alexdi

It's good. Very good. So good that I'm wondering at the purpose of the Maxima. If you're interested in a lateral trade or a similar vehicle for a spouse, it's worth a very hard look.

Some thoughts:

- Noticeable upgrades to the CVT. Much better coasting at highway speeds. Doesn't lug in that 1200-1400 RPM area like the Max around town; usually at 2000 RPM. If you force it to lug, it still has extra vibration and resonance in that range relative to an automatic, but noticeably less than the Max. RPM at 60 MPH was 1700 (Maxima does 1900). Sport mode still has pretend-shifts.

- Suspension is a little stiffer than the Max, a bit less travel. Corners flatter. Road feel through the wheel is about the same, though steering effort is lighter at high speed. Despite a similarly subtle centering reflex, the car doesn't wander like the Maxima. Arrow-straight on the highway with hands off the wheel. Sales guy said it had something to do with more camber and the rear suspension design.

- Wind noise is a bit higher. Sightlines are very similar. The old Altima felt very upright with tall pillars and a bigger greenhouse.

- Interior build quality and materials are mostly equal or better than my Maxima S. Soft-touch dash material isn't as soft. Build tolerances are excellent. The armrest/cupholder area has a better layout, as does the tach section. The driver's seat is a different design than the Maxima (front cushion moves independently now), but equally comfortable. The back seat is significantly more comfortable.

- Materials in non-key areas (e.g., the trunk) aren't as good. Trunk has exposed speakers, no pull handle, and gooseneck hinges.

- In terms of general feel, the Altima seems a little smaller, lighter and sharper. Acceleration is very similar flat-out, but the Altima is more willing to rev, so it feels more sprightly around town.

So, yeah. Very impressive work from Nissan. I'm at a loss what they'll be able to do with the Maxima. The existing model is a little smoother and quieter and, to me, looks better. I don't think it's worth the price disparity.

EDIT: Also, brakes. The Altima has better brakes. Better modulation and a firmer pedal that bites higher in the travel. I didn't experience the subtle grabbing approaching a stop as I have with the Maxima and G37.

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

I'd trade my wife for this car!



The CVT and seats and stuff like that will be in the next gen Maxima, so that's good to hear that the CVT is friendlier

Can't wait to hear about the 8th gen Max, if the Alti was this much improved over the previous gen.

silberma

The Altima has better seats and more safety features like blind spot protection and lane departure. However, I enjoy the ride in the Maxima better. Finally the Maxima are heavily discounted so the price gap is not as wide as it appears. I paid last month $33.2 for a Maxima with a list price of over $41K.

zoemayne

iTrader: (4)

In was thinking today they must make the 8th gen RWD... I can't really find any cars w 300+HP and FWD... and the hyundai genesis is like a game changer it has 348 HP and RWD... not that i would ever buy a hyundai.

joecurr

The only FWD car with 300+ I could think of is the TL Type-S. You can't really compare the Genesis to a Maxima, it's apples and oranges. Just because it's one of Hyundai's higher end cars doesn't mean it's comparable to Nissan's "flagship", it's more comparable to something from Infiniti. Although it'd be nice to have the Maxima on par with the likes of a Genesis sedan, that's what Infiniti's for.

zoemayne

iTrader: (4)

Well I disagree with you there... I dont see any hyundai as above the maxima. What I dont like about hyundai is they copy the designs of their cars from mainly BMW and Mercedes... like the genesis is based from the S class benz and another hyundai is based on the CLS... and when certain Hyundais came out i was mistaking them for BMW's... if car designs could be copyrighted they would of been sued into oblivion... But my main point is that nissan always increases HP and the 8th gen should be 300+... The 5th gen was 222 HP 6th gen was 255 HP 7th 290 HP... 8th gen ~330+ HP. So I think it's come to a point where RWD is a necesary... market wise it would make sense or they might just stop making the maxima.

alexdi

The Altima has, to me, an equal driver's seat. The headrest is a little further forward and the bolstering is slightly stronger. The passenger's seat is definitely better, albeit with manual controls. Lumber support is improved. And the rear seats are, as above, more plush and comfortable on the Altima.

esco115

iTrader: (1)

The TL Type S comes with 286hp and it ended production in 2008. The only 300+hp TL is AWD.

lightonthehill

Alexdi - Thanks for your comprehensive report on driving the new Altima. Nissan seems to have done well with that vehicle. I do have a few coments:

Your Maxima does 1900 RPMs at 60 MPH? My '09 does 1750 RPMs at 60 MPH, and has been consistent with that for almost four years.

As to interior, you are comparing your base Maxima 'S' with the very top of the line Altima SL V6. Be aware the materials in the Maxima 'SV', 'SV' with Sport and 'SV' with Premium are better than those of the 'S'.

You seem to be unaware of what the purpose of the Maxima is. Do you really enjoy driving a fairly unstrikingly designed vehicle (Altima) that has over four million copies on the road? More to the point, please keep in mind that you are comparing a completely new and redesigned vehicle with a vehicle that was designed in 2006 and 2007 and began rolling off the assembly line in January of 2008. That is not a very meaningful comparison.

When the 8th generation Maxima arrives on dealer lots in spring of 2014, it will be clearly better than the Altima in virtually every way a car can be measured. But I would hope that nobody testing that 8th gen Maxima would make the mistake of questioning why the Altima even exists.

Nissan has done a fine job with the new Altima, and I read your report with great interest. But I would hope we don't throw the Maxima on the trash pile too soon.

atlanta10

Agree with Light on this one and also read your post with interest since I just did a back to back test of an Altima 3.5 and Maxima Sport Package.

I found the Altima to be very nice but the driver seat bottom was uncomfortable as it was angled upward and not adjustable enough to flatten out. It was a nice driver but comparing my fully loaded premium to the fully loaded Altima, I would choose the Max

TBA

I sat in a 2013 Altima at a dealership a few weeks back. While it was not powered up, I felt the interior was very Camry-esque. That is, rather pedestrian and boring. The materials were nice - better than the 2012. But I was not a fan of the generic-feeling layout. YMMV.

Jbling700

While getting my Max oil changed, I sat inside of a 2013 Altima. Seats are very comfortable. The dash is alright. Kind of reminds me of the Camry a bit but more upscale. For the exterior, The shape of the body is fine but I hate the front. The rear is nice but I wish they didnt copy the Maxima rear end. My car was mistaken for the new Altima the other day...


Lastly why do we have a 2013 Altima thread on a Maxima forums?? lol We should be talking about Maximas and beyond not Altimas ... besides was there already a thread on this??.... Just saying

AlDente67

I sat in one as well during my oil change, lol.

I didn't want to waste my salesguy's time, so I didn't take it for a spin. The "zero gravity" seat felt fine, but I couldn't really tell the difference unless I could take it out for a 2 hour drive.

The Nav screen seemed smaller, and the rest of the interior was rather bland. But maybe their demo model was not optioned up, I'm not sure.

I'm one of those who see them as locusts around this area, but that's a good business for Nissan.

As to the Genesis, I saw an ad for a lease for 27 months at $249 or thereabouts. List price of the car was something around $43k. I have no idea how they can offer a rate that low, but the Genesis might be worth looking more closely at, if I ever pass a Hund dealer.

PalmettoFellow

I like the new altima very much. It reminds me of my maxima.
This just goes to show you how awesome the next generation maxima will be.
I am hoping it gets the 3.7 liter tuned to 325 or more hp along with awd.

As for hyundai, I used to drive a 2007 sonata. It was a damn fine car indeed.
I an sure the genesis is mighty nice, and let's not forget hyundai's flagship the eqqus. That car is totally awesome.

Serpent

If theyre as nice as I've heard, I'd trade my maxima for an Equus any day. Totally different thing than the max though.

This thread is cracking me up. Let me sum it up for everyone:

The new Altima is nice, and approaching the Maxima. The new Maxima will be significantly nicer than the new Altima. But for now, most everyone here already has a maxima and prefers that over the new Altima.

dr_2010SV

Like comparing a new apple to an older orange.

alexdi

http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/ca..._3.5_sv_page_2

1900 RPM. That's also what mine did on the way home from the test. Maybe you're consistently reading from the wrong angle.

The only difference is the seat material and presence, or not, of a larger screen. Comfort is the same. All the touch points and the dash are identical between trim levels. The only screen I talked about was in the gauge cluster.

You must be right. As an owner of one, how could I know why I bought it? The point is that if you walk into a dealership NOW, your choices are the current car or the Altima, not some hypothetical future product. You may as well slag off every comparison of a newly redesigned car.

The exclusivity argument doesn't fly where I live; I see more Maximas here than Altimas of any stripe. Their styling is practically indistinguishable now. An avant-garde buyer could easily overlook the marginal differences to save $5K or $10K.

Clearly. Let's speculate about a car no one knows anything about. Anyone want to propose a jet turbine? That would be much better than the Altima.

I'm not questioning why the Maxima exists. It's been out for four years, and for all four, it was much better than the Altima. I'm simply pointing out that the new Altima is so good that some people might consider it over the Maxima. Put another way, it's worth a look. If that's too harsh for you, you're too invested in your car.

Go drive the Altima and report back.

EDIT: Atlanta, the you can adjust to seat bottom tilt to whatever you want on the SL model. I can't speak for the other trims. As to the Genesis, Hyundai doesn't put nearly as much cash on the hood as Nissan. The transaction prices for that car are above the Maxima and certainly the Altima.

Stelianos

I believe that the new Altima is probably a great car and I thought I really liked them until I had my most recent oil change.
While at the dealer I had a look at one and it was definitely sharper than the previous generation put lacked the style of the max. In that aspect I believe it still pales in comparison and will even more so when the roads are saturated with them.

rader023

Alexdi i appreciate your post and thought I would share my story. To be honest the minute i saw the white 7th generation Maxima I wanted it. For whatever reason four years later it still hadn't happened. Then I saw the interior/exterior photos of the new V6 Altima and thought that I had always enjoyed the Altima when I had used them as rental cars in the past. So I wen to the dealer thinking I would see one and probably order a white v6. There was one sitting right next to a 2012 Max. Lined up next to each other, I still think the Maxima looks better. Tried both interior, while a lot nice the Altima definitely is like the new Camry, I still think the Maxima is better. I thought I would like the 7 inch screen down in the middle, but up top with the shroud seems so much better in sunny situations, and is easier to read when Navigation. I like that the Maxima has ALL cupholders and center console items cover. It is simpler and cleaner. The controls are simpler and cleaner. And the dash is as well. For my taste it just looks and feels better. I have a 2012 SV Sport/Tech and I paid about $1K over a fully loaded Altima. With that being said I think the Altima would still be a great car to own, and I am very jealous of things Google to Car, which I used all the time on my aftermarket GPS.

alexdi

Fair enough. The response I expected from this thread was just, "Hmm, good to know." There are reasons to prefer either. You and everyone else can still be happy with your choice.

rader023

Ha ha. The people in this forum are a little biased I was giving you my story because at the time I pretty much had zero. I liked both cars and though about them objectively (and non-objectively!) before I made my decision. Price was a factor as well. I do not believe a Maxima at full MSRP is better than an Altima at full MSRP. That is probably why it took me four years to buy one. I had never took the time to see what I actually could get one for!

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

I checked out the 2013 when I was in the market recently. I actually made an offer on a 2013 2.5 altima (pretty much solely for the gas mileage), but it wasnt accepted. I was really impressed with the response and power coming out of the 2.5. The new CVT is quite impressive with how much it can get out of the 2.5 engine.

My girlfriend actually talked me into not buying a 2.5 because she knows how much I love speed and power in cars. So I went back to drive a 2013 3.5 altima. They didnt have any in stock, but the sales guy asked if I would consider a 2012 maxima if we could get it in a comparable price range.

I said sure......so he went to get a maxima for me to test drive. He pulled up a a white maxima S limited edition I signed the papers that night. I ended up getting it for $4600 below invoice so it was a pretty easy decision.

I feel a bit of pain at the gas pump every time I fill up. But to me, thats where the comparison ends. The styling, size, power, handling, and the overall feel of the maxima is superior to the altima, although I never drove the 3.5 altima.

Overall I am very happy with my decision.....except for the gas mileage.....but it takes about 8 seconds after I leave the gas station to get the grin back on my face

STARR

iTrader: (1)

Nice comparison, and whoever think the next Maxima is gonna be at 325/330, if they could do that and improve performance and gas mileage then awesome but I think the 8th Gen will be like the new Altima, same engine but improved CVT, slightly different body style but overall everything will just be a improvement over the 7th Gen

Im looking at the new Avalon, ES and GS to see what the next gen Maxima will be, and they are vastly improved with similar power trains except for the hybrid models.

silberma

You can ease your pain at the gas pump by buying 89 Octane in lieu of 91 or 93. I really can not tell the difference under normal driving conditions. My friend runs 87 Octane in his Infinity G35 from day one and has 130K miles with no issues.

alexdi

You can run almost any octane in a modern car. They have knock sensors. But with 87 in this car, you'll lose 2 MPG, some top-end power, and a significant portion of the torque curve.

This is less true above 89. I haven't experienced any MPG improvement with 93, though the car seems to have more midrange torque. The actual differences will depend on ambient temperature, engine temperature, the duration of the load, altitude, and so on. An octane that produces rated power for one full-throttle run may be inadequate for the second. If you didn't push the car, you might never see a difference.

Compusmurf

Already an octane/gas thread. Leave this one for comparison and contrasts to the new Altima.

FYI, I personally think the new Altima is a very nice looking car. Not as much "me too" factor of everything else on the road with styling queues of the Max on it.

Keep in mind this is a top seller for Nissan so they have to tailor for the masses. Gentle styling cues over sharp, sexy lines.

That being said, it's a great testbed for things to add to the next Maxi! Curious about "zero g" seating, etc.

boone

iTrader: (1)

You are dead on as usual Light. As its volume car, Nissan had to step up the Altima in order to keep it selling and relevant in today's market. For anyone who is concerned about the fact that the Altima has more wiz bang features than the Maxima, consider this. Every one of those features plus more will be present in the next generation Maxima. I was very impressed to see what is available in the Altima for just this reason. That even includes the horn beep to tell you when your tires have reached the proper pressure. :-) We have a lot to look forward to in the new Maxima.

T_Behr904

There are a few. The Impala and Monte Carlo SS had an LS V8 with 300+ hp, and the new 3.6 V6 also has over 300 hp. There are also older fwd cars that produced at or over the 300 hp mark as well.

T_Behr904

They Type S isn't all that fast as people think anyways. I used to smoke them all the time when I had my Grand Prix GTP

STARR

iTrader: (1)

The 2 Chevys could only go straight and fast, turning was not one of the strong points for those cars

STARR

iTrader: (1)

Relatively speaking it was fast, it was bang for your buck so it seemed faster then it actually was but the latest gen TL destroyed the bang for buck factor, now you can get a good deal cause of the slow selling.

The Grand Prix GTP was a nice car but Pontiac should of stepped up the quality, cause I had friends who had them and they self destructed at 60k

lightonthehill

You obviously are taking samples from a very deviant base, as there are FIVE Altimas sold for every ONE Maxima. And I still think the styling of the Maxima is superior to that of the new Altima, although styling is purely in the eyes of the beholder. It almost seems as if Nissan was so enamoured with the 7th gen Maxima styling that they took some of it and applied it to the new Altima. At this point, they can do that, knowing the styling of the upcoming 8th gen Maxima will again leapfrog that of this new Altima.

As for speculation, based on what we have seen over the years, I think it is safe to assume the 8th gen Maxima will be better than the Altima in every way. Ghosn promised us the 8th gen Maxima WILL be better than the new Altima. And he does have some say-so.

I agree with you that the '13 Altima is a fine car. I would think it would be an excellent choice for my wife, who puts money and reliability above everything else, and is not a sporty driver. In many ways, it will be the better choice for those thinking of just the next 18 months.

But I keep my cars between 4 1/2 and 6 years, and so will be thinking further ahead. During the period between spring of 2014 and sometime around 2020, I will be very happy I was patient, and did not opt for 18 arguably happier months between fall of 2012 and spring of 2014 by buying the Altima.

The new Altima is an excellent car, and does exactly what Nissan wanted it to do - give them a product for the masses that can hold its own with the Accord and Camry. Nissan knows there will be a short period when the lesser Altima will be, in some ways, better than the now long-in-the-tooth flagship 7th gen Maxima.

But Nissan knows most long-time Maxima fans will understand a Maxima is coming soon that will surpass this Altima in every way. That is just the way things are.

alexdi

Yet again, the comparison is for the now. Your personal inclination to wait has nothing to do with folks shopping today. If the post doesn't apply to you, don't read it.

> I would think it would be an excellent choice for my wife, who puts money and reliability above everything else, and is not a sporty driver.

Don't kid yourself. The car I drove is just as fast and handles better. It's the sporty choice between the two. This business about relegating the Altima to the 'masses' is starting to irk. The Maxima is an Altima with better equipment. They use the same platform and most of the same underpinnings. With the 2013 styling revisions, to most folks, you might as well be driving the same car.

Compusmurf

You basically said it yourself. The Max is an upscaled Altima. But you are the one comparing "last gen Maxima" to a current gen Altima.

And realistically, in this economy, 95% of the folks will go for the Alti because it's cheaper.

And the "masses" part is entirely true. It's a volume leader type of car and it's exactly what they intended. Think Camry, Think Accord. Awesome cars but you end up "anonymous" on the highway. Do you turn and look at every Accord that drives by and think, ohhh, nice car? No, you just rarely notice them enough not to hit them.

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

alexdi, nice review, thanks for posting. My only gripe is that they designed the Alti too similar to the 7th Gen Max, to the everyday observer at least. Then again, if/when the 8th Gen is revealed, I'm sure more will done to distinguish the two. Nissan seems to be going in the right direction overall though.

Serpent

This is concise and correct. Can't it just be left at that? Sheesh. Lol

alexdi

That's a fair summary. I do wonder the motivations of people who talk about the 'masses'. I bought a Max because it was fast, smooth, pretty, and a good value for all three. Delusions of exclusivity and the Maxima name didn't anything to do with it. Neither car is rare in the parking lot.

rader023

I wonder about the exlusivity of the Altima 3.5. I see very few here in WA and have not seen one 2013 3.5 on the road. I guess time will tell on that front. Yesterday after talking up how much I love my car I went to the gym and a GT-R parked next to me. He plates said OMGT-R. Ha Ha! Clearly he is jealous of my car! But hey you can buy 3 Maximas for the price of a GT-R!!!!!!

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

Sorry.....dont think so. IMO, its worth the extra $1-$2 each fill up to use whats recommended. When its $75 to fill the tank, whats an extra $2? I know this can be debated til the cows come home, so we'll leave it at that.


When I asked to test drive the 3.5 2013 altima, I was told that there are 10 2.5's built for every 3.5. To me, this really shows that this is a car thats being built for the masses, not the car enthusiast. With the new CVT, I was quite impressed with the response and performance of the 2.5, which is the only reason I considered that car. That performance with the 27/38 mileage rating to me was hard to pass up, and I havent heard anyone who doesnt like the new styling compared to the 2012 altimas. Nissan is going to sell huge number of this new generation altima.

Ghozt

pics of the new Altima looked okay, in person I think the front end is kinda weak and other than that def doesn't "look like the Maxima" as everyone keeps saying. yeah it's a Nissan so looks similar just as sentra/altima/maxima always have to each other. ive seen a few driving around and they're nothin that broke my neck. kudos to the people who wanna upgrade for a few differences, but I'll take my Max any day over an Altima of any generation.