center console. A little extra weight and some heavier clasps and hinges would make a world of difference. (IMO)

 

Seabee - You sound like you may be sort of stuck in the past, which, having driven since the late 1940s, is a problem I often have. The days of 'solid feel', 'firm metal', 'built like a tank', etc, etc, are gone. With ever-increasing fuel efficiency requirements, body panels are going to be increasingly thinner and lighter. Weight is now very critical in improving fuel efficiency.

Having said that, I think you may have gotten a 'misfit' Maxima of sorts. All the body lines and gaps between pieces on my '09 Maxima are even and perfectly matched. And my doors and trunk close with a very comforting and solid-sounding 'thunk.'

My Maxima was built in Sept 2008, and has been virtually trouble-free. I never dreamed such reliability was possible back when I was driving Chevys, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, etc, etc.

I love everything about my Maxima, and have seen nothing that can beat it for the price.

 

Buy a GS Lexus.

 

Infinitis are beautiful cars but don't really fit our lifestyle. The Maxima brand is what sold my wife on a new one. She loved her 2001 SE for the entire 5 years she drove it so she naturally went for a new one based on the name alone. It kind of represents a segment of car buyers who like quality, performance, and comfort at a mid-level price. "The working man's Mercedes"

My Wife loves the car. I just like it.But that probably has more to due with me being a car hobbyist and enthusiast.

 

My nearest Acura, Infinity, Lexus dealers are over 90 miles away. The Maxima reaches a lot of smaller markets that other upscale cars are not offered in. The ES-350 just felt like a slightly upscale Camry. I think I'd have to move up to a GS beast to see real improvement and that's not even close to the same price range.


Greg

 

Well production did move from Oppama, Japan to Tennessee since for the Max. The plants over there seem to be more stringent and do have better quality control and workers may take more pride in their work, the Tochigi plant that builds the Z and G now (Q50) is known for is quality control.

 

I hear you there. I've driven quite a few Dodge and Chevy Sedans as rentals and they are lackluster to say the least.

 

Thanks for the input Seabee. I am not sure i have noticed the shifter clicking so maybe a one off. Its strange which issues people have with the Maxima. I for one love the interior. The grinding of the seat when it moves back is a little ghetto for my tastes but I like the rest. I HATE the cheapness of the silver trim, how the door edges for them are sharp and not rounded. I also hate that the silver trim on the trunk rubs against the trunk itself. Other than that I love everything about the car, except the coolant smell that i cannot seem to find or get rid of

 

With my experience with current BMWs and Mercedes I would have to disagree. Even VWs for the most part but I have less experience.

There is a reason my physically smaller 4 door bmw(with an engine that weighs less) weighs more than your maxima.

 

As much as it hurts to say, I think you are on to something there.

I got to witness a Shipyard is Sasebo Japan for a few weeks and was blown away with there commitment to quality and actual work performed.

 

As much as it hurts to say, I think you are on to something there.

I got to witness a Shipyard is Sasebo Japan for a few weeks and was blown away with there commitment to quality and actual work performed.

I hope that isn't the case

 

I got my 13 Maxima with sport and tech package nearly a month ago and I have to say I disagree with pretty much everything you wrote about it. Maybe the one you picked up is a bad example.

"The body lines are uneven and the interior is Hyundai-ish."

I went over my car with a fine toothed comb and the body lines look perfect on mine. The panel gaps are perfect and there appear to be no flaws on the exterior. The interior I have is beautiful. The soft touch material, which I've seen described as elephant skin, doesn't look bad to my eye, feels great, and is soft touch. I'm not sure what you mean by an hyundai-ish interior though - care to elaborate? I don't see a hint of hyundai there.

"The leather is thin and wrinkled."

Wow. The leather in my car feels rich and thick and there are no wrinkles anywhere (except for maybe on the steering wheel and only in tight spaces with difficult to smooth out bends in the wheel). My dad drives a 335x and he has commented that the leather in my Max is nicer than the leather in his BMW. I consistently get compliments on the quality of the interior.

"The doors and trunk are lightweight and cheap feeling when opening/closing."

This is subjective. I came out of a 2005 Accord and the doors feel as substantial if not more substantial. They close with a satisfying thunk as well. It isn't germanic (I've owned VW's and driven MB's and BMW's before, so I know what that's like), but it feels solid and a step above the Accord (and the Altima, which I looked at as well).

"The CVT trans feels like I'm driving a go-cart."

It takes some getting used to. I've driven manuals and automatics and admit I was very hostile towards CVT (especially when Honda decided that was going in all of their four cylinder Accords as the base transmission). Since I test drove the Max though, all I can say is that power cures the problems I thought I'd have with it. The transmission is direct, efficient, and very fast. It does "moo" a little, but that's hardly noticeable anymore to me. What I like is the feel of instant power (when I want it) and quiet smoothness (when I want an easier, smoother ride). For the first few weeks of ownership, I was amazed at how quick the Max was without having to go past quarter throttle. My advice on this issue is to drive it more and see if you don't get used to it.

"The door, hood, and trunk seals look like they are fragile enough to deteriorate in a couple of years."

I don't see this on my car. The seals look perfect to me and are at least of the same quality I had on my Accord.

"The fake plastic wood's finish is milky and grainy."

This is one of the reasons I chose the Sport SV with Tech instead of the Premium SV with Tech. I didn't like the look of the fake wood, but that's not exclusive to Nissan.

That said, there are small fit and finish problems and it isn't perfect. I'm no fan boy, but the car definitely feels like it's a hair short of Infiniti quality. I wonder if the car you ended up with isn't a good example. As for what happened, I suppose the move to manufacturing in the US has something to do with that.

 

the doors are no lighter than your typical asian lexus, infiniti hyundai. All the same typical steel. If you want a stronger heavier feel u have to go american or european.

as for the car, ya it's not as refined as a lexus but it's pretty reliable. my car has 80k miles and so far no problems.

 

I would like to make a few points just to clear a few things up, even though I am not an automotive engineer. OTOH, many of these facts are easy to search for.

1. The materials in the Maxima are top notch. These materials do not have the same feel of the materials employed inj the 80s or 90s for many reasons, manly because of the fact that there are far more airbags in automobiles today than there were then. You don't want heavy plastic flying around slashing your head when the air bags deploy.
That is why almost all modern cars, luxury cars included, do not have the same feel as they did in the past.
2. Manufacturers use lighter materials and composites held together by glue in order to decrease weight, improve gas consumption and performance. You can't get 0-60 in 6 sec with heavy doors, neither can you get 24 mpg in a 290 hp car if you were using the same materials as in the 80s and 90s.
3. The Maxima is not a poor man's *anything*, especially not a poor man's Mercedes. I chose the car after pondering my choice for months. I could easily afford a car far more expensive than this. In fact my maximum (no pun intended) budget was $65000. My other vehicle is a recent Sequoia Platinum which my wife uses to commute 100 klms in moose country to get to work (she is an RN).
Why did I chose the Maxima? I was blown away as were many others that own one in here. No Cadi, BMW 325 or Infiniti gave me the value that this car gives us or the looks and handling.
4. I too am a car enthusiasts also and without wanting to give the impression that I am a fanboy, for the exception of the Acura Legend that I owned in the 80s, this is the car I am enjoying the most.

Just a little too much whining for my taste, especially from someone that drives a minivan, a Mazda5 and a ...Baracuda.

No malice intended.

 

Those are fighting words!

Thanks for the insight.

 

ndk1: a well laid out, if not a tad forceful, opinion there.

I think the OP's issues stem mostly from expectations and may be influenced by picking up a sub par example.

I too had lots of choices before I chose my Max. I was looking for a business lease and had a wide range of vehicles to choose from. I looked at Cadillac's, BMW's, Audi's and Acura's and couldn't find the right combination of options to fit my lease allowance.

I also looked at a new Accord, a few Buicks, the Camry, the Avalon, and the new Fusion and couldn't find the right blend of lease price, features, and power/performance.

Then a friend of one of my partners suggested I look at a Maxima, which is what he drives. I test drove one, did a ton of research, and discovered that the Maxima, a car way under my radar, had a near perfect blend of things I wanted for a price that fit my lease allowance.

It isn't a poor man's anything - it's Nissan's Halo sedan (the GT-R is a specialty supercar and the Z is more like a Corvette - performance halo's but everyday driving where I live, with snow and cold half the year? no thanks!). Truth is, the Maxima could be an entry level Infiniti. As a matter of fact, my Dad used to have a m35x and the max reminds both of us of that car. Similar layout, similar performance (my Max is faster than the M35X was), and similar features.

That said, it isn't perfect, but I'm not sure that most Maxima's have the same issues as the OP pointed out.

 

Well they do cost the same, so yes.

Entry level luxury sedan or flagship consumer model.

 

Here's an example of trim lines. Maybe mine is just a bad apple.

 

can you use an actual measuring device? The camera is further away in the 2nd pic, which makes the first look artificially larger

 

To each his own...I own(ed) both a 2000 SE and a 2009 S and the cars are night and day.I loved both cars but the 2000 was more trouble than it was worth(coils,MAF) so we got rid of it for a new Pathfinder.
The 2009 has not had any problems and I have had roughly 10,000 miles of trouble free driving.The day we saw the new 7th gen at the dealer,the Pathfinders days were numbered.
If I was offered both the 2000 and 2009, brand new, with 0 miles on both,I would choose the 2009 every time!

Fit and finish on my car is second to none! So sorry to hear you may have got a car that was made on a Monday.

EDIT- You complain about a miniscule gap on the Max,the gaps on your Dodge product must resemble the Grand Canyon...you must lose lots of sleep over that one??

 

I brought maxima in 2009 since then never had any issue. Running perfect and smooth. Except minor body rattles.

 

I have a question please help me guys. Sorry for posting it on this thread.

I have 2009 maxima. Not under warranty. Yesterday I noticed passenger side mirror led turn signal stopped working. How can I replace that? Do I have to buy whole mirror unit or can I just replace led part and how to replace it I mean take the burned led out and put new one?

 

I can totally relate to what you're saying Seabee.

I have the same view when comparing my 5.5gen to my 3rd gen. In my opinion, aside from the 4th gen, the 5th generation Maxima was the "cheapest" (from a manufacturing standpoint) to date.

Yet, take a look at the 4th and 5th gens. They were the bees knees when they were new. Winning import car of the year awards, constant magazine publicity, big advertising dollars being dolled out for tv commercials... They catered to their target audience, and the product suited their customers well. There are tons of them still going strong. Nissan sold MORE Maximas throughout the years they were struggling MOST financially.

But does that make them the strongest, best built, best handling, most technologically advanced cars out there?

When they swapped out independent rear suspension in 1995 did Nissan's target audience notice? When Nissan stopped offering forged internals did the target audience care? What about when they started using plastic valve covers because it's cheaper to produce? When they started using one engine for 80%+ of the vehicle line up? (Think W-Body GM Guys)

Regardless of what materials they use and what assembly plant they're built at. ALL of the new car manufacturers are going to cater to their audience, and try to sell as many as they possibly can, spending the least amount of money. It's simple economics and essential for any companies survival.

So in that sense, it doesn't necessarily appeal to people like me. People like Seabee perhaps. They're engineered for the average consumer. They look good on paper, they're comfortable, the quality isn't sub-par for the price bracket, they're peppy. But they feel disconnected to some of us... like the engineers are just producing parts to be used as many places as possible. Not working together to make a COMPLETE PRODUCT. They're all a bit compromised. They don't have the poise and personality like I found on my third gen and SE-R of the early 90's. You could feel the love and dedication that went into the entire design process. New cars. Aside from a handful. They're just meh.

 

Two thing came to mind when reading your post. One was how you associate which car you are going to buy based on a economic/social scale. Two was your quality comments.

Lets start with #1.

I have been driving Maximas for many years. At the time I had both my '03 and my '05, I could have easily afforded a loaded 7 series BMW or a loaded S class Mercedes. I choose a Maxima. Why? I could not justify paying 3 times for a car that is maybe 1.5 times better. The Maxima is just a bargain. I paid $24k for a brand new "S" which stickered at $35k. What other car would be anywhere close to the Maxima at $24K?

#2

Agreed is some ways. I agree with some of the fit/finish concerns. The Maxima hayday IMO was during the 5th gen with fit/finish. MY 6th gen was decent and my 7th gen is decent. The current '13 Maxima is a 5 year old design. It uses molded rubber for a dash which is exactly what BMW used in '08. Its toward the end of its cycle life and is showing it's age. The current 3.5 Altima is a better car at the moment and your hearing that from a Maxima guy! Nissan has made many improvements to the Altima like a better use of higher quality materials in the cabin, high strength steel allowing for a lighter chassis and a more modern dash layout and switch gear. The Altima even has a larger cabin and a larger trunk! Really the Maxima will not shine over the new Altima until the 8th gen comes out.

I am not sure what other cars you are comparing the Maxima to but I can say I have plenty of friends with Mercedes and BMW and they are great cars but also have their flaws. I can remember many times I would ask them what their car is in service for this time.

 

Oh yes! I had a 1998 GS400, loved that car! Talk about a quality car!

 

Oh the '00 was awful with the coils! Thankfully my '01 did not have those issues. I put 70k on it before I bought a 5.5 gen '03 and loved the 3.5 in that car! I will say the 3.0 was smoother than the 3.5 however.

 

Maybe for MSRP, but nobody is paying that. I tried to Get a G37S 6mt sedan at a discount and I couldn't get anywhere near a fully loaded Maxima price.

 

I disagree with just about everything you said except the interior but not for the reasons you stated. The tan looks awful IMO and you should have gone with black leather

 

My wife's G37 cost $8,000 more than my SV.