Hey guys,
I was just wondering if anyone here has ever driven a maxima. Can i get non-biased reviews and opinions here? What does the TSX have that the maxima doesn't and vice versa? What about a comparison on how the two drive?

I tried to test drive on today at a Nissan dealership. The guy tried to talk me into buying it and talk #'s before i had even driven it or sat inside one.

For those of you that were comparing the two, what made you get the TSX instead of the maxima?

thanks

 

Well you obviously are not going to get unbiased opinions on an Acura board about another car but I thought the materials in the Maxima were not of the highest quality. I think the Maxima compares more closely to the TL however in size and engine power.

 

I test drove a Maxima during my shopping. Power was great, so was amount of space. In the end, the fit and finish and the navigation system of the TSX won out.

 

when i was looking for cars...i test drove a maxima too...

Pros: Addicting VQ35, i actually liked the looks~, oh and the heated steering wheel~

cons: VQ35 was too much for FWD (massive torque steer), felt very big, the dash trim is basically a fake aluminum lookalike plastic~fit and finish~

oh...one more thing..after u add up the options, the car was a bit pricy, and all the options came in packages, so you really don't have alot of chioice~


in the end..i ended up with a TSX, but somtimes i do wish i had a VQ35 in hand~

 

The Maxima has quite a few options that you won't find in other vehicles of the same class, such as heated steering wheel, seat memory, long sun-roof, etc. And the horse-power is great too. However, it feels big and slow when you drive (again, I'm only saying it feels slow because it is certainly not). The interior space is nice but the exterior cannot be compared to the TSX's.

Honestly, if I liked Nissan cars I'd rather get the fully loaded Altima. To me, that one looks even better than the new Maxima.

 

Maxima? Try the Altima SER

 

I looked at it. But i dont think it comes with all the bells and whistles like the TSX does.

One thing i do hear about the maxima is the smooth quiet highway ride.
How do you guys think it compares with the tsx? Is it me? Or was the highway ride a little loud from the roadnoise w/ the stock tires in the TSX? Other than that, would you say they are comparible?

 

the Max is heavily discounted at least in my area (NJ) much more so then the TSX looks like the current Cars direct price is under invoice.

I did a quick search and the 30k car is selling for 26K on Cars Direct which is about 1000 under invoice.

 

Personally I never liked nissans interior of their newer car, as well as honda/ acura and toyota.

They do a nice exterior look and engine job, but personally if its a car that you'll be keeping for a whiel might as well suit your inside needs.

Their interior in my opinion is a bit cheap and plastic like, especailly the turn signals on the g35... i think it was the sedan that I was disgusted with. But this is just my opinion, I find the new titan with an awesome interior =P

 

As most have have already said, the engine is sweet, but the rest is no good. You know that "long sunroof" doesn't even open

 

I was asking myself the same questions about four months ago, and posted on this board to solicit opinions. I test drove the Maxima four times before making a decision. I find the Maxima a very attractive car. It still turns my head. It was very quick but had tremendous torque steer. The interior was not as well constructed when compared to other products. I also found the six speed rather hard to shift. On the highway it felt and rode great, but had some road noise. I then searched for TSB's and found plenty of them. Moonroof shattering, vibration from front end, actually having to trim the glove compartment door to fit properly, etc. So as much as I enjoyed its styling, I went with a Honda product instead. As much as I love the TSX, I purchased a six speed Accord coupe instead.

Terry

 

I had an '05 Maxima as a rental last week for a business trip. Drove about 500 miles with it. It is a very nice vehicle, but the seats are very uncomfortable - they are hard and fall too short on the thighs. The leather may have more padding though. I also noticed several rattles. Gas mileage for the freeway-only trip averaged 26 mpg, lower than the TSX. I would only compare the Maxima to the TL though as it is much bigger than the TSX. Also, If your looking at a car for image, I surely didn't get the stares in the Maxima that I'm used to with my TSX.

 

I forgot to mention, both the TSX and TL sound systems would blow away the sound system in the Maxima I drove. Plus, it may have been abused as a rental, but with only 18,000 miles, the automatic climate control was not very "automatic." The temperature was very inconsistent and I had to keep it around 78 to stay warm and it always wanted to run the AC. When I'd turn it off, 30 minutes later, it was back on again...

 

i these are the only 2 cars I cross shopped, tested both and picked the TSX. What does the TSX have that the Maxima doesn't, FUN! Maxima is bloated, has torque steer, and feels like driving a boat. TSX is tite, crisp and sporty.

 

Wow! Thanks for the responses.
So basically the consensus is,
Maxima = good engine + nothing else
TSX = Everything + lots of fun

 

TSX = (Everything + lots of fun) - (HP+Torque)

 

LOL, exactly

but seriously, test drive a 325i, A4 1.8t, and a s40, then a tsx and you'll see the overall performance is right where it should be for the price (actually the TSX is less expensive than these usually).

 

I test drove the maxima. I loved the looks and power as well.

What I didn't like:
stearing radius is MASSIVE!
looking out the rear window from the rear view mirror
Blind spots from slopped rear window
Pricey for the things that come with it
little buttons all over the center console (hard to really read/play with while driving)
the dashboard that seemed to go on forever along with that reallllllly long hood.

but other than that

 

yea before i purchased my tsx, my final choice came down to the tsx and maxima.

a lot of ppl don't like the exterior of the maxima, but i loved the looks as well. i came from a 1996 maxima, and it was a solid car. so the first car i tested was the 04 maxima se. a lot of ppl don't seem to be too high on nissan on this board, which i expect being an acura board, but i was very pleased with my maxima. as for the new model, i loved the power, the exterior, and the 18" wheels. other than that...it was ehh. the interior wasn't much to remember. the interior had gotten a lot worse than the previous generation.

i figured that i would be able to sacrifice the power and 18" wheels for the tsx, which i felt was superior in every other aspect. as for exterior looks, they're both nice looking cars, and the maxima still turns my head whenever i see one. but the tsx is a beautiful car in my opinon, and i'm still in awe of it everytime i see my car. also, the maxima was too big for me. i mostly drive alone, so i didn't need such a big car, and the size of the tsx was perfect for me.

so basically, all that the maxima offered me over the tsx was more power, 18" wheels, and sentimental reasons since my first car was a maxima. prices were about the same, but the tsx offered more to me in pretty much everything else.

 

Yea, I testdrove 04 Maxima, 04 TSX, 04 Honda Accord EX before making my purchase. First one I took off my list is the Maxima, why?

Maxima felt very strong at the throttle, but tons of torque steer. I did not like the interior at all even with leather option. For some reason, Nissan put cloth type of material to the door panel, and that to me, looked really cheap. At first when I saw the Maxima, I absolutely loved the exterior, but that all changed once I got close to the car and took a look. It just didn't look that elegant and that futuristic style didn't grow in me. The sheet metals looked kinda weak for some reason, but that's just me being too detailed. The 2 good things I liked about the Maxima is the throttle power and the Bose stereo system (added option). Handling was far from being crisp and precise like the TSX. The intrument panel and the center console looked low-grade in every angle. Put it this way, the 04 Maxima interior with leather looks even worse than the Lexus IS interior. Not to mention, with all the xenon, leather, stereo options added, Maxima climbs itself to the low 30 grand mark. Honestly I'd take the Accord EX 4cyl or V6 over the Maxima anyday, so there's no need to even compare it with the TSX.

-K

 

i'm more curious about a comparison between a maxima and an altima. too tired to look up the differences other than exterior....hehe

 

Actually... our other car in the house is an 04 accord LX 4cylinder. I know that they are both 2.4's and i know that they both have the same torque rating. The 04 accord is actually pretty quick.

I have a feeling that the Acura dealer put regular fuel into the tank because evertime i test drove, when accelerating from a stop; the engine sort of hesitated for a second like it was about to stall. (this was on an auto). I know that if you dont put premium in it, you sort of loose a little performance. My 04 accord doesn't do that, and although the engines have some minor differences, the torque rating is about the same.

Has anyone here actually driven the two? Is the TSX quicker since it's got the same torque and higher hp?

I tried to do a search on this, but most of the comparison's are between the TSX and the accord V6. I looked through 2 pages of different serach results and didn't find much at all.

 

My mom has a 2004 Maxima 3.5 SE loaded. Its a great fun car to drive. The suspension and chasis is so stiff it makes it hard to tell its FWD on some turns. Its pretty quiet inside and I love the heated steering wheel. (Canada) However, I cant really use the information center without taking my eyes of the road for a long time. I dont like how A/C comes on every time I change a setting in the climate control! Its annoying!!!! Basically when I drive my accord i'm not as annoyed when I'm in the max, but the max is so much more fun to drive!! Sooo much TQ!

 

The cloth like material is swaide and it feels really nice. The Lexus LS430 uses it on the headliner.

 

i prefer the TSX and not just because i own one.
I know 2 people and have been in thier Maximas.
I just like the interior much better.