2009 Nissan Maxima User Reviews

Pros

Very Smooth Engine, Smooth Transmission, Great Exterior Design!

Cons

Certain features not available on base model, small jerk when coming to a complete stop from trans.

Purchased As New

I have had my 2009 Maxima for about 3 weeks. I absolutely love the car. There are some enhances I would make on the car though. 1st, all maximas should come with fog lights. Any car over 30K should atleast have fog lights standard. They are only offered on SV models. Also, options like HID headlights should be optional on the S. Turn signal on the exterior mirrors should also be optional. My wife does not like leather in cars. I had leather in my previous car and she did not care for it. We live in Michigan and it gets over 100 degrees in Summer and under 0 degrees in winter. So I decided to get a car without leather but unfortunately could not get a lot of the goodies that I am used to having in my cars. I love the standard dual automatic climate control. I love inteli key with push button start. I wanted the bluetooth as an option but of course it wasn't offered. Now bluetooth will be standard on S models next month for 2010 Maximas. IMO, this is the best looking 4 door car in its price range. The engine is very powerful and continues to pull hard at high speeds (over 100 mph). The 7 speed automatic Nissan offers in the Z and infiniti line up would have been perfect for this car. However, the CVT gets the job done. It just does it with less excitement. In Nissan's defense, Ds mode does add some excitement. I love how the engine downshifts so aggresively when your foot is not on the gas. It keeps you right in the sweet spot of the engine for when you are ready to take off again. There is really only 1 thing that is nagging me about the car. There is a small jerk in the transmission when the car is almost fully stopped. Its like the transmission is holding on to 2nd gear at 5-10 mph, then decides to go to 1st gear with a bit of a junt right before the stop is completed. Its pretty irritating. This jerk is not felt when stopping really hard or very very very soft. But it is felt in normal stop and go traffic. I have even tried to downshift it manually by placing it in 1st gear while stopping, but the jerk is still there. Another thing is the manual mode. I don't like when cars offer a manual mode but do not give you full control over what gear you are in. There are times when I want to coast with out pressing the accelerator so I put the car in 6th gear. However, when I get to about 40mph the computer will automatically downshift for me because of the low speed I am at. I will then have to press the gas pedal because the lower gears will slow me down too much. Other than that, the car has been great. I get looks all the time because most people have not even seen the new design yet. It is sculpted so perfected IMO. It is just a great car to have. Perfect balance of sport and comfort on the suspension. Turning circle is good. I am very satisfied.