First Impressions Are Fabulous
Before I was assigned our long-term 2016 Nissan Maxima I was in a Volkswagen Passat (not diesel, so no drama there). But before the VW I shepherded a loaded Kia Optima, which was the most feature-filled car I’d ever spent significant time in, with heated and cooled seats, easy-to-use infotainment, a large sunroof, and many other interior creature comforts. Life was good on Easy Street.
With the Maxima, I feel like I’ve made a right turn on Even Easier Street, and our SR isn’t even the top trim—that would be the Platinum. The flat-bottomed leather-wrapped D-shaped steering wheel feels great in hand, and the seats are instantly comfortable. I think the interior styling looks classy and modern, and I even like the diamond-patterned “liquid chrome” trim, which could’ve easily veered into cheap and cheesy territory. The roomy second row is almost worth hiring a chauffeur so you can hang out back there. I’m not excited by the exterior design, which feels aggressively overthought, though the Coulis Red paint reminds me of a divine glass of wine. I will never like the grille. Nope, nope, nope.
“For its size, the Maxima handles well and takes turns enthusiastically. It understeers a lot, though, as I found out driving through Decker Canyon Road and Mulholland Highway. The tighter the turn, the more the Maxima’s weight goes against it and the more it plows into corners. It doesn’t help that most of its weight is up front, which is made even worse by the fact that it’s front-wheel drive.” Slowing down reduces the sensation.
We both praised the responsive CVT. “There’s very little lag when you put your foot down,” Ogbac noted. “In manual mode it mimics a seven-speed and is pretty responsive. You can still tell that it’s a CVT though because when you up or downshift, there’s no shifting sensation, just a sound of ratios changing.” Choosing Sport mode makes the throttle a smidge more reactive.
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