I’ve had my 2010 Nissan Maxima SV for a little over 3 months now, so it’s time for the first update! With over 4,000 miles on the odometer, I’ve spent a lot of quality seat time in the car, and have plenty of observations. Some of these parallel the review, which was posted last week, and some are new. Read on for what’s been going on for the last 3 months.
Stats:
Time Period: 3/15/2010 – 6/15/2010
Miles Driven: 4,225 / 4,225 (this update / total)
Average MPG: 21.6 mpg (reported by on-board computer)
Costs:
Service Costs: $0.00
Maintenance Costs: $0.00
Total Cost (non-fuel): $0.00
Services Performed:
3/20/2010 – Non-operating sunroof. Dealership performed the sunroof reset procedure and oiled the sunroof tracks; malfunction wasn’t reproduced.
3/24 – 3/26/2010 – Car was brought in again for sunroof on the 24th, returned on the 26th after replacement of the sunroof motor.
Summary:
After the sunroof debacle, no more issues have been found with the Maxima, although some Internet users are reporting problems with noise from the sunroof, CVT noise, iPod connectivity issues, and front seats that “rock” during acceleration or deceleration. Overall, the Maxima has proved to be fun to drive and a willing participant in back-road corner-carving. So far, so good!
Dated Notes:
- 3/20/2010 – Moonroof’s automatic functionality has disappeared. Using the online Factory Service Manual to do a reset on the moonroof worked. Complaint was lodged with the dealership the car was bought at.
- 3/24/2010 – The sunroof has lost its automatic functionality again, as well as its tilt feature. The car was dropped off this afternoon at the dealership, and I was provided with a rental car.
- 3/26/2010 – Got the Maxima back from the dealership. Interior is clean and free of smudges/stains/rips, which bodes well for this particular dealership. Moonroof is working as expected. Service advisor reports that the moonroof motor was replaced, due to an intermittent short.
- 4/6/2010 – Although the Maxima is supposed to be “sporty,” the vibration and noise from the exhaust is a bit much. I took the afternoon to apply sound-deadening material to the trunk, in order to quiet down some of said noise. Results were good.
- 4/10/2010 – Nav system has trouble with long trips, it seems. (275 miles) Refused to figure out a route. Finally worked about 65 miles into the trip, but crashed the whole audio system several times during the road trip. Very disappointing.
General Observations:
- Heated steering wheel is great on cold mornings, keeping the driver’s hands from freezing after the car sits outside all night.
- Heated seats work quite well, and the cooled driver’s seat is a lifesaver on hot days, which the Washington, D.C. metro area has had a lot of this spring.
- The Navigation system needs some new software, to keep it from crashing the entire audio system. This is inexcusable on a $40,000 car, especially since this isn’t Nissan’s first nav system.
- The dual-panel moonroof is nice, with a very large opening. Since the front glass pops up and slides back instead of sliding horizontally to open, it presents quite a bit of noise at highway speeds, but is fairly quiet when driving on local roads. Both the front and rear power sunshades open at the same time, so you’ll want to leave them closed if your rear passengers don’t want all the light.
- Car handles fairly well at its limits, with plenty of warning before the front or rear loses traction.
- Acceleration is wonderful, allowing the car to quickly maneuver around traffic. Better-than-average steering feel helps as well.
- CVT takes some time to get used to, but provides nice, smooth acceleration. For a more traditional feel, push the gear shift lever to the left to enter “Drive Sport” mode, where “Ds” shows up on the instrument cluster.
- On trips of more than 4 hours, the driver’s seat side bolsters can dig into one’s shoulder blades, leading to some discomfort, although thigh support is especially nice in these situations.
- Trunk is big enough to swallow a load of groceries from Costco – impressive!
- Automatically lowering mirrors (in reverse) are nicer than previously thought, easing parallel parking situations.
- Crisp, clear backup camera is a boon in tight situations.
- Infotainment buttons are set up quite well, allowing oft-used features to be accessed via buttons instead of always having to look at and use the touch screen.
- BlueTooth is nice, but some extraneous noise exists with certain phones (iPhone 3GS paired with the Maxima).
- Steering wheel controls are well-designed and laid out, easing use at night.
- Paddle shifters are a fun diversion, when traffic allows. Proper setup (left = downshift, right = upshift) works well. With the paddle shifters, the gear shift lever’s manual-mode operation is redundant.
- “Distance To Empty” function is interesting, as it doesn’t just count down, but when on the highway, will rise as well. Thoughtful.
- Rear audio controls are superfluous, but fun for passengers.
- DVD player is clunky in its use, but works. Requires both being in Park and the Parking Brake be engaged.
- iPod integration is wonderful, with no problems reported.
- Tires (Goodyear Eagle RS-A) are very loud and transfer a lot of road noise into the cabin. Not a great amount of grip either. Nissan should have equipped the Maxima was proper sporting tires, instead of the more pedestrian RS-As. Apparently, some Altimas are equipped with Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires, which would’ve made a much better choice.
by John Suit
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