Solid Value, With conditions

2019 Nissan Maxima feels outdated, rides rough

The 2019 Nissan Maxima is shown. (Photo courtesy of Nissan)
The 2019 Nissan Maxima is shown. (Photo courtesy of Nissan)

Switches and gauges may feel outdated, the ride a little rough, the handling numb and headroom sparse, but still, the 2019 Nissan Maxima is a nice car and, under the right conditions, a solid value.

When it first came to these shores in 1980 as a rebadged Datsun Bluebird, the Maxima was heralded as a four-door compact sports car, and it was nimble, quick, yet roomy enough for four adults and luggage. With a crisp five-speed, rear-wheel drive, and responsive steering, the car was light, roomy, fuel efficient, and fun to drive.

Now in its eighth generation, the Maxima has become progressively larger, more luxurious, and less sporty. A good reason for that was the introduction of the midsize Altima in 1992. That allowed Nissan to grow Maxima into a full-size sedan contender. This was back in the day when Americans bought cars, not SUVs.

From this humble perspective, it feels as if Maxima has struggled to find an identity since.

photo

biz people Susan Jasan

It grew into a 2,800-lb, front-wheel-drive car in 1988 and kept adding heft. It hit 3,600 lbs. in 2004, and fights in that weight class today.

The 2008 model was the last to offer a transmission with actual gears. Everything since has seen Nissan's legendary 3.5-L V6 bolted to a continuously variable transmission, or CVT, which basically is a pair of pulleys connected by a thick belt. Altering the gap between the pulleys allows the transmission to change gears seamlessly through a continuous range of effective gear ratios.

There are two advantages. One is that engineers can program transmission logic that always keeps the car in an optimal ratio, which saves fuel. The other is that for 15 years Nissan has been devoted to the technology across most of its product line and has come as close as anyone to mastering it.

The drawback seems obvious. Without gears to shift, the engine drones and a sense of sportiness is lost. Nissan compensates for that by programming natural-feeling "shifts" under full throttle. Our test model, a top-of-line Platinum, came with paddle shifters and manual shift mode. We found it did a nice job of emulating a manual transmission's gear selection during spirited driving.

Indeed, with a re-engineered, 300-hp 3.5-L V6, the new Maxima's powertrain is as sporty as some European sports sedans we have recently tested. Keeping it in an rpm range for optimal control is simple.

No, we did not take it out for a triple-digit race across the alluvial plain. The Maxima will need a steering system overhaul before we have enough confidence in it to attempt that, but how many of us ever drive like that?

The larger point is that the Maxima performs nicely and is one more testament that Nissan's 3.5 V-6 is one of the best engines ever built.

 

Five trim lines

Starting at $34,050, the Maxima comes in five trim lines, S, SV, SL, SR, and Platinum ($41,540).

Like many manufacturers, but unlike Toyota, Nissan holds back a complete suite of driver-assist safety features for upper trim lines, which adds thousands of dollars for technologies that are proven to prevent accidents large and small and to save lives.

The S trim gets automatic emergency braking, but important features like blind spot warning, intelligent cruise control, and rear cross-traffic alert start at the SV level. Lane-departure warning and intelligent lane intervention, which can prevent head-on and rollover wrecks, are only available on SR and Platinum.

Similarly, a rearview camera is standard on lower trims, but Nissan's superb, 360-degree birds-eye monitor, which makes parking a breeze, is an option on SR and standard on Platinum.

photo

Anthony Montius Magee

To be sure, the top trims come with a long list of goodies that also help justify their prices, like a dual-panel panoramic roof, diamond-quilted leather seats, maple trim, LED interior accent lighting, active noise cancellation, traffic sign recognition.

 

What we like

We love the Maxima's power, plus the fact that it averages 25 mpg (on premium fuel). Torque comes quickly and smoothly.

We also love Maxima's upscale interior. Front seats are especially comfortable.

We have mixed feelings about the dashboard and center stack. More sophisticated UX exists, but gauges and switches are easy to see and to use and drilling through a large base of available information is easy. Still, this is an area where Nissan is behind the development curve.

 

What we don't like

Nissan's effort to create a low-slung vehicle with sweeping, muscular lines (we like the look, you might not) has some drawbacks.

One is that it has thick pillars at the corners and center, which hampers visibility. Blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and 360 birds-eye view (which Nissan pioneered), really should be standard for this design.

Entering and exiting the vehicle is more difficult than one might expect for a car that seems targeted at older buyers. One must bend over and then slide in. Those of us with artificial knees understand the discomfort of that.

Another is that the roof is low, especially in the rear. A six-footer, I felt a little cramped up front and squeezed in the rear seat. The trunk is small for the segment, but you could get six carry-on bags in there. If you need to carry more, go look at a Chevy Impala.

Finally, we would fault the car's ride. We get the compromise between comfort and handling when one is attempting to execute a sports sedan, and tend to favor handling over comfort, but the Maxima transmits more road harshness to the cabin than we would expect for such an expensive
car.

Which leads us to price. The Maxima competes head-on with the Toyota Avalon. In addition to offering a full suite of driver assist safety features, the Avalon rides better, gets much better fuel economy and has much better-predicted reliability and retains value significantly better. Consumer Reports gives the Maxima 80 points, the Avalon 98.

 

Bottom line

The Maxima is a likable car, but it would take a great price at the dealership to make it a smart
buy.

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