MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Got this today in the mail, thought I would share it here.

doctorpullit

Wow. That's the most critical review I've seen. I think they even beat out MotorTrend. There is so much in their write up that I don't agree with. I've driven my SR for two and a half months now and I have no complaints with the steering, ride, or interior room. I'm 6'1" and don't have an issue with the headroom either. I certainly haven't had any passengers complain about feeling "seasick". The only sickness here is how I felt after reading this review.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

I hear you Doctorpullit, bad thing is so many consumers in the U.S and CAN go by what C/R says like the Bible !

lightonthehill

I have been a CU subscriber since spring of 1961, and have found that over the last twenty years, their automotive testing has gradually become unreliable. Worse, over the last ten years, it seems their testing is more the subjective opinion of one person who, for whatever reason, has a bone to pick with certain cars. The Maxima is far from the first victim of this decline in quality and reason from CU. I stopped using CU for automotive buying around 1985.

If we read the entire review closely, it is very clear they are looking for anything derogatory they can find, and when they find nothing, they skim over that area and look elsewhere for ******. I read their test report, then considered the many things that are right with this car (including probably the best CVT ever built, which they pan mercilessly), and simply shake my head. No, this Maxima is not perfect. No car is. But it is much better than CU's report might indicate.

guitarman

I have worked for 2 Japanese manufacturers in my past (80's and 90's) and have mostly found CR to be highly skewed towards American manufacturers and obsessed by price more than value. They typically equate a lower price to a better value or better product. I do not take their reviews seriously.

As LOTH implies, high bias. With apologies to older fragile women, their car reviews typically sound like they're written by a frail octogenarian female that only drives her car back and forth to church and the supermarket.

denormalize

I'm 6'2" and have no complaints about headroom either. Concerning legroom, the first car I've ever owned where I can't put the seat all the way back, because if I do, I can't reach! Maybe the author should be playing in the NBA and not reviewing cars.

ATDoel

Nissan sacrificed leg room in the rear seats to give more room for the driver and passenger in the front. My friend who's 6'5'' sat in the front and exclaimed "what the, I've never been in a car with this much leg room!" I'm only 5'10'' and the space in the back is perfectly fine.

And what the heck are they talking about the sound of the CVT? The engine, while not real loud, sounds wonderful. If they don't like the sound that's fine, but the CVT doesn't change the sound of the thing.

Mick7

6.5 0-60? Poor merging acceleration? I don't have the 8th gen yet but the 7th gen was stellar at merging ..30-70 in a blink... or two at most. In fact, that was the performance strength of the car.

To see the overpriced Impala in first place on the list is a very bad joke. CR has lost all credibility in automobile evaluations.

Maxxi12

Honestly just looks like someone copied and pasted a Gen 7 review and then slapped a Gen 8 picture on it. Same gripes, most of which I found not to be true about the Gen 7, either.

Shmoopy

What car were they driving? Not mine!

Driver and passenger room and comfort are stellar. Interior finish on the Platinum is gorgeous, much nicer than my last car (which was an Infiniti, BTW).

The CVT wastes the engine's horsepower? Put that thing in sport mode and stomp the pedal from a dead stop -- it's scary fast, same on a highway pass starting from 55 mph.

Maybe I should rethink my online subscription... not sure I want to trust them on my next dishwasher or lawnmower purchase.

Randy

I can not agree with CR at all. This is by far the best Maxima I have had. I asked the
same question what car were they driving because I think the Driver and passenger room is outstanding
so have the people I have had in the car. Everyone thinks the car
is outstanding. They are way way off with this review.

Randy

kevin_ohio

The Car & Driver review makes me wonder if Consumer Reports even drove the Maxima (I'm sure they did but...) Where CP says the driving position is cramped, C&D calls it spacious. I feel my '16 Maxima Platinum is more spacious , especially elbow room to the door, than the Buick Lacrosse I traded in for it.

Maxima review.pdf

Maxima review2.pdf

Maxxi12

Could be indicative of the overall size of the Consumer Reports reviewer. All that constant complaining has got to lead to some stress eating.

mls277

I noticed the headroom issue in the SL when I drove it as well as the visibility. However, thats because its designed to feel like a sports car, not a large sedan. I felt more comfortable in my 7th gen, but I loved the feel and sportiness of the 8th gen. Its a trade off. The engine I agree with- the CVT was fine, but if they stuck a 6 speed auto in there the car would be even better. They picked on the difficult points of the car, but they are correct. The issue is they left out a lot of the positives and the fact that we WANT a smaller cramped driving position and lower roof lines!!

JPR

I am baffled by CR review. I am a subscriber of CR and used to respect their car reviews. I am not a "trained professional CU car tester" but I have had three Maximas (09, 12 and 16) along with a multitude of leased Accords and Altimas as company cars, and I just cannot recognize the car described in CR. What I see and experience in the Maxima I have is a totally different story. It is so far the best car I have driven. No car is perfect but this one is definitively at the top
One thing: As CR subscribers, we will be asked to evaluate our cars for CR special auto issue. That will be the opportunity to set things straight.

ATDoel

They must have tested these cars at some high altitude, all the 0-60 times are SLOW. The Maxima is the 2nd fastest on their list, the V8 Charger didn't even break 6 seconds and that's a 5 second flat 0-60 car easy.

I love love the "Cramped" feel they're complaining about in the drivers seat. And by cramped, I don't mean I don't have room to move around, I mean the car is wrapped around me. I can't explain it but I feel like I'm part of the car, like it was formed around me.

The visibility is not great, I can see comfortably in front and around the car, but the visibility out of the rear glass is pretty bad. With that said, all cars come standard with a reverse camera and that solves the problem 100%. I'm willing to bet this was done intentionally, why sacrifice aerodynamics and aesthetics for good rear visibility when you won't need it since everyone is going use the superior reverse camera anyway?

mls277

The first thing I thought about when I got into the 8th gen was the c6 corvette. It has the same feel of the car wrapping around you, low windshield and low roofline, it feels like a sportscar. CR isn't making any invalid points IMO, but they just picked the points they don't like about it. We happen to like the "negatives" they listed!

BobTX10

I feel like I can't have another car unless the center stack is oriented to the driver in the way the maxima is. It feels amazing and like you said you feel more a part of the car. Like a cockpit, but not. And how they complained your knee will hit the center console... I don't know how big that person was that drove it but as a 6' average weight male I have plenty of room on both sides. They say the cvt feels disconnected to the whole acceleration process, whereas I feel more connected. Accelerating from 40-50 on the highway going all the way to 6500 rpm feels amazing and always puts a smile on my face, and when your at slow speeds it's very smooth.

Now the one thing I agree with and do wish was better was the ride quality. But I don't understand that most cars with a better score have abysmal reliability.

RussA

While I would choose a traditional tranny if it was an option, that's a small negative for all the awesomeness. And at 6'4" I don't feel crowded at all. Still grinning every time I drive!

lightonthehill

Of course having a 6 speed automatic in a car of this weight and power would lower MPGs slightly. Not only because of the automatic having to change gears five times just to get up to speed once, but because the automatic weighs more, lowering the HP per pound ratio. And the auto is larger also, wasting space. And did I mention the automatic has more moving parts and costs more to build?

bottomline2000

the reviews on this car are horrible. i'm over 6' and have no issues with the roofline even with the sunroof and legroom above average. I can't let the seat all the way back either..maybe they didn't know the seat has height adjustment lol. I don't get it about the accerlation thing either. passing/acceleration are outright fun because the engine doesn't have to spool up to to move, it just goes.. maybe they didn't have a properly broken in car or something. I've tried getting on the gas in traffic and i end up looking like an a$$ flying past everyone while staying under 4k rpm..and as a point of reference I also have an 05 GTO which isn't slow by any means and the Maxima holds its own. It does have some visibility issues so it's not perfect, but no way I would take anything else on that list in its place. Its sad its not getting a fair reprersentation in the press.

shook187

iTrader: (5)

I surely didn't expect you guys who spend upwards of $40,000 on a vehicle to agree with the review.... With that said this Maxima has been a major disappointment for Nissan especially in sales.. It hasn't done anything to attract new buyers or convince previous generation owners to buy.

This quite possibly could be the last generation Maxima.

robtroxel

It is one of the best cars I have owned so far. CR loves Avalons and Camrys, both fine boring cars.

guitarman

troll.

doctorpullit

ATDoel

Try low 30's for me, but anyway lol....

This car has done a lot, I came from a BMW to the Maxima, first Nissan of my life. Over half the people that I've shown my car to have responded with something similar to "WOW! That's a Maxima?? Nissan is really stepping up their game!" well, at least when I first got it. I'm starting to see a new Max on the streets every few days now so that surprise factor is starting to lessen.

lightonthehill

All I can say is that I have been driving since the 1940s, have owned nothing but Maximas since October 1984 (at which time I bought two 1985s - one for my wife and one for me), have loved every Maxima I have ever owned (includes every generation but first), and find this 2016 Maxima Platinum to easily be the best (and most enjoyable) car I have ever owned.

ATDoel

I was in the market for a new car a couple months ago, I live in a suburb, have no kids, youngish (30), and wanted something under 40k. I had a lot of choices, never owned a Nissan before, I looked and drove dozens of cars, and I bought the Max. I think that speaks for itself.

shrews824

Well, everyone has an opinion I guess. Here's all I know, I was out of town for 3 weeks and wasn't able to drive my Maxima. I couldn't wait to get home just to look at it, sit in it and drive it. I thought about it daily. I even dreamed about it. That about sums it up for me. I love my car and I don't really care that others don't like it. There are tons of cars out there that have a much higher price tag, have better specs, better prestige, etc. and I think some of them are the most horrendous looking and driving cars I've ever experienced. To each their own I say.

doctorpullit

Just kidding. I love my Max, too.

Max8

Yeah. I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather drive my Maxima than my 350Z!

john91945

I am shocked at the CR review. I have a new SL which is my first Maxima and I absolutely love the car. The ride is outstanding; acceleration outstanding; interior comfort outstanding; exterior styling outstanding; gas mileage outstanding; interior quietness outstanding., etc. No complaints whatsoever. Nissan did a fabulous redesign job - they should be complemented. Best car I have ever owned by far. Always getting positive comments from passing strangers saying "nice car". What more can I say. It's a shame that the CR review is so far from the truth. Is it possible they just reviewed some other car by mistake?? The car they reviewed is not the one I own.

mls277

Remember CR writers drive a LOT of cars. Most (not all) of us might test drive 1, 2 or 3 cars before buying, lot of folks just drive the one they want. I'm sure if we all drove 100 cars we could find more that wasn't great about the Maxima in comparison,but I drove the 2016 and I loved it. What color combo SL did you get? I'm leaning that way to save some $ vs. the platinum.

john91945

Response to mis277: I have the SL in Pearl White with tan interior.

jinzen

Yep, true. I've ridden in a lot of cars as well, and I can tell you a few things the Maxima SR is really poor in:

RIDE is borderline unacceptable. It's firm like something I would expect in a Lotus, 370z or a sports car, when it's NOT a sports car. I know the other trims ride fine (100% better) when I test drove them, still firmer than an Avalon but that should have been the standard.

Brakes kind of suck/mushy. Compared to my Mercedes C300 brakes it's pretty far off.

Torque steer is very very apparent, and SR could really use a sun roof and power folding mirrors.

Otherwise, the car handles well, is quiet on the highway, looks good. It's a practical 4 door car that feels pretty good on the twisties, and is not a BMW. I could have gotten BMW 435i GC, or an Infiniti Q50, or whatever else that isn't that far off price wise. Just don't want another luxury brand until I could actually pay for one with cash, otherwise I just don't feel legit.

mls277

I just don't want a luxury brand car. I like the maxima cause its a nice car without a flashy luxury badge on it. And I agree- not that I'm paying cash for anything, but the max is top of my car budget and anything beyond I'd have a big loan for.

ATDoel

I'm confused by your complaints. If you want a sun roof and softer suspension, why don't you just get an SL? The SR is supposed to have very firm suspension, that's kind of the point. You're right about the torque steer, but it's actually less than I thought it would have. I used to have a modded GTI with power output about the same as the Max and the torque steer in that thing was 10x worse. That's FWD for you.

The BMW 435i GC starts off at 48k... to get a similar equipped BMW vs the Max SL is going to put you over 50k easy, 14k+ price difference is a lot. With that said, the 435i is a sweet sweet car and I would have gotten one if I was making a bit more money, they are definitely not in the same price range though.

jinzen

$35k for Maxima SR
$45k for 435xi.

It's a $10k difference, which is like $200/month, really not a big difference but something I'm not comfortable driving until I start making a lot more...

The SL handles SIGNIFICANTLY worse than the SR. Driving them back to back is like a very sporty car versus a much boatier feeling car. The SL also doesn't have LED and 19" wheels so the car itself looks worse in many ways.

The solution is just to put a sunroof on the SR and it would be good.

mls277

I agree on the sunroof for the SR. Would be a perfect option.

wtgkb8

And what's very interesting is there is a member on the 8th gen facebook group from Dubai that just got an SR over there...with a sunroof! It's a real SR (with the wheels...paddle shifters...sport suspension...etc)...but with additional options from the Platinum. Check it out:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater