2004 Nissan Maxima SE review from North America

Faux titanium panels on console scratch too easily.

Front struts prematurely wore at 20K miles.

Dash rattles excessively, particularly when cold. Uncharacteristic for a Japanese.

Need to consult with Honda and Toyota to avoid the dash rattle problem.

The Nissan Maxima SE provides an excellent combination of power, performance comfort and value.

I would certainly place this vehicle on the same level as the Audi A4, however, certain quality issues in this vehicle have precluded me from doing so.

More specifically, cheap materials and excessive rattle noise from the dashboard detract from what seems to be an excellent automobile.

The Nissan Maxima surveys in this website are replete with comments about the steering wheel shaking at higher speeds and the clunking noise from the front end (presumably from the struts, which was the problem in my example), however, I have had much more expensive automobiles (BMW 3 Series for example) and their problems were far worse.

Despite the quality materials issue, I must remind the readers that the Maxima engine is bulletproof and will guarantee thousands of trouble-free miles.

My summary: great looks, price, power, power and a quality level that is not characteristically Japanese.