2011 Nissan Maxima Review and Prices

By Chuck Giametta

Table of Contents
2011 Nissan Maxima Review and Pricing
2010 Nissan Maxima Review and Prices
2009 Nissan Maxima Quote

2011 NISSAN MAXIMA BUYING ADVICE

• The 2011 Nissan Maxima is the best car for you if you want it a shapely sedan that rises above its Altima roots.

• The 2011 Nissan Maxima builds on the successful reinvention of a storied Nissan nameplate. It continues themes set out in a model-year 2009 redesign that gave this seventh-generation Maximum a more confident personality and a clearer mission: recapture the sporty spirit of its early-1990s predecessors.

• Should you wait for the 2011 Nissan Maxima or buy a 2010 Nissan Maxima? Buy a 2010 Maxima if you want styling that’ll look fresher, longer. Unless Nissan relights plans for a turbodiesel V-6, the 2011 Maxima will basically reprise the 2010 model. And with the 2012 Maxima a candidate for some “mid-cycle” tweaks, the 2011 would be the last version with this generation’s original styling. Buying a 2010 insures you at least a couple years before your Maxima starts to look dated.

2011 NISSAN MAXIMA CHANGES

• Styling: This midsize four-door sedan is likely to carry its vintage-2009 styling though model-year 2011. Nothing wrong with that: it’s a handsome car, square-shouldered and distinctive. Only the tail lacks self-assurance. The interior doesn’t cry out for a revamp, either. Sophisticated and sporty, the cabin carries elements of Nissan’s premium Infiniti brand, particularly in its arrangement of some controls on a horizontal shelf mid-dashboard. Inside or out, Maxima looks nothing like the less-expensive Altima. That’s a credit to Nissan designers, because the two cars are built on the same platform and share a 109.3-inch wheelbase – the distance between the front and rear axles. Altima’s audience, however, stretches from four-cylinder family-car buyers to V-6 sport-sedan strivers. Maxima more tightly focuses on older, more affluent buyers interested in personal expression. Thus, Maxima sacrifices some rear-seat and trunk room to indulge the driver and front passenger.

• Mechanical: Maxima’s more than a styling exercise. Its 3.5-liter V-6 churns up a robust 290 horsepower and its continuously variable transmission delivers near-seamless response. The suspension provides a fine balance of ride comfort and agility. Nissan may feel pushed to increase the 2011 model’s horsepower; some cars shopped against Maxima have more than 290, though most of them cost more. An outside possibility is introduction of a lusty, clean-burning turbodiesel V-6. Nissan offers a variety of diesels overseas. Putting one in the Maxima would likely match or beat the gas engine’s performance, but with 20-30-percent better fuel efficiency. Nissan was apparently poised to do just that, but diesel technology is expensive, and diesel-fuel prices are volatile – a terrible twosome in a recession. If Nissan can make an economic case for it by model-year 2011, a diesel could come off the shelf and into a Maxima. Regardless of engine, the 2011 Maxima won’t abandon its front-wheel-drive layout. An engine over the drive wheels helps wet-weather traction, but can’t match rear-wheel drive for balanced handling. Nonetheless, Maxima is grippy and capable by any reasonable standard, and doesn’t suffer torque steer, the unruly pulling to the side common to many powerful front-drive cars.

• Features: Nissan has maintained a simple two-model lineup for its rejuvenated Maxima. The base 3.5 S version and the uplevel 3.5 SV have shared the 290-horsepower V-6 and both come with traction and antiskid control, 18-inch alloy wheels, power front seats, tilt-telescope leather-wrapped steering wheel with illuminated audio controls, keyless access and starting, automatic dual-zone climate control, and a power sunroof. But the 3.5 SV is clearly the favorite son, with exclusive use of leather upholstery, Bose audio, mirror turn signals, and other features. It alone has been available with optional Bluetooth connectivity and USB iPod interface, a rearview monitor, and a navigation system with voice recognition and a 9.3GB audio hard drive. Nissan could expand the 2011 Maxima lineup beyond those two models, or it could loosen up and allow the 3.5 S access to some 3.5 SV features.

2011 NISSAN MAXIMA PRICES

• Nissan won’t announce 2011 Maxima prices until shortly before the car goes on sale in 2010. But Maxima’s low- to mid-$30,000 starting prices have been well-received. This was in fact among the few cars to register sales gains during 2009. Given that, and considering Nissan’s need to keep a cushion between this car and its Infiniti G sedans, 2011 Maxima prices shouldn’t stray too far from today’s levels.

• Expect the 2011 Nissan Maxima 3.5 S to be priced from around $31,000 and the 2011 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV from around $34,000, including destination fees.

• Nissan says the 3.5 SV has accounted for about 80 percent of Maxima sales, and many buyers add the Sport Package. This option includes a host of useful performance enhancements for around $2,300. Paddle shifters that help the CVT simulate manual gear changes, a sport-tuned suspension, front-end bracing, 19-inch alloys, xenon headlights, and heated mirrors, front seats and steering wheel are among its features. A dual-panel moonroof and the navigation system have also been available on the 3.5 SV through Premium and Tech Packages ranging in price from around $2,000-$3,500, depending on other equipment.

2011 NISSAN MAXIMA FUEL ECONOMY

• The government had not released fuel-economy ratings for 2011 cars in time for this report, but if the 2011 Nissan Maxima stays with its 290-horsepower V-6/CVT powertrain, it should continue to be among the most fuel-efficient cars of its type.

• Laudable EPA ratings of 19/26 mpg (city/highway) can be partly attributed to efficiencies associated with the CVT, though Maxima’s fuel costs must factor in the higher price of premium-octane fuel, which Nissan has required for this car.

2011 NISSAN MAXIMA RELEASE DATE

• Release date for the 2011 Nissan Maxima is likely early-fall 2010.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE NISSAN MAXIMA

• If Nissan sticks to a five-year lifecycle for its flagship sedan, Maxima will be fully redesigned for model-year 2013. That schedule would pencil-in model-year 2012 for the aforementioned mid-cycle freshening. However, the cost of developing and launching new products in a tight economy may have the company reassessing Maxima’s timeline, as well as that of some of its other models. Nissan wouldn’t be alone in such cost analysis.

2011 NISSAN MAXIMA COMPETITION

• Acura TL: This is really an entry-luxury-class sedan from Honda’s premium division, but its size, front-drive/V-6 orientation, and sporty focus tab it as a Maxima competitor. Notable differences include the Acura’s higher base price range – roughly $36,000-$45,000 -- and the presence of the top-line TL model with more than 300 horsepower and all-wheel drive. The TL has polarizing styling, but is a solid performer. It won’t change drastically until model-year 2014 or so.

• Audi A4: Maxima pricing places it slightly above top-line V-6 versions of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, while its performance-bent separates it from the likes of the Lexus ES 350 (itself a gilded Camry). But shop the lower end of the Audi A4 line and you’ll find a Maxima rival in a stylish and highly roadable sedan with an overachieving turbo four and a CVT. The front-drive version starts around $32,000, an all-wheel-drive variant around $34,000. This German car’s current design will hold until at least model-year 2014.

• Volkswagen CC: Another interesting Maxima option from within the VW/Audi group is this sedan with a trendy fastback-coupe roofline and a debonair four-passenger cabin. Mainstream front-drive CCs use the same turbo four found in the base A4, but start under $30,000. Equip one similarly to a Maxima 3.5 SV, with leather, sunroof, and the like, and you’re under $34,000 to start. A front-drive V-6 CC with about 280 horsepower nears $40,000. The CC won’t change before 2014 or so.