2012 Nissan Maxima
FULL VEHICLE DETAILS FOR THE 2012 MODEL YEAR - UNPUBLISHED
* May 13th, 2011 *

Thanks to a few connections within Nissan North America (NNA), I have been provided with complete details about the upcoming 2012 Nissan Maxima. The following are details which, until now, have not yet been published by Nissan or any other automotive enthusiast blog or forum. Fortunately, you are a member of NICOclub - the largest Nissan and Infiniti enthusiast community on the Internet - and are always keep apprised of the latest Nissan news and service information. If you're not a member yet - join up!

Keep reading for the unpublished details about the 2012 Nissan Maxima...



The Nissan Maxima combines superior technology, unique design, and outstanding performance for an exhilarating driving experience. The 4- Door-Sports CarTM (4DSC) is well- equipped with standard features such as a 290-hp 3.5-liter V6, Xtronic CVT®, Nissan Intelligent Key® with push button ignition, Dual Zone Automatic Temperature Control (ATC), power sliding moonroof, and Bluetooth® hands-free phone system. For 2012, key changes include revisions to the exterior and interior and a Limited Edition Package for the 3.5 S grade.

What's new for 2012:

Models and Options
• ADD Limited Edition Package (3.5 S)

Mechanical
• No change from 2011 model

Exterior
• ADD New front grille
• ADD New combination tail lights
• ADD New 18” wheel design
• ADD New 19” wheel design

Interior
• ADD new Dark Piano-hairline trim (S,SV)
• ADD New Atlantic Cherry wood tone trim (Premium)
• ADD New Beige interior color

Comfort and Convenience
• DELETE auto up/down power rear windows (Premium)

Packaging
• No change from 2011 model

Audio and Entertainment
• ADD New base audio segment display
• ADD New audio/HVAC knob design

Color and Trim
• ADD Java Metallic (CAJ)
• ADD Dark Slate (K50)
• DELETE Mystic Jade (DAD)
• DELETE Metallic Slate (KBC)
• Note: Tuscan Sun (NAD) and Navy Blue (RAB) not available at launch

Safety and Security
• ADD New TPMS with individual tire pressure display

Dimensions
• No change from 2011 model

Weights / Capacities / EPA
• No change from 2011 model


Trim Level Breakdown:

3.5 S
• 3.5-liter V6 engine with 290 hp/261 lb-ft of torque
• Xtronic CVT® (Continuously Variable Transmission)
• 18” aluminum-alloy wheels
• Nissan Intelligent Key® with Push Button Ignition
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob
• Auto on/off halogen headlights
• Power door locks with auto-locking feature
• Power windows with driver and passenger one-touch auto-up/down feature
• Power sliding moonroof
• 8-way power driver’s seat
• 4-way power front-passenger’s seat
• Auto-dimming inside mirror
• Variable speed-sensitive windshield wipers
• 60/40 split fold-down rear seat backs
• AM/FM/in-dash 6-CD changer with 8 speakers and auxiliary audio input jack
• Bluetooth®1 hands-free phone system
• Dual Zone Automatic Temperature Control (ATC)
• 6 standard air bags
• Vehicle Dynamic Control with Traction Control System
• Anti-lock Braking System with Electronic Brake force Distribution and Brake Assist
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System with individual tire pressure display
• And many more features.

3.5 SV
Includes 3.5 S contents, plus:
• Front fog lights
• Outside mirrors with turn signal indicators
• Bose® audio system with 9 speakers (vs. 8) including 2 subwoofers and speed sensitive volume
• XM® Satellite Radio2
• Leather-appointed seats
• Homelink® Universal Transceiver
• Digital compass in rearview mirror
• Driver’s seat manual thigh support extension
• Driver’s seat power lumbar support


Option Packages:

Limited Edition Package (K01)
Available on 3.5 S
Smoked appearance headlights
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Xenon headlights
Front fog lights
18-inch aluminum alloy Dark Hyper Silver wheels
Rear spoiler
Dark sport appearance front grille
Outside mirrors with turn signal indicators
Compass in rearview mirror
Illuminated kick plates
Metallic trim (replaces Dark Piano-hairline trim)

Sport Package (R01)
Sport-tuned suspension
19-inch aluminum Light Hyper Silver wheels
245/40VR19 all-season tires
Rear spoiler
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Xenon headlights
Premium leather-appointed seats
Heated front seats
Premium leather steering wheel with characteristic stitching and paddle shifters
Power tilt/telescopic steering column
Heated steering wheel
Shift knob with characteristic stitching (gray)
Automatic entry/exit system (with 2-driver memory)
Rear bucket seats (5-passenger seating capacity)
Rear-seat trunk pass-through (replaces 60/40 split fold-down rear seat)
Rear-seat fold-down center armrest
Outside mirrors with reverse tilt-down feature
Heated outside mirrors
Auto-dimming driver-side outside mirror
Dark sport appearance front grille
Smoked appearance headlights
Metallic trim (replaces Dark Piano-hairline trim)
Center console with characteristic stitching on lid

Tech Package – 3.5 SV (U01)
Available on 3.5 SV; Requires Monitor Package & Xenon Headlights
Nissan Hard Drive Navigation System
Voice-recognition (HVAC, navigation system)
XM NavTraffic®2 and XM NavWeather®2
Zagat Survey®3 restaurant reviews
9.3GB Music Box Hard Drive (replaces 2 GB Music Box®)
7” touch-screen color monitor w/VGA display
DVD playback capability
Bluetooth®1 streaming audio
(This package deletes the compass in the rearview mirror)

Tech Package – Sport (U03)
Available on 3.5 SV; Requires Sport Package & Monitor Package
Includes content of 3.5 SV Tech Package

Tech Package – Premium (U02)
Available on 3.5 SV; Requires Premium Package
Includes content of 3.5 SV Tech Package

High Intensity Discharge (HID) Xenon
Headlights (S01) Available on 3.5 SV; Requires Monitor Package and must be ordered with Tech Package

Premium Package (P01)
Includes Sport Package contents plus:
Dual Panel Moonroof with power retractable sunshades
Power rear-window sunshade
Climate-controlled driver’s seat (heated and cooled)
Premium mood lighting on front door handle
Atlantic Cherry wood tone trim (replaces Dark Piano- hairline trim)
Vehicle Information System w/ 7.0” QVGA color monitor and RearView Monitor4
2 GB Music Box® (800 MB for music storage)
USB connection port for iPod®5 interface
Auxiliary audio/video input jacks in center console (replaces auxiliary audio input jack on head unit)
iPod® storage net inside center console
(This package does not include sport-tuned suspension, 19” aluminum-alloy wheels with P245/40VR19 V-rated all-season tires and rear spoiler. Overhead sunglasses storage is deleted with this package. Single-CD player replaces in-dash 6-CD changer with this package.)

Monitor Package (F01)
Available on 3.5 SV & 3.5 SV w/ Sport Package
7” color monitor w/QVGA Display
Auxiliary audio/video input jack (replaces auxiliary audio input jack on head unit)
2 GB Music Box® (800 MB for music storage, replaces 6-CD changer)
USB connection port for iPod®5 interface
iPod® storage net inside center console
RearView Monitor4

19” Summer Tire Package (W01)
Available on 3.5 SV with Sport Package
245/40WR19 high-performance summer tires

Cold Package (G01)
Heated front seats
Heated steering wheel
Heated outside mirrors

Full Official Documentation from Nissan North American - Click Here (.pdf)

Unregistered members - Join NICO today and discuss the upcoming 2012 Nissan Maxima with other Nissan enthusiasts and find out about the current and upcoming Nissan financial incentives! Click Here to Join!

Thanks for the info.

The car is beautiful...but until Nissan brings back a manual transmission, I won't be buying one.

maxhopper wrote:Thanks for the info.

The car is beautiful...but until Nissan brings back a manual transmission, I won't be buying one.

It lacks a soul without a manual tranny.

Yeah CVT = FAIL as only option....GTFO out Nissan...give us some options instead of wasting all your money and time on the Murano Cross Cabriolet...

Until Nissan gives us more choices than the CVT, the Maxima is dead to me. Died in 2006. I find it baffling that Nissan chose the least sporty iteration of the car ever to revive the 4DSC nameplate.

But even that's not enough to fix the 7th gen.

I can't stand the boomerang headlights. I don't like the way the A-pillar turns into a goofy hood crease and the way the whole hood looks like it melted. If Nissan got rid of all the flamboyance and cleaned up the 7th gen's styling a bit, it could be a nice-looking car. But not as nice looking as any of its predecessors. Certainly not as nice as a 3rd or 4th gen. THOSE were the epitome of subtlety-as-aggression. Sharp but clean, simple but elegant. Cars that aged wonderfully well and still look very very good. Boomerang headlights won't have the same grace in their later years.

But, more than anything, the thing that kills the Maxima for me is that it's SMALLER INSIDE THAN AN ALTIMA. I've sat in the things back to back. Sat in 6th gens then 7th gens. Sat in Altys and 6th gens back to back. Sat in 3rd and 4th gens. The 7th gen has NO HEADROOM AT ALL in the back. I can't fit back there. I fit perfectly in the rear seat of a 6th gen. My head hits the rear window in the 7th. Doesn't do that in my third gen. Doesn't do that in an Altima. The idiotic "coupelike" roofline completely DESTROYS rear seat room. It also makes climbing in and out for taller people difficult. Even my old Q45, which was so low you couldn't get a floor jack under its sills, wasn't as hard to climb into as a new Maxima's back seat.

The car, basically, lost all its practicality AND all its sport. What's left? Aggressive haunches and a nice face (I like the bumper and grille, just dislike the lights) don't make a car fun to drive, only fun to look at.

I guess the point is:
Unless it's a 100% redesign in the exact opposite direction of the current model, I don't care. The current model does almost nothing right. It shouldn't even exist.

The Avalon might be the geezeriest car since the Buick Century, but at least it gets real cogs in its transmission, even if they have to shift themselves. By my book, that's +1 sportiness over the CVT-peddling Maxima.