Canesguy

Looked over the new 2016 Nissan Maxima in person the other day. I sat in it, but didn't have the time to test drive it. The looks are polarizing, the advantage being that it doesn't look like anything else on the road. The seats ("zero gravity") were firm, but markedly comfortable. The console seemed solid, well designed with good ergonomics. The dash seemed excessively, and unnecessarily "busy", yet all controls, including redundant climate control and audio seemed very logical and intuitive.

The length is about the same as our ES's, yet looked huge. Gas mileage is around 22/30 using premium unleaded. The MSRP for the top Platinum model with all the bells and whistles is about $42K with no current incentives, so it is unclear how much one can actually buyt it for.

CONCLUSION: Is it on my radar??? Maybe, but I'm not overly enthusiastic without driving it. It sounds seriously fast with a sub-6.0 secs., 0-60 time. If it's noisy to the point of being harsh and intrusive, like the Infinitis, I'd say no, not into to it for just the sake of speed. Also, first year Nissan re-vamps are usually problematic.

SW17LS

What Infiniti did you feel was noisy to the point of being harsh and intrusive?

Canesguy

Both the M35, and G37 that I owned (same engine). I no longer desire the "boy racer" sound, heard noticeably even in the cabin. It is more harsh than classy, and becomes tiring. Some consider Infinitis to be more sporty than Lexus', but I say they seem less refined. From what I hear the Q50's are improved on this issue.

SW17LS

I didn't find the M37 unrefined. I also much liked the Q50, you might want to check out a Q50 hybrid.

Canesguy

Yeah, an Infiniti Q hybrid is a few thousand premium over a regular Q while the mpg is only about 5 mpg better, plus it requires unleaded premium fuel. These factors all = deal breaker for me. In fact Infiniti is not at all on my radar.

antonios32

I would look at an Acura if I were you. I had an Acura MDX 2005 for about 3 years and I loved the car until someone totaled it. I went and bought a Toyota Avalon 2003 and went to Lexus in 2011 and I have had my IS250 AWD since.

Canesguy

I've had 3 Acuras, 2 Legends and one TL. I like their reliability, but can't get past the current TLX's looks, It's interior is markedly similar to my Accord's, just a little more upscale, so nah.

LexRuger

What about the Jaguar XE

JDR76

Nice suggestion but I wonder if it's going to be here in time to fit his replacement schedule. I think it's not coming until sometime in early 2016.

chrisexv6

We (wife and I) are in a similar position.

While her 2003 Acura TL is running OK, the dealer and their "free" multipoint check came back with a laundry list of stuff to do. But since I DIY it all anyway, Im not going to pay them, nor am I going to immediately go buy another Acura. But I *will* do some due diligence for a new vehicle, just in case

So far we've driven the Avalon, Venza, TLX and MDX. Also drove a loaner Tesla but no way can we afford that (friend of mine purchasing one had a loaner for a few days)

Anyway - the wife wasnt overly impressed with the Avalon. Luckily most of her complaints were in regards to materials feeling "cheapy" (her strange word, not mine!) So Im hopeful that the ES answers that complaint. And for me, Id prefer a less sporty ride than the Avalon has now, so again hopefully the ES answers that.

As far as the other vehicles, the MDX was mostly to see if she is comfortable with driving an SUV. And while we both liked it overall, we're not sure we really need the utility (and the worse mpg that comes with it).

We both were very surprised about the TLX. I felt like it was decent quality, especially for the price.

Venza was ruled out because it felt like it was trying to be something it cant (am I a Camry? am I a crossover?)

The funny thing is that the interior in her 03 TL is better than even the MDX interior was. Soft touch materials where there is hard plastic in the MDX and TLX. Forget the Avalon even coming close to the same quality. We havent been able to make it to a Lexus dealer yet, but hopefully soon.

The only other things left to test are the Q50 and QX60. I think the Q50 will fail because of the small-ish trunk (my daily driver is a G37, so I know the wife already hates it). QX60 isnt bad, but its big (some say it feels like a minivan) and Nissan is known for CVT issues. In some ways the "ancient" Toyota/Lexus drivetrain of the V6 and 6 speed AT is a blessing....by now they are probably bulletproof.

Canesguy

"Anyway - the wife wasnt overly impressed with the Avalon. Luckily most of her complaints were in regards to materials feeling "cheapy" (her strange word, not mine!) So Im hopeful that the ES answers that complaint. And for me, Id prefer a less sporty ride than the Avalon has now, so again hopefully the ES answers that."

Hmm, I found the Avalon, at least the "Limited" model to be quite luxurious. I find most of today's models to have a lot of hard plastics and thinly padded seats, ES included. In fact, most interiors have some aspects to them which have been cheapened. The exception are today's Mercedes interiors, and some Cadillacs which have nicer more luxurious interiors.

chrisexv6

I honestly think she is just biased. Going from an Acura right now to "just a Toyota" is a downgrade in her mind. Whereas the Lexus is more of an appropriate replacement for an Acura. Its a perception thing, if you ask me. I think the Avalon is a nicer car than her TL, with the exception of some of the plastics. As you mentioned, thats going to be hard to avoid in almost any vehicle. And Germans certainly are not an option for us (we keep our cars longer than the factory warranty). I looked at pricing for Cadillacs and am pretty much offended at how a base $30K car becomes $50K in the blink of an eye.

But at least in the case of the Avalon vs the ES, there are tangible options that you can only get with the ES (pano roof since we're looking at Ultra Lux model, Mark Levinson audio, etc)

LexRuger

Don't let MSRP shy you away from a car. It's all about supply and demand. Purchase at the right time and you could easily get close to 5 figures off the sticker.

chrisexv6

Ive been going by carsdirect.com pricing. Which is most definitely not MSRP.

Size wise, the ES350 is somewhere between the ATS and the CTS.

If I comparably equip an ATS, Im about the same price as an Ultra Lux ES350 the way I want it. The ATS is RWD, a plus in my opinion, but has a lot less rear leg room, a big minus.

If I comparably equip a CTS, Im at about $53K. CTS is also RWD, a plus. And has more front legroom (but less rear legroom) than the ES. And is about $5K more than the ES Ultra Lux the way Id want it. It also doesnt have a pano roof or upgraded sound system (not sure how good the CTS standard audio is compared to the ML, maybe they are equal?)

And Id much rather spend even the $53K on a Lexus, just for reliability reasons. One of my neighbors has a CTS coupe and after just a couple years the engine sounds like a train. I know its direct injected and they are known to make some noise, but for a $53K car Id expect a lot better.

Ive been comparing all sorts of vehicles, and its pretty sad in some ways. $50K is becoming the new $40K from just 5 years ago. And 5 years ago when I bought my G37, $40K was the new $30K. Meanwhile things like interior materials get sacrificed as the prices still go up.

chrisexv6

Just sat in a '15 Ultra Lux today and you were spot on. Still hard plastics where I dont like to see them, etc. Even compared to my G37, it didnt seem as nice in certain areas.

The pano roof was nice but I think their sunroof controls are pretty God awful. How do they not have one touch close?

The mouse setup is neat and the interior is comfortable at least. The one they finally managed to locate on the lot (15 minutes of searching! even though their online inventory says they have like 10 of them) didnt have the ML audio. And I didnt go for a drive so I didnt sample the safety features.

The Starfire Pearl looks really nice in person. Ive never had a white car before, that might sway me to buy it in white.