I have driven about 800 miles in my red Maxima Platinum. I am liking this car more and more. It is not as smooth or quiet as some other cars I test drove, but I love the interior. I was told I didn't have the recall issue. But when I started the process of getting a leaky headlight replaced I discovered that my car was part of the recall. The gas tank was replaced the next day along with the headlight. So far I have had no other problems. I am still waiting for the interior light package to arrive. It is on some kind of hold from Nissan. According to the car my gas mileage is about 24 mpg. It would be better but I am having too much fun driving. I am 6 ft tall and have plenty of room in the car.

I never placed much stock in the car reviews. The Maxima is really an in between car. It may not compare to and Audi or BMW, but those cars similarly equipped are $10000 more. It is not as big as an Avalon, but the Avalon has a terrible ride. The only other car I was interested in was a Ford Fusion. The Fusion is about the same size. I thought the Fusion was quieter and had a better ride. But was no match for the Maxima when it came to power and the interior.

 

Nice review.

 

Which Maxima do you have?

I just got an SR, and aside from the excessively firm ride (which I knew going in), and the heavy steering at low speeds (completely insane, makes no sense), the car is way better than my 2015 Mercedes C300 was. Handling, highway speed noise and has more amenities (leather, adaptive cruise etc) for about $10k less.

I do miss the auto folding mirrors though and the brake hold feature at red lights (I have to hold the brakes now with my feet? The extra touches of luxury cars I do miss...)

 

Coulis red Platinum with Cashmere interior.

 

nice review..i just drove my friends '15 Ford Fusion and I completely agree with the comparision. the climate controls in that car are a complete loss compared to the Maxima and pretty much the entire interior..i really liked the car until I got my Max.

 

I believe if the 2016 Maxima Platinum came with brake hold and power folding mirrors, then the car would receive a 10 out of 10 for me...

 

I wish the passenger seat would raise up. My wife is short and not a fan.

 

My wife has the same complaint.

 

well this is kinda what they do.....

 

I also think it needs a height adjustment when I sit over there. If you're under 6', you don't need or want to sit that low.

 

I wonder if the seat could be raised by adding a couple flat washers between the seat bottom and the movement mechanism at each corner? The only concern I would have is that you could use the same crash tested bolts that came with the car for safety. Any thoughts?

 

This has been a complaint with all reviews.Don't know what they were thinking!

 

Interesting idea, but we have to be careful with changes to safety systems. All the crash tests, etc, were done with the seat as it comes from the factory, and it may be possible that adding washers might slightly change the performance during a crash. If I felt strongly that more height was needed, and adding a seat cushion was not satisfactory, I would add only high quality stainless steel washers. Also, the nut on the bolt to which the washers is being added was probably torqued to a specific tightness at the factory. I would use (or rent or borrow) a good torque wrench, and use the 'reverse' system to determine to what foot/pound the bolt was tightened, so as to be able to re-tighten it to the same torque.

 

I chose to add to this thread because this is an 'impression' thread, and I will be mentioning an article in today's (Friday) Atlanta Journal-Constitution which I feel is based on the author's 'impressions.'

Emma Jayne Williams does vehicle testing and vehicle writing for the Fort Worth TX Star-Telegraph. Often (including today) I see her articles reproduced in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Today, her article on the 2016 Maxima took the top half of the front page of the Auto section. It was entitled (in very large letters) 'Revamped Maxima A Hit.' Based on Maxima sales so far, I took that headline to mean the new Maxima was a 'hit' with her personally. After hundreds of words about all the new features of the 2016 Maxima, she finished with 'Maxima is more than a stunning sports car. It is a comfortable, fun-to-drive luxury sedan with lots of advanced technology and amenities.'

I feel just as she does about this 2016 Maxima, but am painfully aware there are those here on this board who feel differently. Such is life.

 

@lightonthehill Well said. I do feel that this Maxima is suited to the individual tastes of individuals and not the consensus of current Maxima owners or outsiders (owners of other brands). I do feel that this is one vehicle you have to experience to believe instead of see to believe. I test drove once and will be going back today to test drive again. Of course, there is some bias as I'm an owner of a 2012 but I try to be partial and looked at vehicles in the class of the Maxima and a few above it. I still gravitate to it because of its value in terms of what you are equipped with and the style factor which seems ahead of its time but never appreciated.

My very first 'impression' was when I pulled up by one and didn't realize it was a Maxima (I was on the phone). When I got out of my car to go the trunk, I noticed the wheels and the black spoiler and my eyes widened as I stood up straight to take in the whole car. It was beautiful to me and gave me a totally different feeling than did the ads, pictures, and commercials. The next day I went to test drive one. It was in fact, "stunning," "comfortable," "fun to drive," and very "advanced." Even the assistant manager (who drives a 2015 BMW 5 Series) stated the many "trumps" the Maxima had over his overpriced "Ultimate Driving Machine." You're right, however, with this version so many people feel differently than they do the same.

 

I was set on a Fusion 2.0t until I drove one. Horrible gearing and low end torque, to the point that it would absolutely suck in traffic or light-city driving. On paper it was awesome, real world---not so much. The OP is right...this is not a 4DSC as advertised. It's a comfortable tweener car. Decent handling, great power, luxurious enough. My wife loves her SR.

 

Just don't get the SR if you want comfortable and if you get the Platinum it isn't nearly as buttoned down, sporty or handles nearly as well as the SR.

I picked the SR and it is definitely the firmest sports suspension I've ever experienced. It's great for good roads and terrible for poor roads.

 

6100 miles on the odometer and I still love it. It's an amazing striking car on the road and I love stepping on that pedal. Always gives me a smile. I still get a lot of stares and people complimenting it everywhere I go. But the pride and joy to me still is the interior. People say you can get an Infiniti for a couple thousand more but the interior is not as nice in my eyes. When People say the cvt kills it for them, they have not driven it plain and simple. I hope this car keeps me problem free for years to come.

 

My SR came with 37psi in the tires. It rides a bit more comfortable with 33psi.

I was surprised when my wife chose the SR..it was her decision being her car. However, my family loves the seats in my Focus ST and we took it on a 2200 mile round trip this year. She didn't mind its suspension which is much tighter than the SR, so I guess I finally turned her into a person that enjoys a tigh firm ride over a floaty suspension.

 

GREAT color combination!

I have the white pearl (Platinum) with cashmere and it was very hard to find ANY color with cashmere.

 

I love the colors. I was lucky they had one on the lot. I really liked the blue too.

 

Do you mind letting me know what you paid and where exactly you found this with Nissan? Did you have to call corporate or you ordered through their website somehow, or from a local dealership?

 

It was part of my initial deal. I just had to wait for the dealership to get it in. There was some kind of quality control stop from nissan.

 

You can find it on the Nissan parts store. Pricing varies based on the dealer you choose, but I believe MSRP is about $210.

Here is a link.
Interior Accent Lighting

 

Not sure what installation would cost. It took the dealer about 5 hours.

 

Yeah is a lot of work butit looks cool i did my but i did extra I installed 2 kits i did 4 leds on the center cup holder and under the rear sits

 

My question from day one,why do 99% of all touring cars not come with passenger 6 way so the seat can be raised up,same complaint my wife has and has had,our fusion we traded in,had the seat at about the right height for her,but than again,fusions don't come with an adjustable pass either,for 40 plus you would think both seats would be 10 way. Love my platinum,now have 2 grand on it,gets 27-29 city and 30 highway,but our heighway speeds here in maine are rather high 75 and most of us drive 80-85 so my milage does not improve much at that speed,but at 50-60 on flat straight roads,even with winter blend in,i still get around 28 average,and it gets to 135 mph in a hurry,yes speed sensored,will not go past that speed,and my gps is dead nuts on,so on that it ran an impressive 134 mph,so speedo is dead on to.

 

Forgot to add to my last post,about the pass seat height challenge,well my daughter and I was out shopping at wally world,and saw this seat riser,black which fits nice to wifes side seat,with tailbone area cutout,so I asked my daughter who is same height as her mother to test it before we wrap it for Christmas,she said it fit great,felt good,and you could even feel the heat right thru it,i said great wrap it up,we have a winner.

 

What is this "seat riser" you are referring to? Can I get this online? My wife is short as well and dislikes the low passenger seat setting. Any info would be appreciated.

 

Type "set riser" into your search engine.

 

Google search or on this forum search?

 

To all of you posters with wives complaining about the passenger seat not having a height adjustment...get a taller wife! LOL. I am 5'10 and my wife is 6'...no complaints from her! Merry Christmas.

 

Its a pillow seat,in black and fits nicly,has a cut out for the tailbone,and my daughter who tested it out,said she could still feel heat come up thru it,so the heated seat still worked fine. It sells for under 15 bucks at walmart,in the auto section.