2002 Nissan Maxima SE Review

Just for the heck of it, here are my thoughts on my "new" car. Please note, this is from the point of view of a 5'1" small female who has never owned anything put two door sports & compact cars and my comparison point is a 1991 two-door Cutlass. I'm still getting used to having a full-sized, four door car, from maneuvering it through parking lots to getting it into my garage without scraping anything. Memories of my mom driving her gigantic station wagon and having to pull into our driveway and then make a full 180 degree turn into our garage. I would stand in the garage and try and direct her in while she piloted an enormous boat of a car. I learned to drive in a boat also, my dad's 1970's Impala, but my own first car was a 1979 Camaro, which was much easier to parallel park (and had plastic bumpers so it I bumped into someone it wasn't tragic).

The 255 hp engine was another big selling point for me, being a speed freak, driving in Houston you need a car that can get out of the way in an emergency if needed, drivers here are nuts and the percentage of trucks and SUVs on the road is very high. The engine even looks beautiful, the fluid reservoirs are clearly marked, see through and color coded and the engine block is gorgeous. The acceleration on this car is amazing, I'd love to be able to get it out where I can really test it, but long stretches of open road aren't easily available any more. Years ago, especially when I worked nights and would be the only one out I could get my cars to well over 100 mph on the freeways, but there is too much 24/7 traffic now. And I'd like to keep my driving record as clean as possible since I'm now paying for collision.

My 6 foot plus husband is quite comfortable in the passenger seat as is my 75 year old father, and the three back seat passengers I've had so far have all told me the ride in the back seat is excellent. The suspension is firm but not teeth rattling, and not too cushy. You can feel the road, the handling is excellent, though the turning radius is not very good. But again it's a long car with 17 inch tires. The center of gravity is a little higher than I'd like in turns, and the driver's seat a little too firm with not much lateral support to keep you in place, but perhaps that will break in the more I drive it. And, in the future, I might alter the tires and suspension to lower the car a bit. The steering wheel is fairly ergonomic, but I need to learn to hold it slightly different. For years I've been driving with my right hand where I can steer and honk if needed and it's a bit difficult with this wheel. I also tend to drive with both feet (after having a standard transmission) and the pedals are a little bit closer together than I'd like.

Visibility is excellent except for the high head rests (all the cars have them now, it's for "our own good"). The two door cars I test drove all had very poor rear and side visibility, though if they made a Maxima in a two door I might have chosen it. The Honda Accords I tested had decent leg room in the two doors but no visibility, and no leg room in the four door models. The automatic dimming rear mirror is wonderful, it cuts all of the glare out, day and night. Even the tinted tops of the windshield are just right for blocking out glare. The dashboard controls are all very easy to see even with the steering wheel tilted all the way up, the speed and tachometer are nice big gauges and very sporty looking. The car is taller than I'd like, but it is a nice change to be able to see more at intersections without being completely dwarfed by the other vehicles. Both side view mirrors are electric and adjust from a switch on the dashboard, which is nice.

Being short, I can't reach anything in the back seat (or even on the floor) without moving my electric seat all the way back. I've bought a little mesh tote bag to put behind the passenger seat so I can throw my CD case, extra umbrella, etc., into it and reach back and pull it over to me. On my last car I could push both front seats forward easily to get back there. The only logical place I could find to put a trash bag was looped over the back of the center console. If I didn't have a front seat passenger regularly I could probably figure out a bit more ergonomic setup, and leave more things on the front seat and floor. The center console is roomy, it actually has two trays in it, and the drink holder can hold either small bottles or my large quart size of Evian, which I choose to keep with me. There are two power outlets, which will be good for traveling and for photography trips for my camera's battery charger. There is also a handy overhead holder for sunglasses.

The steering wheel does tilt but it is so minimal it's not worth bothering with except to initially set it for driving. The only reason I even mention that is because I am short and have to move the seat about 3/4 of the way up to reach the pedals. But I don't have to move it all the way, thank goodness. That was one of the selling points for me, that I actually had a bit of legroom without having the dashboard in my lap and the windshield right in my face. The adjustable electric driver's seat adjust nicely and I think the lumbar support will be great on trips. I would have liked to have the programmable memory for the seat, but it's very quick to readjust without too much fidgeting. My biggest gripe is probably that there is no place to rest my arm on the armrest. There is a sort of sunken tray where my elbow should go, because I have the seat pulled forward. I've actually tried stuffing one of my gel desk pads into it, which would work on a long trip, but then there is no place to grab the door to pull it closed. I'm also still freaked out over the fact that there are air bags, not good for short people, and I'm also a control freak about being able to see to steer in an emergency. I didn't actually want automatic brakes either, but they are another standard feature you can't get away from today. I haven't had a braking emergency yet so I have no idea if they will help or hinder me.

The air conditioning is first rate and fabulously adjustable for someone who's personal thermostat varies from minute to minute. And even with the 100 degree weather we've had this month I've been able to keep the car comfortable. The interior lighting is terrific with one overhead and two map lights. The overhead light can be set to automatic, off or on. This actually matters to me because on most of my previous cars I would actually cut the cord that led to the door so the light would NOT come on every time I opened the door. I used to have to take my own car to work a lot and would often sit in it outdoors at night working security, and the light attracted attention and mosquitoes. I still run a lot of late night errands and not having the light pop on when I don't want it to is a nice option. Haven't tried the rear window defroster yet, though I'm looking forward to it. It's so humid here it should come in handy year round with condensation. I'm still getting used to the windshield washer controls, which give you almost too many options. Same for the headlight controls, which go from auto (on at night) to running lights to on again. There are also fog lamps. The super-bright Xenon headlights seem to be upsetting some of the other drivers, but they really improve night time visibility, which I have been having problems with to the point of not even wanting to drive at night in the last few years.

The stereo system is very good, but I haven't been able to get it as fine tuned as I'd like. (I'm really finicky about front/rear speaker balance, etc.). It would be nice to have the premium sound system, which has a CD changer and automatic road sound volume adjustment. Mine has the standard 1 CD, AM/FM and a cassette player. The volume and CD track controls are on the wheel, though, which is handy. And the stereo is fairly intuitive and very easy to reach.

What else?? This is the first car I've had with an alarm and remote entry, which makes me feel very special, though it's still a little alarming to have the car honk at me every time I set the alarm. Someone on one of the review pages was complaining about the trunk hinges but I'm not sure I understand why. When you pop the trunk remotely it opens just an inch or two, but I actually prefer that so everyone at the supermarket isn't looking at my car and also when it's raining it's a good idea not to have the trunk spring wide open. It's not a particularly large trunk, but the back seats do fold down for long items, and it actually holds quite a lot. There is a cargo net, which I haven't really bothered with yet, but will probably come in handy.

The exterior is very attractive, sporty and as unique as a new model car can be these days. The alloy wheels are very nice, no more lost hubcaps, I just hope no one steals them. Years ago that was a constant problem for cars with sports wheels, we'd often find them up on concrete blocks in the mornings at the apartments where I worked, but I think they are so common now that hopefully no one will mess with them. And I have a garage to keep my car in also.

Now my husband is thinking about getting a newer car so I'll probably be researching cars for him soon. I noticed when I was looking that one of the full-sized cars, I think it was the Toyota Avalon, actually has an optional bench front seat, which he just loves, and being tall would be fine for him. My dad's Impala had a bench seat. I remember me on the driver's side and my dad with his knees pulled up to his chest and his hands braced on the dashboard while I practiced driving. We may have to stick with bucket seats after all...

Posted by Morticia at August 14, 2004 03:09 AM | TrackBack