National - 2012 Nissan Maxima Ride Report/Review

http://carrentingreviews.com/2012/03/18/2012-nissan-maxima-3-5s/

Slight external differences between this and the 2011 version. Otherwise, it remains the same.

PCAR
19/26

I avoid the Maxima like the plague because of the CVT. This is the biggest annoyance of any rental car except possibly the position of the cigarette lighter in the Jetta which is vertical.

It really is surprising how the dynamics change from the Maxima to the G series though.

Hahaha, the CVT takes some acclimating, but it's not horrible.

I was exaggerating a bit but it really is annoying. If you dont put into sport mode and you dont drive like a Wisconsinite you will see rev's usually limited to the Mazda RX-8. ;)

What's so bad about CVTs? I own a car with one (Legacy) and quite like it. It's very smooth, stays at low RPM when you drive calmly and want to save fuel, quickly jumps to high RPM (and stays there) if you want to accelerate hard. To me it makes more sense than gears that keep going up and down. But I am a boring driver, not an "enthusiast", so maybe it has something to do with that...

I was exaggerating a bit but it really is annoying. If you dont put into sport mode and you dont drive like a Wisconsinite you will see rev's usually limited to the Mazda RX-8. ;)

Actually, I was more bothered by the Maxima's light steering. :)

I'm more bothered by the cheap looking dashboard, seat material, and the outdated monochrome radio display for a premium car. The VW CC that's actually slightly cheaper has a much more premium feeling interior IMHO with standard Leatherette, touch screen radio with Sirius, and better looking instruments. Granted, the 3.5L V6 in the Maxima is quite a bit more powerful.

I'm more bothered by the cheap looking dashboard, seat material, and the outdated monochrome radio display for a premium car. The VW CC that's actually slightly cheaper has a much more premium feeling interior IMHO with standard Leatherette, touch screen radio with Sirius, and better looking instruments. Granted, the 3.5L V6 in the Maxima is quite a bit more powerful.

I agree, the VW CC gives you a lot of bang for the buck (e.g. 12-way power seats for both driver & passenger). Looking forward to the 2013 VW CC....

Pros:
-Silky smooth engine with power
-High quality interior
-Sports car look
-XM was active

Cons:
-I was always trying to find a better driving position to counter balance the blind spot
-Why a 16 mile car was rented in Seattle with Oklahoma tags on it.
-I did'nt have enough time with it.

I did take pictures of it, but it really did'nt turn out. (silver car in dark garage with crappy camera does'nt mix)

The thing I couldn't get past in the Maxima I rented in January -- don't recall whether it was a 2011 or 2012, I'm afraid -- was the massive amount of body flex. Every time I went over a large bump, there was a creaking noise from the sunroof -- almost as if they hadn't reinforced it properly after cutting the hole. Especially odd on a car where the sunroof appears to be standard.

It was unsettling enough that I doubt I'd pick a Maxima again.