2013 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV Review

 

In 1989, Car released an all-new, performance-oriented Maxima that satisfied everyone. Car happily announced it "The Four Entrance Activities Car," a motto commonly considered as a absurd by both customers and reporters. Many decades later, Car is returning the old motto with the current-generation Maxima (now in its 4th year), finish with "4DSC" decals on the returning 1 / 4 windows , because as we all know, additional decals mean performance.
Nissan has created little changes to the Maxima since our 2009 design season long-termer left some three decades ago. Nissan's 3.5-liter VQ35DE V-6 motor, generating 290 hp and 261 lb-ft of twisting, continues to be the only motor of option, while the very un-sports car-like CVT continues to be the only gear box.
Despite its unsporting characteristics, the CVT is a reasonable item of technical, but it needs an modification in anticipations, and you have to get previous the deficiency of technical moving to appreciate it. It does have a guide method, but it seems even more synthetic during examining, and I discovered myself maintaining it in automated and viewing the tach hook wallow up and down at the top of the switch.
Handling is fun, but nothing that places the globe on fire. Around the determine eight, turn-in is reasonably quick, but not actually distinct. Like most fantastic front-drivers, raise accelerator oversteer allows simple spinning. Getting returning on the accelerator profits immediate understeer, and big stabs at the your pedal will convert the within front side wheel into a smoking creator. There is very little guiding experience, but the attempt is perfectly large, bending toward the large part. On gorge streets, the Maxima seems bulkier than its 3528 weight would recommend. At a energetic speed, little lumps disappointed the framework and little trips shift the car from part to part, as if returning of the car is guiding. The overall experience is one of uncertainty. As you force it more complicated, the car seems less anxious and more placed. After generating at and previous its boundaries on the determine eight, I wouldn't want to force the car that much on the street, but going in that route is definitely fulfilling.

Things get less interesting once you begin looking at the screen tag. Our Maxima holds an MSRP of $40,885. Sure, that contains routing, improved sound, xenon front lights, and a fantastic returning spoiler, but seated near it at your regional supplier will be a in the same way prepared Altima SV 3.5 that comes in at $33,020. Of course, the Maxima has an additional 20 hp and 10 lb-ft, but those figures don't appear on the street. We lately examined an Altima 3.5 SL that was even less costly, but the performance figures were identical.

The Maxima converted in a 5.8-second 0-60 mph run, which the Altima trailed by a simple 10th of a second. In the 1 / 4 distance, the Maxima published 14.3 a few moments at 97.7 mph, while the Altima ran at 14.2 a few moments with a snare rate of 101.7 mph. However, the Altima doesn't experience as desperate to shift as the Maxima. The guiding is far less large and the car doesn't seem have fun with being pressed quite as much as its more costly, bigger-tired sibling. Around our determine eight, the Maxima converted in a 26.8-second lap with a typical of 0.60 g. The Altima was three-tenths more slowly, but with a surprisingly greater regular of 0.66 g. For those thinking about wheel variations, the Maxima would wear 245/40/19 Goodyear Large eagle RS-A all-seasons, while the Altima was on 235/45/18 Dunlop SP Game 7000 all-seasons.

Back to this "Sports Car" factor. Say you have approximately 40 huge to invest and want something similar to a fancy car but with four gates. You have better choices than the Maxima. If you are involved with internal area and still want to go quick, you could have a 2012 Avoid Charger R/T prepared with a 370-hp, 395-lb-ft 5.7-liter V-8 that will get from 0-60 mph in 5.1 a few moments. Sure, it is 4346 weight (some 800 weight more than the 3528-pound Maxima), and only has a five-speed automated, but it ran around our determine eight a complete second quicker than the Maxima. If you want something a bit little but with identical internal area, you could go with a 2012 BMW 328i, which gets to 60 mph in 5.5 a few moments, through the quarter-mile in 14.1 at 98.2 mph, and temps the determine eight in 26.3 a few moments.

The platform cost on the 328 is $35,795, so with cautious option of choices, it can be had for less than the Maxima. And it comes with a guide. Misuse of the phrase "sports car" aside, the Maxima is an pleasant car to generate, but seems old and could use a update to really be aggressive in the section. The significant issue, even if you are deceased set on plunking down the money on a Car, will be strolling previous the Altima on the very same lot.