In surveys that J.D. Power and Associates has conducted with verified owners of the Nissan Maxima, the people that actually own one told us what they like and don’t like about their car.

What Owners Like:

“My Maxima is just plain sexy. Her lines in the front are just hot.”

“The exterior design is truly outstanding.”

“The styling of the car is exceptional.”

“Love the new body style.”

“It just looks great, inside and out.”

“Overall style of car is excellent.”

“Styling. Not a cookie-cutter car.”

“Driving dynamics – responsiveness, handling, and stability.”

“Raw power, quick, incredible passing power.”

“Power [is] amazing.”

“Engine power – extremely fast.”

“Engine performance is outstanding, [a] wonderful driving experience.”

“Love the engine.”

“CVT = new driving experience.”

“CVT [is a] smooth transmission.”

“New transmission is great and fun.”

“Decent fuel consumption.”

“MPG rating: saves dollars.”

“Steering – good movement, corners and turns well.”

“Excellent response to steering wheel.”

“Handling. Drives like a sports car. I love it!”

“Fun to drive sedan.”

“Handling, steering, and acceleration are A+.”

“Love the way the car handles.”

“Love the way [it] handles on curves.”

“Very quiet. Blocks outside noise.”

“Interior sound-proofing.”

“Quiet over bumpy roads.”

“Smooth ride – very comfortable.”

“The ride is very comfortable.”

“Interior comfort – very comfortable on long or short journeys.”

“Interior comfort is amazing. It is luxurious, spacious, and driving comfort is awesome.”

“Seats very comfortable, feel very secure while driving this car.”

“Driver seat hugs you like a racing seat. [I] feel very secure.”

“Comfort. [My] husband is tall [and] not all cars are good for him. This one is!”

“Comfort [is] exceptional.”

“Stereo [is a] top-notch system.”

“Great audio system.”

“Sound system [is] outstanding.”

“Music box feature [that] copies songs to a hard drive.”

“Navigation system route system and guidance are eerily excellent.”

“Nissan intelligent key with push-button ignition.”

“Heated steering wheel and seats.”

“Heated steering wheel – toasty for cold hands.”

“[I like the] back window screen.”

“Nice control layout on instrument panel.”

“Interior feels good, items [are] close at hand, pleasant.”

“Accessories in the car are well thought [out]”

“[I like the] crash rating.”

“Quality of construction, reliability, and safety.”

“Interior décor – quality and appearance.”

“Interior materials are good quality.”

“Overall quality of craftsmanship of car.”

“Quality vehicle in all respects.”

“Dependable. This is my fifth Maxima.”

“Overall performance, appearance, comfort, and luxury compared to previous four Maximas owned.”

“[This] is the finest Maxima that we have ever owned, our third one.”

“I love my new [Maxima]. I wish I had two of them.”



What Owners Don’t Like:

“Grille – don’t like the look. Looks cheap.”

“Engine noise during acceleration.”

“Some road noise. Could be more quiet.”

“Taking off quickly from a stop [the] car pulls to the right.”

“Standing acceleration torque steer.”

“Slower acceleration than I would like.”

“CVT is a bit odd.”

“Transmission paddles on steering wheel – never to be used.”

“Fuel consumption could be better.”

“Fuel economy needs improvement.”

“Gas mileage not as good as I had hoped.”

“Needs premium gas.”

“On highway and in high winds, harder to control steering.”

“Directional stability. [Maxima] has tendency to wander.”

“[I would like a] less bumpy ride.”

“Noisy and stiff ride on rougher pavement.”

“Hard ride.”

“Handling not great in snowy conditions.”

“Tires [are] very slippery on snow.”

“Traction/handling is terrible in snow/icy conditions.”

“Not stable in snow.”

“[The Maxima is] not all-wheel drive.”

“Nissan did not do enough cold weather testing. Washer doesn’t work under 15 degrees Fahrenheit.”

“Windshield wipers – hard to get snow off of bottom of windshield and passenger side doesn’t wipe completely.”

“Slant of windshield makes complete defrost difficult.”

“Visibility when changing lanes.”

“Blind spots [when] changing lanes.”

“The side mirror on the driver side is too bulky, creates a blind spot.”

“Judging distance in front takes getting used to.”

“Hard to judge front end distance with parking.”

“Rear window visibility is very poor.”

“Vibration at certain speeds, even though minor.”

“Passenger seat vibration – unacceptable in a car in this price range.”

“Wish front passenger had same seat controls as driver.”

“Passenger seat power range [is] lacking.”

“No memory seat adjust for passenger.”

“No rear seat entertainment. When I ride in the back, I might want to be entertained.”

“No rear seat warmers…I might want my body to be warm.”

“Difficult getting in and out of back seats.”

“Height of entry into rear seat [is too] low.”

“Not enough leg room in back seat.”

“Poor rear seat leg room/foot room.”

“Rear seat leg room small for a car of this size.”

“Rear seat not comfortable for three people.”

“Rear seats are cramped but I don’t care – I’m driving!”

“Rear seatbelts are hard to buckle if cupholder/armrest is being used.”

“Heated seats take too long to warm up.”

“Heated seats don’t heat up fast or [get] hot.”

“Steering wheel has a divider down the bottom that is annoying.”

“Steering wheel circumference [is] too big around.”

“The pink stitching on the seats is a bad attempt at cool.”

“Red stitching in the leather should be grey or black.”

“Black interior was [a] mistake – dirt from shoes, dog hair!”

“Leather seats stain. [Mine are] light colored.”

“Leather soiling on driver’s seat.”

“Soiling [of] interior fabric [is] horrible.”

“Interior should have wood grain and less plastic.”

“Navigation locks out while driving even if [a] passenger [is] in [the] car.”

“Stereo system – extremely disappointed compared to 2003 model. Speaker placement is terrible.”

“The speakers are just OK.”

“Audio/entertainment [has] poor sound. Volume has to be turned up.”

“Audio control on steering [wheel] too small, too close to other controls.”

“No mute button on radio or steering wheel controls.”

“Push-button start – I lost key in the car in the seat track and couldn’t leave the car locked until I found the key six hours later.”

“Sunglass holder is too small.”

“Cupholders cover opens backwards.”

“Front seat coffee cup holder – closing door needs to be reversed.”

“Cupholders – difficult for driver to remove drink.”

“Front seat cupholders not deep enough.”

“Cupholder broke first month.”

“Emergency brake – [I prefer a] hand brake. Difficult getting in and out of car.”

“When parked on a hill, driver’s side door does not remain open unless fully extended.”

“Trunk space is reduced from 2005 model, could be bigger.”

“Trunk space and shape. Won’t hold four sets of golf clubs!”

“Trunk capacity and access lacking.”

“No cargo nets in trunk.”

“Side view mirrors retain water when I take the car to the car wash and it runs down on doors like tears.”

“Splash guards [are] useless.”

“Sharp edge on front door trim cut my face twice! Dangerous!”

“I’m 5’4” and it sometimes feels like visibility, [the] steering wheel, [and the] mirrors are made for a larger person or man.”

“[I don’t like the] insurance rating.”


Note: This review was published on January 15, 2010. It may not reflect data that has become available for this vehicle since that date.