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Nissan Maxima vs. Honda Accord

574 messages,  Last post on Jan 05, 2010 at 12:42 AM

You are in the Nissan Maxima Forum.

What is this discussion about? Nissan Maxima, Honda Accord, Sedan

Messages Page 58 of 58

#565 of 574 Re: Comparing Apples & Orages [leirex] by urbancar

Sep 25, 2006 (3:36 pm)

Replying to: leirex (Jan 31, 2006 12:37 pm)
"I don't understand why the Maxima SL..does not have the same kind of interior quality at least as the Murano..."
 
Now it does, and competes very well with Honda, Toyota, etc. and is really more in Acura or Passat territory in terms of interior feel, especially in the SL version.
 
The 06 version gives no sense of the new interior, which was changed very significantly in the 07 version. The 07 was, by most accounts, redesigned specifically to address the type of issue you raised (owners who loved the Maxima as drivetrain, but were disappointed by cheap interiors).
 
The 07 is far from cheap looking, especially in the SL, which has a very impressive interior (especially in leather). In fact, you can see a lot of the "old school" Maxima types whining that the Max has now gone "too luxury."
 
The seats are redesigned, as are all interior accents (e.g. real aluminum on guages, all metal door lock trims, higher grade plastics elsewhere).
 
If I sound like I drank the Koolaid, I have, to a certain extent. I bought an 07 and have had nothing but great feelings from the car. My German car friends are also very impressed by the car in general, including the new interior, to the point where they comment that the Maxima has "gone German."
 
Also, torque steer and turning radius issues are to my own estimation (and comments from most reviewers) substantially improved in the 07 iteration. And I do drive the car aggressively from time to time...

#566 of 574 Re: Comparing Apples & Orages [urbancar] by maximafan

Sep 25, 2006 (8:48 pm)

Replying to: urbancar (Sep 25, 2006 3:36 pm)
urbancar, I'd like to get your feedback on the
new CVT tranny on the '07 Maxima. Tell us your
thoughts and how you're liking it so far.
Enjoy your new Max.!!!

#567 of 574 Re: Comparing Apples & Orages [maximafan] by urbancar

Sep 26, 2006 (4:35 pm)

Replying to: maximafan (Sep 25, 2006 8:48 pm)
I really love the CVT, which IMHO is the "pefect match" for this engine.
 
Keep in mind that the VQ engine revs lower in producing peak HP and torque most other engines in this class, which works extremely well with the CVT. In thinking about it, if this makes sense, I think that the VQ engine was in a sense "waiting" for development of a good CVT that works well in high performance applications. In the combination of VQ engine and current Maxima CVT, this gives a very smooth but very powerful feel, with excellent responsiveness/feedback throughout. This is because, with this engine, only a small increase in revs gives a proportionately greater increase in torque/hp, versus other engines that need to rev higher to get a real power response --which is tailor made for CVT.
 
It does not "drone" (as some have feared) but growls, in a very refined sort of way, but again, the feeling is also one of a lot of responsiveness, which makes you very connected to the driving.
 
I also think that the CVT produces less power train loss versus "conventinoal automatics" I haven't seen anything in numbers, but I would bet (based on feel) that the CVT places nearer a standard than conventional auto in power train loss. This means that more of the engine power actually gets to the wheels, and you lose much less at the "shift points" of a conventional auto. This not only affects raw power, but handling in my opinion, as you really "feel" the true changes in power in a more linear way, and can drive the car with more predictability in curvy/speed changing (and what would be gear changing situations in a conventional auto).
 
I would describe the overall feel is very responsive, smooth and powerful. This is a great car for long trips, especially where there is less than perfect enforcement.
 
My personal view is that paper/stats tell you only so much. Ultimately, you have to drive it. This is where I got "sold" on the car (very quickly) after having driven a number of competitors first. All the good Japanese cars cover the basics very well (Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and their respective "upmarket" brands). After that, my view would be to narrow the field on paper, then drive those, and buy the one that puts a smile on your face.

#568 of 574 Re: Comparing Apples & Orages [urbancar] by autoboy16

Oct 02, 2006 (5:53 am)

Replying to: urbancar (Sep 26, 2006 4:35 pm)
Do you feel a HP rating. I saw that the HP number are down 10. I don't even know if it was because of SAE.
 
-Cj

#569 of 574 Re: Comparing Apples & Orages [autoboy16] by thegraduate

Oct 03, 2006 (7:14 pm)

Replying to: autoboy16 (Oct 02, 2006 5:53 am)
HP rating DID in fact drop by 10 to 255 hp, because of SAE, I believe I read.

#570 of 574 Navi System by dwink

Oct 04, 2006 (3:52 am)

How does the Navi system on the maxima compare with that of the Accord?

#571 of 574 Comparing by lauris7p

Oct 02, 2009 (1:43 pm)

im looking forward of getting a car. its either nissan maxima (05) vs honda accord v6 (04) or Mazda 6 v6 (06).
 
i want a reliable car which would feel sporty, im only 19 but im 6'3". i test drove accord and maxima so far, but i like nissan more. accord is kind of boring but i heard its more reliable than maxima. mazdas look nice but small space in the back and ford engine which is a big turn off for me. could someone help me with this please?

#572 of 574 Re: Comparing [lauris7p] by averagecarguy

Oct 02, 2009 (8:17 pm)

Replying to: lauris7p (Oct 02, 2009 1:43 pm)
The Maxima is every bit as reliable as the Honda, has more front leg room (which could be important for you) and is available with a greater variety of features/options. In the end, go with what appeals to you most.

#573 of 574 Re: Comparing [averagecarguy] by thegraduate

Dec 22, 2009 (12:58 pm)

Replying to: averagecarguy (Oct 02, 2009 8:17 pm)
The Maxima is every bit as reliable as the Honda
 
Based on what?

#574 of 574 Re: Comparing [averagecarguy] by avucarguy

Jan 05, 2010 (12:42 am)

Replying to: averagecarguy (Oct 02, 2009 8:17 pm)
Nissans tends to have more issues as they age. I owned both Accords and Maximas, The Accords are more reliable 4 or 6 cyl. Also 03 - 07 V6 Accords will also get better mpg than 04 - 08 Maximas. Also, until Nissan retouched the Maxima in 07, the Accord's interior looks better. 07 - 08 Maxima's interior is much improved compared to 04 - 06 Maximas. The 04 - 06 Maximas interiors were cheap when considering how much Nissan charge for these cars.
The good news is Nissan have extend the Warranty coverage on the CVT tranny on the 07 - 08 Maxima to 120K miles. I received this letter from Nissan about 3 months ago for my 07 Maxima.

Messages Page 58 of 58

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