SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
S 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
Overall Rating
(2 reviews)Good car for new teenage drivers.
ashley tarrant • May 18, 2024
3.5This car has been great for the teenage driver in the family. She has good gas mileage for college classes and it has back up camera features to keep her from backing in to someone. Sh has plenty of room to hold herself and the siblings....Read More
Nissan maxima
Lisa Dozier • Feb 8, 2024
4.0Fast car. Very comfortable. Good gas mileage. A little low for country life. Handles well. Affordable. Worth the price. I would buy again. Nissan is a great brand. Good. Great. Okay Nice color. Good radio...Read More
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
S 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
S 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
Don’t want to go far?
Find all cars near me?SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
S 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
Overall Rating
The Nissan Maxima offers an appealing option with its engaging driving dynamics and high-quality construction. Strong engine, well-tuned suspension setup, and athletic handling, all work in the favor of this large sedan from Nissan.
For the ones looking to strike a perfect balance between a large practical sedan that is also more on the affordable side and not break the bank, the Nissan Maxima offers an appealing option with its engaging driving dynamics and high-quality construction. Strong engine, well-tuned suspension setup, and athletic handling, all work in the favor of this large sedan from Nissan.
It offers mostly the same amount of luxury, performance, and equipment as its sister brand, Infiniti, in a much more reasonable pricing package, and it goes up against the likes of similarly priced Toyota Avalon and a bit pricier Acura TL. With the prices starting at $33,200, the 2012 model gets an updated front grille design, refreshed taillights, a few interior trim updates, and a new add-on package.
The SV trim should be the preferred choice as nobody buys a large sedan just for its bare essentials. Also, there isn’t much price difference between the two trims and the add-on packages tend to get very expensive. Overall, the SV trim brings better value for money in the lineup.
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
S 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
S 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
SV 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
S 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl CVT)
Ashley tarrant
2012 Nissan Maxima
••3.5Posted On: May 18, 2024
Good on gas., New driver friendly.
Low to the ground., Everyone has one.
This car has been great for the teenage driver in the family. She has good gas mileage for college classes and it has back up camera features to keep her from backing in to someone. Sh has plenty of room to hold herself and the siblings.
Lisa Dozier
2012 Nissan Maxima
••4.0Posted On: February 8, 2024
It is fast, Good on gas
Tends to have transmission problems, Getting older
Fast car. Very comfortable. Good gas mileage. A little low for country life. Handles well. Affordable. Worth the price. I would buy again. Nissan is a great brand. Good. Great. Okay Nice color. Good radio
The Nissan Maxima offers an appealing option with its engaging driving dynamics and high-quality construction. Strong engine, well-tuned suspension setup, and athletic handling, all work in the favor of this large sedan from Nissan.
For the ones looking to strike a perfect balance between a large practical sedan that is also more on the affordable side and not break the bank, the Nissan Maxima offers an appealing option with its engaging driving dynamics and high-quality construction. Strong engine, well-tuned suspension setup, and athletic handling, all work in the favor of this large sedan from Nissan.
It offers mostly the same amount of luxury, performance, and equipment as its sister brand, Infiniti, in a much more reasonable pricing package, and it goes up against the likes of similarly priced Toyota Avalon and a bit pricier Acura TL. With the prices starting at $33,200, the 2012 model gets an updated front grille design, refreshed taillights, a few interior trim updates, and a new add-on package.
The 2012 Nissan Maxima is available with many optional packages alongside the two S and SV trims. There isn’t much price difference between the two trims as most of the necessary features are packed into the base S trim itself, and the SV trim adds a hint of luxury to it in the name of HID Xenon headlights, leather upholstery, and better seat adjustability alongside a few more creature comforts.
|
Trims |
S |
SV |
|---|---|---|
|
MSRP |
$33,200 |
$35,900 |
|
Key Features |
3.5L, 290 hp V6 engine |
S trim plus; |
|
Dusk Sensing Headlamps |
High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Xenon Headlights |
|
|
Dual Zone Front Climate Control |
Universal Remote Transmitter |
|
|
8-speaker Bose audio system |
3 Months Of Paid Satellite Radio Service |
|
|
Heated Mirrors |
Driver Seat With Manual Adjustable Lumbar Support |
|
|
Cloth Upholstery |
Leather Upholstery |
We Recommend
The SV trim should be the preferred choice as nobody buys a large sedan just for its bare essentials. Also, there isn’t much price difference between the two trims and the add-on packages tend to get very expensive. Overall, the SV trim brings better value for money in the lineup.
The 2012 Nissan Maxima is available with only a single powertrain option which includes a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 engine mated with a CVT transmission that powers the front wheels only.
The engine output is rated at 290 horsepower and 261 lb-ft of torque, which helps the car reach 60 mph from a standstill in 6.4 seconds, while the quarter-mile is covered in just 14.8 seconds.
|
Model |
Nissan Maxima S |
Acura TL Base |
Toyota Avalon Base |
|---|---|---|---|
|
MSRP |
$33,200 |
$36,600 |
$33,990 |
|
Engine |
3.5L, Naturally Aspirated V6 |
3.5L, Naturally Aspirated V6 |
3.5L, Naturally Aspirated V6 |
|
Drivetrain |
FWD |
FWD |
FWD |
|
Transmission |
CVT |
6-speed automatic |
6-speed automatic |
|
Power |
290 hp @ 6,400 rpm |
280 hp @ 6,200 rpm |
268 hp @ 6,200 rpm |
|
Torque |
261 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm |
254 lb-ft @ 5,000 rpm |
248 lb-ft @ 4,700 rpm |
|
0-60 mph (sec) |
6.4 |
6.6 |
6.8 |
|
Quarter-mile (sec) |
14.8 |
14.9 |
14.9 |
|
Top Speed (mph) |
131 |
134 |
145 |
The Nissan Maxima, despite being the most affordable car here, has the highest engine output, and hence is the fastest in the acceleration tests as well. The most expensive Acura TL comes in second place, whereas the Toyota Avalon is placed last, thanks to its lower power and torque output. When it comes to top speed, Toyota Avalon is the fastest at 145 mph.
The large dimensions of the car do not provide help in any way to the large V6 engine, which in itself isn’t known for real efficiency. The Nissan Maxima is rated by the EPA for a maximum of 19 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway, whereas the combined fuel economy is rated for 22 mpg. The large 20-gallon gas tank does aid in providing a longer driving range of well over 400 miles on a single tank of gas.
|
Model |
Nissan Maxima S |
Acura TL Base |
Toyota Avalon Base |
|---|---|---|---|
|
MPG (City) |
19 |
20 |
19 |
|
MPG (Highway) |
26 |
29 |
28 |
|
MPG (Combined) |
22 |
23 |
23 |
|
Fuel Capacity (gal) |
20.0 |
18.5 |
18.5 |
|
Range (City / Highway / Combined) (miles) |
380 / 520 / 440 |
370 / 537 / 426 |
352 / 518 / 426 |
The Acura TL and the Toyota Avalon have almost identical fuel-efficiency ratings and an identical fuel tank capacity and hence have similar driving ranges as well. Although the Nissan Maxima has a marginally higher fuel consumption, the fuel tank of 20 gallons proves useful in providing a bit longer driving range than the other two.
To match up with the more premium brands, the Nissan Maxima offers a pretty upscale cabin with lots of premium elements, top-quality materials, and luxury features baked right in. It does really feel very premium as Infiniti and other similar luxury car brands.
The front and rear seats offer a perfect blend of comfort and support, and while the available bucket rear seats improve the luxury quotient, it leaves the center section useless and limits the seating capacity to just two passengers at the back.
|
Model |
Nissan Maxima S |
Acura TL Base |
Toyota Avalon Base |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Seating Capacity |
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
Front Row (Head / Shoulder / Leg) (in) |
38.5 / 56.3 / 43.8 |
38.4 / 58.2 / 42.5 |
38.9 / 59.4 / 41.3 |
|
Rear Row (Head / Shoulder / Leg) (in) |
36.4 / 55.1 / 34.6 |
36.7 / 56.2 / 36.2 |
37.5 / 58.2 / 40.9 |
|
Cargo Capacity (cu-ft) |
14.2 |
13.1 |
14.4 |
The Nissan Maxima offers acres of space upfront, and the back seat although is pretty spacious, looks cramped when compared to what others have to offer. The Toyota Avalon does not offer as much space up front, but opens up a huge amount of legroom at the rear, without compromising on the trunk capacity too. The Acura TL stays in between them with decent front and rear seat space and a marginally smaller boot. Major interior features include-
The touchscreen infotainment system from Nissan is pretty to use, offering well-laid-out menus and crisp graphics. Although the response timings could have been better, the overall experience is pretty good. An 8-speaker audio system is standard alongside Bluetooth and a CD changer. The higher-end trim gets a 9-speaker Bose system with subwoofers, satellite radio and also increases the infotainment screen size to 7 inches. Few key infotainment features include-
The exterior styling of the car isn’t really sporty or aggressive in any which way and looks executive and subtle for most parts. The angular headlamps, small-ish grille, and smooth subtle character lines all help keep things classy and minimalistic.
Although the chrome grille surrounds, window linings, door handles, and exhaust tips, all add a bit of the bling to keep things from getting monotonous.
|
Model |
Nissan Maxima S |
Acura TL Base |
Toyota Avalon Base |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Curb Weight (lbs) |
3,540 |
3,726 |
3,572 |
|
Length (in) |
190.6 |
194.0 |
197.6 |
|
Width (in) |
73.2 |
74.0 |
72.8 |
|
Height (in) |
57.8 |
57.2 |
58.5 |
|
Ground Clearance (in) |
5.6 |
6.1 |
5.3 |
|
Wheelbase (in) |
109.3 |
109.3 |
111.0 |
The Toyota Avalon is the longest sedan in this comparison and hence offers the longest wheelbase, which helps open that extra cabin space at the back. It also weighs only a few pounds over the Nissan Maxima but offers the lowest ground clearance here. The Acura TL is the heaviest and widest car but also provides the best ground clearance of them all. Major exterior highlights of the sedan are-
Considering its Japanese origin and the years of reputation of Nissan for offering safe and reliable cars, the Maxima does not live up to the safety standard set so high by itself. It performs decently in the NHTSA and the IIHS crash tests, getting an overall 4-star rating and doing alright in the tests conducted by the IIHS as well, but we expect better from a flagship sedan from Nissan. However, the car has been designed really well with front and rear crumple zones, steel side-door guard beams, energy-absorbing steering column amongst others, baked right into the car. Major safety features include-
Nissan’s flagship offering, the Maxima offers tons of practicality and a value for money offering by undercutting the competition in terms of price and over providing in terms of performance, features, and reliability. Although the safety tests don’t seem substantially great, the well-engineered car will provide a safe haven for you and your family if things were to go wrong. So if you are on the lookout for a large, comfortable, and affordable sedan, the 2012 Nissan Maxima should be on top of your list.
