- Joined
- Dec 7, 2012
- Messages
- 3,529
The wife has a 2018 Nissan Maxima in their Platinum trim level as a rental. Here are my thoughts.
Visual/Aesthetics/Interior:
Car has some very sharp body lines. The front end is somewhat busy, but I can get used to it. The rear is very proportional and flows well. Our exact rental is a silver color which looks very nice on this car. The interior is mostly black with the upper portion of the interior and headliner being beige/tan. The black leather seats are very soft and comfortable. This exact model has heated/cooled seats which seem to work very well. The fake wood dash trim is nice (it doesn't usually bother me) and has some sort of physical ridging in its actual design. The rest of the interior feels well built and not-cheap. I can do without the red illumination, however, I am not sure if this is a Nissan thing. Reminds me of 90's to early 2000s Pontiacs.
Driving/Engine:
The car has a very good on-center feel and is quick to rebound to such. I am assuming this vehicle has EPS, and I will say that I don't find it over powered. There is a good amount of feedback in the steering. The steering wheel is also heated (heats well) and is also of some nice quality material (vinyl/leather). Bumps and imperfections in the road are felt mildly and proportionally from what I would expect of a sport-oriented car. Car takes turns well and does not have a lot of body roll.
The engine has plenty of power. I am very impressed with this V6 + CVT combination. Simply put, you gas it, it goes. The CVT does a good job of keeping the engine in it's peak power range to pull the car. The car has a Sport Mode which keeps the Rs up when accelerating. Additionally, the gear selector has a mode for manual shift. I did not find the manual shift mode to accelerate the car any better with a heavy foot than regular Drive.
Electronics/Stereo:
Excellent factory stereo system. Lots of bass. I am no professional car audio guy, but can appreciate good quality sounds. Really loved the CarPlay integration and how the infotainment system worked. Car has a BMW like combination knob to navigate through the infotainment system -- very useful. The backup camera and 360 view cameras are also very helpful. Car has blind-spot notifications also. In the center of the dash, a screen can display just about any notification, gauge or current event you'd like. Very customization and versatile.
In summary, I always hated Nissan and thought they were plain junk. This Maxima has really impressed me to the point of where I would comfortably say that I would lease one if I needed a lease. I don't know if I would trust a CVT for the long haul, but I am super impressed. I really really liked this car. The CVT is so smooth. Nice job Nissan.
Visual/Aesthetics/Interior:
Car has some very sharp body lines. The front end is somewhat busy, but I can get used to it. The rear is very proportional and flows well. Our exact rental is a silver color which looks very nice on this car. The interior is mostly black with the upper portion of the interior and headliner being beige/tan. The black leather seats are very soft and comfortable. This exact model has heated/cooled seats which seem to work very well. The fake wood dash trim is nice (it doesn't usually bother me) and has some sort of physical ridging in its actual design. The rest of the interior feels well built and not-cheap. I can do without the red illumination, however, I am not sure if this is a Nissan thing. Reminds me of 90's to early 2000s Pontiacs.
Driving/Engine:
The car has a very good on-center feel and is quick to rebound to such. I am assuming this vehicle has EPS, and I will say that I don't find it over powered. There is a good amount of feedback in the steering. The steering wheel is also heated (heats well) and is also of some nice quality material (vinyl/leather). Bumps and imperfections in the road are felt mildly and proportionally from what I would expect of a sport-oriented car. Car takes turns well and does not have a lot of body roll.
The engine has plenty of power. I am very impressed with this V6 + CVT combination. Simply put, you gas it, it goes. The CVT does a good job of keeping the engine in it's peak power range to pull the car. The car has a Sport Mode which keeps the Rs up when accelerating. Additionally, the gear selector has a mode for manual shift. I did not find the manual shift mode to accelerate the car any better with a heavy foot than regular Drive.
Electronics/Stereo:
Excellent factory stereo system. Lots of bass. I am no professional car audio guy, but can appreciate good quality sounds. Really loved the CarPlay integration and how the infotainment system worked. Car has a BMW like combination knob to navigate through the infotainment system -- very useful. The backup camera and 360 view cameras are also very helpful. Car has blind-spot notifications also. In the center of the dash, a screen can display just about any notification, gauge or current event you'd like. Very customization and versatile.
In summary, I always hated Nissan and thought they were plain junk. This Maxima has really impressed me to the point of where I would comfortably say that I would lease one if I needed a lease. I don't know if I would trust a CVT for the long haul, but I am super impressed. I really really liked this car. The CVT is so smooth. Nice job Nissan.
