2009 Maxima to become sporty once again

[Lamar]

Automobilemag.com Article

I'm not too much in favor of this. I think the new Maxima should have grown in size in order to better compete with the Toyota Avalon in the Japanese full-size market... but maybe that's just me.

[Sixty8panther]

Not that I care much any more but the Maxima SHOULD go RWD like my

1st gen. 810 based sedan. Nissan needs to realize that the ONLY TRUE

"four door sports car" they ever made was the 1st. generation Maxima.

240Z mechanicals complete with RWD, 5-speed MANUAL trans, 4-wheel

disk brakes & IRS in a small nimble package was cool... the subsequent

torsion beam SOLID rear axle that did NOTHING except mount up to the

parking brake & hold the ass end of the car up was & is LAME.

If a FWD Maxima can be called a FOUR DOOR SPORTS CAR than BMW

might as well call the M5 a Duesenberg SJ Dual Cowl Pheaton.

Edited May 10, 2007 by Sixty8panther

[Drew Dowdell]

Not that I care much any more but the Maxima SHOULD go RWD like my

1st gen. 810 based sedan. Nissan needs to realize that the ONLY TRUE

"four door sports car" they ever made was the 1st. generation Maxima.

240Z mechanicals complete with RWD, 5-speed MANUAL trans, 4-wheel

disk brakes & IRS in a small nimble package was cool... the subsequent

torsion beam SOLID rear axle that did NOTHING except mount up to the

parking brake & hold the ass end of the car up was & is LAME.

If a FWD Maxima can be called a FOUR DOOR SPORTS CAR than BMW

might as well call the M5 a Duesenberg SJ Dual Cowl Pheaton.

so you just cut and past all of your posts?

[regfootball]

the maxima gained major cred in the early 90's by being the FWD, 4 door sports car. And there is a market for it. Well, was. Still is? depends on what Nissan and Infiniti do with the rest of their lineup. There's plenty of folks out there that do not want RWD. Personally, we don't need the Maxima to be rear wheel drive. Especially since so much of its 'legend' as a 4 dr sports car came from its FWD phase. The infiniti products take care of the RWD part adequately. There is no pent up demand for a meat and potatoes Japanese brand RWD car (or Korean one for that matter too). What is most important for Nissan is how the Maxima and Altima co-exist. This concerns me. If the maxima gets smaller, what happens to the Altima? Do they make it even cheaper than it already is? i.e. look how cheesy the sentra became.

Edited May 10, 2007 by regfootball

[Robert Hall]

I agree with Reg (believe it or not)..

The '90s '4DSC' Maximas were pretty sweet cars... up through the last generation, they were THE FWD sports sedan, a title which the TL has taken now, IMHO. I think the Maxima should stay FWD and sporty, but how does would coexist with the Altima?

I couldn't see it going to the RWD platform, as it would intrude on the G35's space then..

I think the sedan market is big enough to support FWD family sedans (Altima), FWD sport sedans (Maxima), and RWD sport sedans (G35)..

Edited May 10, 2007 by moltar

[siegen]

So they're just going to slap the Maxima headlights onto a G35 Sedan and call it a day, right?

[Intrepidation]

the maxima gained major cred in the early 90's by being the FWD, 4 door sports car. And there is a market for it. Well, was. Still is? depends on what Nissan and Infiniti do with the rest of their lineup. There's plenty of folks out there that do not want RWD. Personally, we don't need the Maxima to be rear wheel drive. Especially since so much of its 'legend' as a 4 dr sports car came from its FWD phase. The infiniti products take care of the RWD part adequately. There is no pent up demand for a meat and potatoes Japanese brand RWD car (or Korean one for that matter too). What is most important for Nissan is how the Maxima and Altima co-exist. This concerns me. If the maxima gets smaller, what happens to the Altima? Do they make it even cheaper than it already is? i.e. look how cheesy the sentra became.

I agree with Reg (believe it or not)..

The '90s '4DSC' Maximas were pretty sweet cars... up through the last generation, they were THE FWD sports sedan, a title which the TL has taken now, IMHO. I think the Maxima should stay FWD and sporty, but how does would coexist with the Altima?

I couldn't see it going to the RWD platform, as it would intrude on the G35's space then..

I think the sedan market is big enough to support FWD family sedans (Altima), FWD sport sedans (Maxima), and RWD sport sedans (G35)..

Agree on all parts.

[Paolino]

I agree that the Maxima should grow in size a bit and aim towards the Avalon... it'd beat it in sportiness easily. I feel the current high end Altima and Maxima overlap... we currently have more power offered in the V6 of the Altima than it's more-expensive sibling. The size isn't that much greater in the Maxima to distinguish it either.

[balthazar]

A co-worker had an early-'90s maxima that I rode in numerous times. I always felt the "4DSC" sticker in the quarter window was a big fat joke.

Later, a friend's mother had a maxima... the one with the Neon-esque taillights with the black plastic surrounds (one prior to current one, I believe) and I climbed in; it was tremendously more cramped than my wife's Intrique of the time.

The altima has pushed the maxima to the dusty back of the closet, but it's made more room for the g35.

I agree; it should be made larger & softer to go more for the avalon segment rather than dilute the altima V-6/g35s impact.

Or just dump it.

[regfootball]

does the altima get smaller in 3-4 years then?

[Chicagoland]

Well, why the Maxima was smaller than Altima for awhile, and what happened to the 4DSC??

Ahem, way back in the 90's, Toyota and Honda decided to make "compact" Cam-Cords bigger, and creamed the old smaller Altimas in sales. And the "4DSC" also took a hit, since many older buyers simply wanted quality and ride comfort. So, in came Carlos Ghon speeding up to 2002 the new mid sized car to compete. But, there was no name decide yet. Nissan had 3 choices [these were posted in Automotive News, you know a newsapaper like your parents read]

Anyway, the new 2002 mid-sized car was to be:

A. All Maximas, with 4 and 6 cyl motors.

B. The base $ cyl cars are Altima, and the V6 is the Max.

C. The new car line is Altima; keep the older Maxima and load it with features.

guess which one they picked?

So, the 4DSC was out classed and out-sized by other makes, and had to be upsized. People can argue all day what is a "true" Maxima, but IMHO, it should be Nissan's flagship as the Avalon is for Brand T.

Edited May 11, 2007 by Chicagoland

[LosAngeles]

I like the idea of making a less-expensive CLS kind of car. CLS is a car I like for many weird reasons. Don't necessarily really care about the drive wheels.

But the Maxima name means it should be the MAXIMUM car you can get under the Nissan brand in North America (and to an extent, Oceania, whose Falcons and Commies be kept im mind for the next one also). This means it should be above the Altima as high as possible. A CLS-type slightly longer mid-sizer is one way....

And a straight-up standard big car is another. The Avalon isn't the tops in B&B standards. Impala, 300, Charger, and the D3 Fords all have something to say about that. I see all of them more often than Avalon. Nissan should want as many Maximas on the road as there are Altimas, Impalas, LXes, et al.

The way to stay away from Infiniti is to make it to where there's nothing Infiniti about the Maxima. Meaning there should have been nothing Nissan about Infinitis. That's where I think the Japanese go at this premium division vs. bread-and-butter division thing all wrong. The B&Bs don't have to be all fronties to achieve the differentiation they should be looking for.

The overuse of the VQ calls for something to shake things up. Maybe a turbocharger?

Nissan has a chance to do this right if all the right factors are considered.

[cire]

I like the direction that Nissan plans to take the next Maxima. Nissan has an overall sportier image than Toyota. I don't believe they should turn the Maxima into a Japanese Buick like Toyota has done with the Avalon. Making the Maxima into an affordable alternative to the Mercedes CLS is a great idea. To execute it properly and differentiate the Maxima from the Altima, the Maxima needs to have the following features: longer wheelbase, larger exterior and interior dimensions, a six speed automatic, a more powerful engine (possibly the 3.7 V6 from the Infiniti G37 coupe?), and all wheel drive to better handle the torque. Utilizing the CLS four door coupe styling and the features mentioned above should be enough to position the Maxima as the flagship sedan of the Nissan lineup and retain Nissan's sporty image. Now if something could be done about the current Sentra to help it fit in better with Nissan's image (Nissan severely missed the boat with the styling, rear suspension, and rear brakes; Nissan had a clean sheet of paper and this is what they came up with?)

Edited July 7, 2007 by cire

[titan]

the maxima gained major cred in the early 90's by being the FWD, 4 door sports car. And there is a market for it. Well, was. Still is? depends on what Nissan and Infiniti do with the rest of their lineup. There's plenty of folks out there that do not want RWD. Personally, we don't need the Maxima to be rear wheel drive. Especially since so much of its 'legend' as a 4 dr sports car came from its FWD phase. The infiniti products take care of the RWD part adequately. There is no pent up demand for a meat and potatoes Japanese brand RWD car (or Korean one for that matter too). What is most important for Nissan is how the Maxima and Altima co-exist. This concerns me. If the maxima gets smaller, what happens to the Altima? Do they make it even cheaper than it already is? i.e. look how cheesy the sentra became.

I agree 100%. There's nothing to say that the Maxima can't be both sporty and larger. If packaged right, the Max can gain interior space and grow incrementally larger (I'm just talking inches) to further distance itself from the Altima. They'd be wise to mold it as a Japanese CLS on the cheap. The Avalon is just a hair larger than the already bloated Camry, they still sell because it's marketed right. The Imapla SS et. all proved that a FWD car could handle 300horses. Give the Max a 305HP VQ with a larger interior and slightly larger exterior and market it as the every man's CLS and it'll do just fine. BTW, I love the old FWD Maxs. My sister has a 2000 Max that has be worry free and a ton of fun the entire time she's had it.

[The O.C.]

A co-worker had an early-'90s maxima that I rode in numerous times. I always felt the "4DSC" sticker in the quarter window was a big fat joke.

Later, a friend's mother had a maxima... the one with the Neon-esque taillights with the black plastic surrounds (one prior to current one, I believe) and I climbed in; it was tremendously more cramped than my wife's Intrique of the time.

The altima has pushed the maxima to the dusty back of the closet, but it's made more room for the g35.

I agree; it should be made larger & softer to go more for the avalon segment rather than dilute the altima V-6/g35s impact.

Or just dump it.

Even though it's branded an Infiniti.....in my eyes, the G35 has kindof become the spiritual successor to the 4DSC Maximas. In other words, Nissan's sportiest sedan.

That and increasing competence in the FTD factor of the Altima....has kindof squeezed the current Maxima into a corner with nothing really to differentiate it in the marketplace.

[enzl]

Even though it's branded an Infiniti.....in my eyes, the G35 has kindof become the spiritual successor to the 4DSC Maximas. In other words, Nissan's sportiest sedan.

That and increasing competence in the FTD factor of the Altima....has kindof squeezed the current Maxima into a corner with nothing really to differentiate it in the marketplace.

As I'm currently driving a low mileage, current gen. Maxima, I can only tell you that it's got to get better. The current one is flawed in numerous ways. I'd be very bummed out if I spent my hard earned dollars on one of these.

The interior is low rent, the handling mediocre and the interior packaging isn't really anything special. It feels like a bloated Altima...and the look is not handsome, either.

[Delta Force79]

I've always had a strange soft spot in my heart for the Maxima...and I really don't know why. it might be because it tried to be different than an Accord or Camry...my favorite Maxima is the 1990-94? models....I always thought they had the right amount of sportiness, Asian styling, and are sort of timeless in execution....So I'm kind of interested to see what Nissan comes up with...considering their styling as of late has been $h!ty. The new Altima is truly ugly IMO.

[regfootball]

As I'm currently driving a low mileage, current gen. Maxima, I can only tell you that it's got to get better. The current one is flawed in numerous ways. I'd be very bummed out if I spent my hard earned dollars on one of these.

The interior is low rent, the handling mediocre and the interior packaging isn't really anything special. It feels like a bloated Altima...and the look is not handsome, either.

its not a very expensive car though, kind of a 'what do you expect' sort of thing.

plus its a nissan.

for the actual out the door prices, the maxima current as a whole isn't terrible. i just don't like the DESIGN / packaging of the interior. I passed on a Maxima to get my 500 despite the maximas superior engine and handling etc.

the next maxima i think needs a killer interior.

[enzl]

its not a very expensive car though, kind of a 'what do you expect' sort of thing.

plus its a nissan.

for the actual out the door prices, the maxima current as a whole isn't terrible. i just don't like the DESIGN / packaging of the interior. I passed on a Maxima to get my 500 despite the maximas superior engine and handling etc.

the next maxima i think needs a killer interior.

Maxima's are around $28-34K...there's alot of competition at that price-point. There are some Chrysler-like plastics in there that are decidedly low-rent.

I'm not too sure about the handling either...the one I've got is a torque steer pig.

[regfootball]

Maxima's are around $28-34K...there's alot of competition at that price-point. There are some Chrysler-like plastics in there that are decidedly low-rent.

I'm not too sure about the handling either...the one I've got is a torque steer pig.

i hated the center console and stack, the gauges, and fur on the doors. hate the sweeping curve that goes from the door over the dash and stuff.

seats are too low also.

for that money it deserves a better interior.

Edited July 12, 2007 by regfootball

[Cory Wolfe]

Design wise, the Maxima's interior was one of my favorites before they refreshed it and thoroughly ruined what I loved about it.

[RBB]

Nissan should make the Maxima into an everyman's CLS - with a swoopy, coupelike greenhouse that may not be the most practical sedan but would be a sexier and more luxurious alternative to the Altima.

-RBB

[LosAngeles]

http://www.leftlanenews.com/nissan-maxima.html#photos

Looks fairly big to me (note how dwarfed the stock wheels look).

Sporty enough too.

Kinda gives a R34 Skyline/current ES300 vibe.

Sexy overall...but what's up with those headlights?

[siegen]

http://www.leftlanenews.com/nissan-maxima.html#photos

Looks fairly big to me (note how dwarfed the stock wheels look).

Sporty enough too.

Kinda gives a R34 Skyline/current ES300 vibe.

Sexy overall...but what's up with those headlights?

I dunno, it's hard to tell from those pictures, they are all at weird angles.

[VenSeattle]

290hp sounds good to me. The additional pics with the dark exterior make it look much better IMO.

[The O.C.]

Where's the friggin' stick-shift?

All I've heard about is that POS CVT.....

[VenSeattle]

Where's the friggin' stick-shift?

All I've heard about is that POS CVT.....

It appears paddle-shifting has made a manual obsolete on most mid-to-large sedans that lean towards performance.

So far I see dual sunroofs, power rear sunscreen, memory seats, LED instrumentation, LED taillights, real rear headrests, and 290hp. I'm starting to like the package very much.

I'm hesitant over the interior materials though. The current Maxima photographs well, but the interior is a horrible place to spend time. Let's hope Nissan increased the budget for Maxima.

I still believe the Invicta will kill this car in quality, ride, and overall refinement... but I expect it to be more expensive (possibly several thousand more) than the Maxima. That's fine if it's worth it. It would be nice if Buick could finally break away from mainstream comparisons and compete one-on-one with other premium brands. If it's as good as the ES350 or better, it should be priced accordingly.

Back to Maxima... I'd consider the Maxima in a heartbeat over the Avalon. The Avalon is soulless and in search for an identity. It may sell on those merits for those looking for an appliance, but it is rejected by most buyers for the same reason.

This Maxima has at least separated itself from the Altima and looks competitive. It can only be more successful than the current iteration.

[LosAngeles]

The interior looks like a very enjoyable place to be.

If only the G8 had a steering wheel like that.

Edited March 28, 2008 by LosAngeles

[K.C.]

so you just cut and past all of your posts?

I have wondered the same thing. Not that I don't agree with him in this case, though.