Greetings to everyone...I have been reading this forum for a while and I finally decided to join your fine company today. So, to the point of the thread's title; I currently drive a 2015 Mustang Ecoboost Premium (black on black, ebony leather interior, automatic transmission and Performance Package....a little over 10K miles in 14 months of ownership). I have a great offer (I think) to trade into a silver 16 Maxima SR, with the "Midnight Package". I owe 25K on my 'Stang...they offered me $23,500 and an Out-The-Door and On-The-Road final price, using Nissan's 0% APR for 72 month financing offer, of $36,500.

My question to the forum is: has anyone traded into a 16 Maxima from a "muscle/sports car"? How do you feel the overall driving experience with the Maxima is, compared with the car you traded in? I had a 2011 Nissan Altima 3.5 SR for four years, before I purchased the 'Stang...and I loved it. To be honest, I miss the utility and functionalism of having a sedan, vice a two door coupe. But, I do enjoy driving the 'Stang. I have driven 16 SR on two separate occasions (for about 15 minutes each) and while not the pure, unadulterated driving experience of the 'Stang, it was enjoyable and more viseral than I remember the 11 Altima SR.

Bottom line...I am ready to get rid of the 'Stang for a number of reasons...and I am seeking a functional, utilitarian car, that is stylish, reliable, powerful and attractive. To me, the Maxima fits all of these. What say all of ye on this fine forum? Thanks in advance for any and all input, opinions, advice and outlook on this topic.

AG

 

I drove a RWD V8 muscle car for years and find the 8th gen to be a real sweet ride. The test drive sold it for me.

 

Mls277,

Thanks for your input; is there anything, in your opinion, I will miss driving the 8th GEN Maxima, as opposed to driving the 'Stang? Since my 'Stang is the turbo four cylinder, and factory stock, I don't think there will be a big "speed difference" between the two. I know the 'Stang will probably handle better but, I will give up a little handling for having four doors, more room, more tech and more utilty/functionalism in the Maxima.

 

I love my Maxi SR. The power is decent, interior is nice and I like the feel. Could have a little more power but in sport mode the CVT holds power quite well. I used to drive a 6.0 GTO and I'm happy with the Maxi. Not nearly as much power but I don't need to go as fast as I used to. I wish it was an all wheel drive.

 

Currentking,

Thanks for the reply; I too had a GTO...2006, silver and automatic transmission. It has been, without a doubt, my favorite car. It was fast, comfortable, stealthy and I loved the "guttoral" sound of the exhaust. So...does the SR ride "rough or jittery" to you? Many videos and written interviews I have read all say the SR trim's "sporting nature" and stiffer suspension make its ride and road handling/manners a bit too rough at times and the reviews caution if one wants a "smooth ride" to not select the SR trim. The only other concern I have is that a few buyers on KBB and Edmunds have noted the driving position is narrow and their right leg rubs uncomfortably on the hard plastic of the center console, especially on long drives. Do you think the drivers' position is too narrow, because the center console is too wide and thus reduces the width of the driver's space...and can cause/causes the driver's right leg to rub uncomfortably against the hard lower plastic of the center console? This didnt seem to be an issue to me on my two test drives, but three or four people noted it in their reviews on the Maxima on KBB and Edmunds.

 

I test drove the GTO in 2006 and wish I had bought it! What a great car.

 

I had a 2006 yellow one with 6 speed. I loved the power! The tires didn't like it as much.

The ride is firm but that is what I love about it. I don't think it's rugged and harsh. You do feel the bumps and ruts but it would be no different in a real sports car. I also feel the ride is different due to the size of the rims and low profile tires. When exceeding the speed limit around a corner it feels firm and stable especially when the auto braking kicks in. Auto breaking does lessen the fun but is safer.
I only drive in sport mode because the steering is firmer which I like and the torque is pretty much constant. The downfall is the squirliness of the front tires when full throttle. The steering wheel does rock back and forth.

I am a huge fan of the interior. The roominess to me is much better than the Audi and Mercedes in the same class. The leather is nice and the front lef room is top notch. I am 6'8" and can completely put my legs straight. My knees lean against the side well and it is very comfortable to me.

The 2 things I don't like about the car besides the availability of CarPlay is that I am concerned how long the soft leather(alcana or whatever it's called) will last on the steering wheel and drivers seat and the ability to add horse power is minimal due to the tranny.

I am extremely pleased with the car!

 

Serious response - you'll miss feeling like you're driving a "cool" car.

You'll miss the "regular" (non-CVT) transmission (but shift paddles on the SR + suspension bridge the gap a lot more than the other trim levels).

You can add a Stillen exhaust to get back some of the sound from the Mustang. If you want.

Other than that, the Maxima is kind of coupe-ish. People have commented that it's tighter than the 7th gen - and for me, that makes it feel more like a sports car than a traditional sedan. Call it a "poor man's Audi A7 or Mercedes CLS".

 

I've had Alcantara on a bunch of cars (not the Maxima - mine is a Platinum), and I've found it to be a great material (at least on the seats).

My 2000 Audi S4 and 2009 Nissan GT-R were the best (I went with black on both cars). The odor was fine - better than cars with plastic-y leather, durability was great, and it stayed cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than leather.

I believe Alcantara is about 70/30 polyester and plastic.

Re: steering wheel - just be sure to clean it to get your hand oils off of it...

 

Personally I feel the Maxi SR is "cooler" than a mustang eco boost. The performance should be extremely similar as both have close HP and weigh the same. You won't get the turbo lag in the Maxi either.

As stated before, sports mode is a world of difference from regular.

 

Lindros2,

Thanks for your reply; I appreciate the information. Although I am a "Gearhad", I am not over critical of the CVT. I had a 2011 Nissan Altima 3.5 SR and I loved it. It was relatively quick for a 3400 LB sedan and I didn't have any issue with the CVT...and I understand the one in the 16 Maxima is supposed to be even better tuned. And since my turbo four 'Stang has the stock exhaust, the Maxima will be louder and sound better in its stock form already; I haven't replaced the stock exhaust because in my opinion, all of them sound like a four cylinder and none offer significant HP gains to warrant spending around 1K for a nice stainless steel system.

As far as being tight, is it so tight as to be uncomfortable or clausterphobic? As I said in my original post, a few written reviews on KBB and Edmunds and a couple of video reviews on You Tube, noted that the driver's position and seat room was "tight" and this caused the driver's right leg to rest uncomfortably on the hard plastic connected to the somewhat wide center console. What is your opinion/experience as to this question?

And Currentking, the weights/HP for the two cars are relatively the same:

16 MAX: 3660 (18 gallon gas tank full) 15 EB: 3619 (15.5 gallon gas tank full)
(This is using the figure each liquid gallon of gas weighs 6 pounds)

16 MAX HP: 300 15 EB: 310
16 MAX Torque: 261 15 EB: 320

The torque is where the Maxima will be the most noticiable...the 'Stang produces about 75-80% of its torque from 1800 - to 4000 RPMS, so it is almost always in a "meaty" part of the powerband. And to be honest, with the dual scroll twin turbo charger, there is very little turbo lag. The cars are also close in 0-60...MAX: 5.8ish EB: 5.5ish and the MAX is quicker in the 1/2 mile stock in terminal MPH (102 vs 99) than the EB but not finishing time (14.3 for the MAX and 14.0 for the EB). The only thing I will miss, I think, is the nearly instantaneous power from the EB's turbo until about 4500 RPM, where (stock) it begins to hit a brick wall. The miles per gallon are virtually the same for both.

I am going to drive a 16 silver SR Midnight Edition and a 16 silver SV tomorrow...we will see which one I like better and which one I am able to make a better deal on. They offered me (over the phone, pending my 'Stang meets their trade value appraisal) $36,500 for the SR; if I elect to purchase the SV, I am hoping for $34,500.

 

I don't think the drivers seat is too tight.

I got my SR midnight in white for $35,500 and they paid the last 2 payments of my F150 lease and that was 2 months ago. You should be able to do a little better. Good luck!

 

Currentking,

Thanks for the quick reply. I owe $25,000 on my 'Stang and they offered me $23,250. I think this is a pretty good trade offer. So...would you "squeeze" them for $36,000 as a final, out-the-door price? Or what would you suggest is a good/better out-the-door price?

 

It really depends if you are willing to walk away. I think the rebates are better now then when I purchased. If your willing to walk away then try the $36,000. They may let you walk and call you back. When I went I told them I stopped by before going to Audi and they had a car I liked. He said if you buy now this is what we can do! I loved the car that much and didn't bother to got Audi.

Make sure you drive in sport mode. I bet you will be surprised by the power.

 

Currentking,

Thanks for the advice...I will most certainly put the car into "Sport Mode" and mash the gas! My goal is to finance no more than 36K, at the 0% APR for 72 month offer. With the 0% offer ending on Tuesday, I am going to "squeeze" them as hard as I can. I am driving 2 hours to see the car (the dealerships in my town are out of 16's and even when they had them, they wouldn't negotiate beyond the standard Nissan Cash discounts on the car), so my hope is the dealership will work with me to sell the car for a good price. If I can get the car for 36,500, I will be happy. It is a $40,400 car MSRP and I am $2300 upside dowm on my trade. I think $36,500 is a fair deal...but, I am going to ask for $36K...that would be an awesome deal indeed!

 

Drivers seat isn't tight, but (unusually) I notice the roof close to my head in the passenger seat (and it's low with no height adjustment).

Center tunnel is no big deal (I like it), but wish it was carpeted like my BMW 535i.

Rear legroom is mucho generous. Better than the 535i.

You will notice the step-in width is quite large (wide) - like the Maxima is built on a donor platform which is totally out of place.

 

Inerresting that you mentioned the stepover width. This is especially noticable when entering or leaving the car in wet weather, at which time I usually get my pantlegs a little wet. But such a detail would never stop me from buying this Maxima. I personally think the wider stepover resulted from a thickening of the sides of the car in order to get a five star side impact collision rating.