Village Nissan News & Reviews

The Nissan Altima narrowly beat out the Honda Accord for the coveted Consumer Reports Top-Ranked, Mid-priced Sedan, which is revealed in the February 2008 issue. The V6 Accord lost to the V6-powered Altima by a scant one-point, followed by the Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat.
 
Consumer Reports tested a number of family sedans for its February issue, ranging from the base four-cylinder models and up to the range-topping V6s. The selected vehicles, which also included the Ford Taurus, Dodge Avenger, Kia Amanti and Subaru Legacy, were broken down into three categories: "Affordable," "Mid-priced" and "Large" family sedans.
 
The four-cylinder Altima took the top spot in the "Affordable" category, leading by six points over the Accord, with the Kia Optima EX and Passat 2.0T coming in third and fourth, respectively.
 
Consumer Reports is quick to point out that the Accord, which has won the publications Top Pick for five years, outperformed the majority of the players, but in the end, the Altima proved to be the best value overall.
 
[Source: Consumer Reports]

Priced at $38,700, We understand for that kind of money, you could be driving an Infiniti, a BMW or even a Mercedes.
While wrapped in sharp, unique styling, the '09 Maxima was put together using the best bits and pieces found in the Nissan and Infiniti warehouses. The basic front-wheel-drive architecture comes from the sporty Altima midsize sedan; however, its length was reduced and width increased to improve handling. Nissan's ubiquitous 3.5-liter V6 shows up yet again, in this case with an ample 290 horsepower on tap. The Altima's excellent continuously variable transmission (CVT) is the lone transmission choice, but in the Maxima's SV trim, it comes with metal paddle shifters that control artificial transmission "gear" ratios. The low-friction, high-feel power steering is similar to the Altima too, but once again, it was upgraded to provide a more driver-focused feel.
Inside, the Maxima is an analog clock and fancier gauges away from being 100 percent Infiniti. Materials and construction are thus as good as or better than those on a G35, while the same sort of high-tech and high-lux equipment is available -- from one of the best iPod integration systems available to a cooled driver seat. Interior space is actually a smidgen less than the Altima, so don't expect the range-topping Maxima to be some sort of full-size Avalon competitor.
What Edmunds.com says:
The 2009 Nissan Maxima is a high-quality, well-stocked entry-level luxury sedan with an everyday badge. Snobs need not apply, but those with a keen eye for value should take note.
Source- "Edmunds.com"

For 2009 Nissan Canada's lineup of vehicles for the most part use our continuously variable transmission (CVT) and many satisfied customers will attest to its performance. The latest "Xtronic" CVT has amazed many skeptics of this type of gearless transmission. While other manufacturers CVTs feel slow-to-react, and rubbery once they do, they also seem to maintain an average high engine rpm. This is not the case with Nissan's CVT. With so many options available to consumers not only your standard 4-5spd automatics there are now even with 6-, 7 and 8-speed automatic transmissions available. So the question is, if back in the 50's we had 2 speed, in the 60's-70's we typically started to see 4 speed auto's and with the above mentioned 6- 7- and 8- speeds in production now, one would expect that since the manufacturers are offering more gears in automatic transmissions to handle a wide array of driving conditions, would it not be safe to say that an infinite number of gears to handle all driving situations would be the best choice when it comes to selecting you transmission?
 
Many have noticed that most current automatics are extra cautious and are always trying to get to top gear to conserve fuel. That can be annoying when passing as regular automatics always seem to search for the correct gear and I think we have all noticed transmission lag associated with a regular automatic. Many also dislike the gear surge typical of automatics when the engine revs up and you get that forward/backward whiplash feeling. Nissan's CVT reacts extremely quickly without that momentary forward g-load (shift shock), and with what feels like the correct engine rpm. The revs rise proportionate to the acceleration you select and you simply, take off. Nissan's software that controls the CVT is much more advanced than other manufacturers and overall is much smoother and significantly better tuned for both performance and economy.
 
Nissan's CVT is now making conventional automatic transmissions a thing of the past. Come in for a test drive to feel the difference.