Used 2012 Nissan Maxima Sedan Consumer Reviews
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So far I am loving it!
maxmus12, 01/09/2012
2012 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
40 of 40 people found this review helpful
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!
kc16, 01/01/2012
2012 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
32 of 32 people found this review helpful
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 were not careful, well be racking up some serious speeding tickets, y'all. This is our favorite car we've owned yet. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!"
2012 Maxima review
geo2010maxima, 04/07/2013
2012 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
19 of 19 people found this review helpful
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.
I love this car
mseals528, 12/21/2011
2012 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
19 of 19 people found this review helpful
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.
Great Entry Level Luxury/Sports Car
Cade Milam, 10/12/2017
2012 Nissan Maxima 3.5 S 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
I have only had the car a little over a month. I bought it with 40K miles on it and I have since added about 4K to that. I work about 40 minutes away from home so I am on the road a lot. This car is extremely quiet at highway speeds. It feels solid and stable, even well above the speed limit. It corners well and handles great for such a big sedan. My only complaint would be the turning radius because it is rather large. The brakes are nice and strong, though even though mine are new, the do squeak just the slightest when they’re cold, but the stopping power and pedal feel are both excellent. The front seats are extremely supportive and comfortable and all of your resting points are soft and well made. The leather wrapped around the steering wheel is a little slick, so watch out for that - especially when flooring the car because there is a considerable amount of torque steer, but nothing scary. Power in plentiful. I have yet to feel the need to have more of it. I traded in a Subaru Legacy 2.5i Limited so when I put my foot down in my Maxima, I was blown away. You do pay at the pump though. As Nissan recommends Premium Fuel, that is what I use. I average about 24MPG, so it isn’t bad. Mostly interstate miles but some city driving is thrown in there too. I haven’t had any issues with anything yet, but I am going to assume I will have one soon. The is a metal on metal click sometimes when I hit my brakes. There is nothing wrong with them, I just hear the noise. And when I start the car when the engine is cold, there is a loud rattle for about 1-2 seconds. I don’t know what it is and I don’t know what is causing it, but I am assuming something is loose or it is just valve clatter due to a cheap oil filter. I am getting the oil changed soon so I will update if it fixes the issue. I love this car. Everyone said to get a more loaded one with leather, heated and cooled seats, etc... but the only two things I wanted was HID headlight and a sunroof. The cloth Nissan used grips better anyway. I’ll have this car until it no longer runs so I wil update every so often throughout my ownership.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Still have my Max- follow up review
maxmus12, 04/28/2015
2012 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
18 of 19 people found this review helpful
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
gapari, 03/01/2014
2012 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
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!
Nice car
vincevw329, 06/18/2012
2012 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
15 of 16 people found this review helpful
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.
Knock at low speed.
rajacars, 07/19/2013
2012 Nissan Maxima 3.5 S 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
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.
My Wife wants to drive my Maxima, I don't want to driver her Lexus ES 350! :-)
sunsonshaan07, 11/02/2012
2012 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
26 of 30 people found this review helpful
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.
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