2012 NISSAN Maxima

Much better than I expected

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

We bought our car 6/3/14 rebuilt title with 7000 miles on it. Its Black Rose with Tan Interior. We paid $15,000.00 for it and Of course we were a bit timid trusting the car at first. We have had it a year now,,, and have put 7,500 miles on it and its been a joy to drive. We average 26 mpg (On regular gas), which is guess is good,,, Heck its got almost 300HP and its quick,, agile and comfortable. The radio system is outstanding,,, the leather seats are first class,,, all the appointments are great. The weak point is the Heater/Air Condition ETC. Folks,,,, this car is fun to drive, and its handles like a sports car. Glad we bought it..........

Nice vehicle overall with the technology package.

Performance: 5 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 4

Bought mine new in early 2012 - it's an SV Premium with Tech Package (basically the most expensive sedan the Nissan dealer had on the lot). Overall I'd say I'm happy with no major problems, although this thing was expensive for a Nissan (paid somewhere around $35k). I am so happy I sprung for the tech package as I would have regretted not getting it.

Still have my Max- follow up review

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 3 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 4

Following up from my last review April 2012. Today the car has 45k miles & still loving it. The wear and tear is holding up well. Leather seats still in great shape. In my first review I mentioned bad gas mileage. Honestly it is no different than the average V6 sedan with 3.5L engine. I took the car on a 570 mile one way road trip and gas mileage was not that bad. In my latest ratings, I knocked value score down. At 45k miles this car should be worth more than 19k. Still dealing with knock noise at 30mph. When running AC sitting at stop light or traffic the RPM idles lower than normal. Dealership said that is normal with compressor kicking in. Um..yeah. Still love my Maxima though.

Good bang for the buck

Performance: 5 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

I am leasing a 2012 SV, with one year left. I like this car is many ways - engine power, handling, interior styling and quality, exterior styling. I'm very happy with my color choice - white exterior w/ rich looking tan leather interior. I would be hard pressed to find a comparable car with this balance of luxury and performance, at this price point. Interested to see what the 2015 will look like, as I probably will lease another. Hope the MSRP doesn't spike!

Knock at low speed.

Performance: 5 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 4

I Hear a knock at low speed, its one time after you start and move the car. It looks that nissan doesn't car enough to fix this issue. hoping that nissan takes this issue serious, as Maxima is nissan's flagship sedan. if the reputation is spoiled its difficult to gain it back.

2012 Maxima review

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

My comments only apply to the Maxima with the Premium package - totally different car than the base model - upgraded leather, double moon roof, heated/cooled drivers seat, Xenon headlights, driver seat, mirrors and steering wheel memory, power tilt/telescopic and heated steering wheel, reverse tilting/heated side mirrors, rear window sun screen, USB and Ipod connectivity, etc. - it is a front wheel drive Infinity and since we have winter in Oregon, we need FWD. We had a 2010 previously and the 2012 has significantly reduced torque steer and vastly improved low speed transmission performance - they got the CVT dialed in finally. It is a very comfortable road car for long trips also.

DONT BUY IT! UNLESS YOU ARE STUCK WITH NISSAN AND HAVE NO OTHER OPTION

Performance: 3 Comfort: 3 Fuel Economy: 1 Fun To Drive: 3 Interior Design: 2 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 1 Reliability: 3 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 2 Reliability Rating: 3

Brand new car, and there is condensation in both side mirror lights. Nissan claims this is normal. This car is beautiful to look. The car is very roomy and is easy to drive in the city (just watch out for the wide turns). On the highway the handling is terrible and a lot of wind noise. I get frustrated when i have to sync my ipod because it doesnt work the 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd time. If you are interested in an Maxima, Please Go check out the Acura TSX/TL, Honda Accord, Lexus ES, Toyota Camry/Avalon.

Bad Resale - Buy it if you want to keep it

Performance: 4 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 2 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 5

I was considering a TSX, TL , Passat V6 and maxima and walked out of the door with $30k for an SV. I thought it was a good deal. I guess not. The car that stickered for $37k is now worth $24k miles with 10k miles on the clock. Its a good car if you want to commute and keep for a while as the car is very reliable, interior materials are above average. CVT is not really responsive until in Ds mode. Seats are good for long drives and offer plenty of room. you get a lot of standard features for $30k . Considering base 3 series and A4 are smaller and slower. Steering feel is very good and precise. spend a little more and get a base TL , better in every way .

My Wife wants to drive my Maxima, I don't want to driver her Lexus ES 350! :-)

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 5

So I just traded up for the 2012 Nissan Maxima here recently at the end of October. I went with a Black/Black 3.5 SV w/. Premium, Premium Tech and Cold Pkgs as well as the Spoiler, Window Tints, Pin Striping, Wheel Locks and Nitrogen filled Tires (I'm in the Dallas, TX area). I traded in my previous car, a 2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited V6 w/. about 75k miles (got around $8k back for it) and let me tell you I'm not regretting it one bit. I regretted getting a Korean Car more as with the age, the ESC light started to periodically light up and everytime it did, the evergreen Microsoft methodology came to the rescue (i.e, LOL, Shutdown and reboot). I got sick of it after a while.

Knock Knock

Performance: 4 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 4

My 2012 Nissan Maxima also has the knocks at 30 mph...I've had it for 3 months and did not hear it when I first test drove it as well. I have taken it to the dealership and st first they had no clue to what it was...The fleet manager pointed it out that it was the ABS...I totally agree that such a steep price to hear a knock every time is very annoying. I have an appointment with a engineer from Nissan but I have a feeling that is just the way the car is built....We test drove a 2012 with 9 miles and it made the exact same knock at 30.Would love for Nissan to put out a formal report on the issue. I have a feeling it is something that will go wrong sometime down the line.

LOVIN' it to the MAX

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

Have about 2000k on my 2012 Maxima. Traded it for a 10 Altima. Boy what a quality difference. Max is much more solid and quiet, faster, comfy, bose is amazing, and just a great car. Looked at similar cars in the class Infinity, BMW, Mercedes but all wouldn't deal much on price. Rolled out with Tech Package and premium for 37k oto. We will see long term how things go but my last 3 rides have been nissan's Titan, Altima, now max. Been reliable and great vehicles. Read almost 100 reviews before buying and so far most the complaints I haven't noticed.

Six month to decide

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

I took a long look at Avalon, Acura TL and Buick before buying a Nissan Maxima. I was influenced by the sportiness of the car based on son's inputs in comparisons to all 3 other choices. I liked the Avalon a lot but it felt like an old man's car and overly lavish. The Acura TL was great but the trunk was tiny and it would not hold 2 sets of golf clubs. The Buick had lots of possibilities but it just felt to bulkish and not as well thought out. Shaq's commercial made me look at it twice. It is early but performance has been great, wife loves it and gas mileage is much better than the Volvo XC 90 I traded in. I have only bought Volvo's in the past 5 cars but the XC 90 was terrible.

shame on nissan

Performance: 4 Comfort: 2 Fuel Economy: 2 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 1 Exterior Design: 1 Build Quality: 3 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 2 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 1 Reliability Rating: 4

Am leasing 2012 maxima sport after turning in my 2009..Shame on Nissan! The 2009 Maxima was all class inside & out.Appealed to young & old alike. Handling was exceptional as well. I don't know what Nissan was thinking when they changed this once beautiful car.What made the car an eye-catcher,a pleasure to drive and to own is now gone. Smaller interior, no real room for a third person in the back,extremely uncomfortable for rear passengers.Exterior..smaller lights, smaller sloping hood, smaller rear light fin. Smaller everything. No longer catches the eye & no handling improvements (as claimed) that I see.Obviously gearing toward younger generation. What was once a class car in now just a car

3rd Maxima

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

Like the title says this our 3rd Maxima. Just picked it up 2 weeks ago. Car only has 400+ miles. Traded in a loaded 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD and wife just never liked that car and now somes home every day asying she loves her new Maxima. This is our 3rd Maxima. Owned a 92 and still own an 03. You just get a lot of car for the money. Now hopefully it will be as reliable as the first one was. Keep you posted.

Thought I was getting good deal. Nope.

Performance: 4 Comfort: 3 Fuel Economy: 1 Fun To Drive: 3 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 1 Reliability: 1 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 1

I now have 15,000 miles on mine. Car would not start over 12 times now. Dash freezes and car does not respond to anything. Dealer told me to keep wrench in car and disconnect battery when it happens. Said they spoke to nissan and nissan is working on a fix. Called Nissan customer service and they have no record of dealer calling. Volume knob does not work some times, nav resets randomly, radio does not work randomly, passenger seat is completely loose, very loud on highway speeds with windows up and Nissan does not stand behind their products. Called them to say swap me out, get me into something else. Both dealer and Corp will not talk to me until 12 months into lease.

Nice car

Performance: 5 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 3 Exterior Design: 3 Build Quality: 3 Reliability: 3 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 3

My wife just picked this out and has been driving it a month now. I drive it on the weekends and we just took a small road trip. I drive a 1yr old VW on a daily basis. The experience with the dealer was very nice. The salesperson was knowledgeable and helpful and seemed genuinely looking out for our best interest. The service department was also very professional, we had to have a cup holder lid fixed. As other reviewers point out, the car has plenty of power, drives easy but has significant understeer. It's clear that most people recognize the car as an entry level luxury/sport sedan and that's the perception and how Nissan markets the car. Our Maxima is fully loaded in grey.

One of the best cars for the price

Performance: 5 Comfort: 3 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 5

Didn’t plan on buying a Maxima. I looked at it because a friend who owned one said I should. Couldn’t get it out of my head after I took a long test drive. It was a fun car to drive – really fun! The engine sounded great as soon as it turned over. Moving through traffic was effortless. All I had to do was press on the accelerator and the car went as fast as I needed it to go. There’s more than enough power to move this car and it’s got the handling so that you’re always in control. It’s also very comfortable. The interior is put together so that the controls are where you expect them to be. They’re handsome and easy to operate too. Seat is firm and comfortable. Go see one for yourself.

So far I am loving it!

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

Purchased premium model 6 weeks ago and loving it. Choice was between Maxima, Avalon, ES350, and BMW 3 series. After driving all 4 I had to go with Maxima. For the $ you get allot of options plus I decided to go for something sporty. BMW was close but Max is a little bigger and offers more. The Maxima drives smooth, feels comfortable, the car wants to go fast even when you dont want it to. When driving, the car has a nice pur that gives you that sporty feeling. Throttle response is great. Handles great for sedan. Paddle shifters are fun. Gas however..horrible. I average around 23mpg, 320mi to a tank. If you have fun with the car..you're looking at mid 200mi a tank. Worth it though.

Couldn't be happier!

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

My husband and I looked at and test drove many high-end sedans from Lexus ES 350, Audi A4, Infinity to C Class Mercedes Benz. The designer cars didn't impress us. Seriously. It all came down to personal preference and what would work best for our family. We did narrow it down to the ES and Maxima, but the ES has really short head space. We are tall people. My hubby is over 6 ft. and I'm 5 ft. 7. And each time we test drove an ES, I kept thinking "old man car". Plus the breaking wasn't smooth and it was downright boring to drive and we were worried about the Toyota/Lexus recalls. We purchased a black 2012 Maxima with gray interior with red stitching and couldn't be happier. We got a great deal on a SV Premium Package with rear spoiler. With its ample headspace, heated steering wheel, heated and air conditioned seats, Bose stereo, nav system, and double moon roof, we got all the perks we wanted and then some. It's a good-looking car that's a blast to drive. Looks and drives like a sports car. The manufacturer recommends premium gas, but the dealership said we could use regular with no problem. The only thing we don't like is the effortless acceleration. If we’re not careful, we’ll be racking up some serious speeding tickets, y'all. This is our favorite car we've owned yet. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!"

I love this car

Performance: 4 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

I have had this car for 4 weeks now, and all I can say is, this is a KILLER bargain for what you get. Don't be scared away by the sticker price on these cars, especially if you are leasing. These cards can be had for thousands off the sticker price which in turn makes them a fantastic deal. The sticker on my SV premium with mats, mud guards, and trunk organizer was $39,400. I got it for $7000 less! The amenties are second to none, heated seats, cooled driver seat, double moonroof, large color backup camera. The car has plenty of power and I am still getting 24MPG.

Impressive Maxima

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

My 2010 Maxima lease was almost up so I turned it in and leased a 2012 Maxima SV with Premium package. I immediately noticed a huge advance in refinement over the 2010, and a dramatic improvement in the performance of the CVT. The drivetrain as a whole is far more responsive and much smoother. The CVT no longer bogs down the tremendously powerful engine. Kudos to Nissan for continuous improvement. The two-tone interior is sumptuous and the materials appear to be of improved quality. Everything has a very substantial quality about it. This feels like a much more expensive car. On the road, the dynamics have been improved, and a feeling of solid build and substance is imparted. I love it!