Word has it that the Maxima is getting a redesign for the 2007 model year. What changes to the current 6th gen Maxima platform would you like to see?

To get away from the ultima bodystyle. Is this the shortest year in body changes? Must have been bad.

While I like the current body style, I have to agree. The current Maxima doesn't "look like a Maxima." It DOES...but it definitely doesn't...I don't know how to put it...At least it demonstrates excellent fit and finish, which has always been a standout of the Max.I always sort of chuckle when people say it should not look like the Altima. To me, though, it doesn't look like an Altima at all. They are very very different. They look no more similar than the S14 and the U13 Altima--same theme, but distinct designs.

We need to go back to something like the 3rd and 4th gen. Something simple, yet unmistakably aggressive. I'd like a combination of the third and fifth gens (my two favorite Maxima body styles). But we need to stay away from the fifth gen tail setup, with the necessity for seperate corner markers...it looks cheap, IMO. If not for corner the requirement of markers, the rear-only tails would be fine.

Changes? I'd like to see 300 horses. With the TL and the Avalon (I know the Avalon's not really Maxima competition, but people will look for full size V6 sedans and think it is...most people don't understand the appeal of "performance") making 270 and 280, the 265 doesn't put the Max in the "wow, that's a powerful sedan" category it's always been in before (though if people would look at torque--and torque and power curves--like they are supposed to, the 270 and 280 would mean much less).

I would like to see RWD. I've always been against it in the past, but I think it's time for the RWD sedan to come back. Plus, it's began RWD...it should go back. Dodge and Cadillac can NOT be the only companies out there with a RWD V6 sedan. Nissan needs to show them both how it's done, and bring the Max back to it's roots.

Hopefully we won't see IRS disappear again. If we do, I'm going to be assassinating someone.

The sixth gen ties with the 5th and 1st for shortest run, if the redesign is actually a 2007 model. Only the third and fourth gens ran for five years. Second ran for four.

It seems we may see a replacement for the VQ along with the new model, judging by what's been said about the potential 2007 Z redesign. Hopefully it lives up to the legacy...hopefully it's capable of sustained 90+hp/liter normally aspirated, like the VQ is. Either way, it'd damn well better make good power. By 2007, Honda may redesign the TL, and the Avalon will be well established. It's got to stand out from them somehow. IRS and 300+ hp V6 sounds like a great way to me.

I also would like to see an improved Manumatic. The current one does little more than set the highest gear, and freely shifts on it's own up to that gear. We need a real manumatic. Along with that, I'd like to see Nissan introduce either a performance oriented CVT (all powerband, all the time) or a 7 speed auto. Yes, the manual is the way to go, but for people like myself and my father, who have no choice--other people in the family drive it--the auto trans options need to be as performance oriented as possible (not that the 6a/t in auto mode is bad--it's a great auto).

I'm curious if the 2007 Max will still share its platform with the Alty, and if it will again be a north america only model. The europeans still have the A33, as the VQ25DE powered Maxima QX, which looks just like the last-gen I35. I wonder how long that production will continue.

The Maxima has always been the sporty sedan, the four door Z. The G sort of stole the 4 door z segment...but the Max still needs to stand out. The G is just too tiny, but it IS RWD. We need to combine the best of both. A big G. Hell, a small M. An FM-based Maxima would be amazing. Unfortunately, with the desire to seperate all Nissan and Infiniti models, that's not likely.Time for a new RWD platform, then.

Seems to me that the ultra blandness of the auto market of the late 90's and first couple years of the new millenium has faded. The Max needs more to stand out again.

We need another third gen.

OH! Stop making the ceiling lower! I can barely drive the sixth gen without my head hitting the ceiling--with the seat all the way lowered and back. Tall guys need sporty cars, too. Let's not pull a DeTomasso.

LOL! Good write up MOD.

I would like to see supercharged AWD. I think that would be awsome. i would also like it to be a little smaller. TV's in the seats also. Not the head rest but the seats. I think they should also have an optional powered subwoofer like the infinity sub thingies. That might be kind of far fetched but i would def drull over it. Ohh yea i would also like a hood scoop that only goes on the supercharged models.

AWD option would be nice, like the G35X or M35X. VQ40 standard with option of VH45 since Pontiac is throwing V8's into their FWD cars now.

Gotta change the nose too

With horsepower getting so high in all segments these days, it seems as though fwd is about to the end of its rope. I'd like to see a maxima with more than 300 hp, but torque steer is already a problem. I'd like to see the return of the 4 door sports car theme, and maybe even a top of the line sports edition without an automatic trans option.

I think it needs to visually lose weight. THe 6th gen is elegant and relatively sporty, but it kind of makes me think of a hot super model who hasn't lost her shape, but has gained a bit of a ghetto booty. Not that you wouldn't go there any more, but you still long for her to get on a treadmill.

Here's an idea, why not rely on the R33 skyline for a template for styling ques? I think that would make an awesome sports sedan if done right. It HAS to differentiate itself from the competition again.

Most of all, keep the price where it is, and keep the manual trans option.

I think Minister of Doom said everything else I was thinking of.

maxima278 wrote:Here's an idea, why not rely on the R33 skyline for a template for styling ques? I think that would make an awesome sports sedan if done right. It HAS to differentiate itself from the competition again.

I hope not.I think the R33 is quite ugly. In fact, that era was my least favorite for all Nissans...the S14, the really ugly Alty, the fourth gen max has always been my least favorite, and the R33 is just fat and looks like a blob.

However, if they used this as a template I wouldn't be too sad.

I just don't want round--especially not round headlights. The front of the R33 looked depressed or sick, not strong or powerful.

truthfully, what you showed me was in line with what I was thinking. I agree about the 2nd gen altima, there is nothing pretty about it, but that's where I get off the boat. I love the lines of the S14, the R33, and the 4th gen max (two of those I actually own). Admittedly, other than the S14 which I love, those are not my favorite body styles of those cars. The R32 is probably my dream car, and I like the 3rd and 5th gens best of all maximas.

I almost bought a 92 over my 95, but could not get financing for an 11 year old car (at the time) for $4500. That may sound high but man you should have seen this thing. white, black leather, looked as though it had been in a time capsule since new. And I will probably by a 6th gen for my wife next year because its new.

Anyhow, what I was getting at was something unlike an Altima and unlike the new copycat Avalon which looks like a maxima with gray hair, slimmed down, long roomy, sporty like a Z and still under $30k starting.

holy crap I just described the 3rd gen.

MOD, I don't think we disagree as much as you think

Styling will not go back to previous models. The direction has been quasi-set via the G/M series. Altima is not the sporty-performance oriented Nissan 4 door whereas the Maxima is the more luxurious Nissan top-end vehicle that has power. I fully expect the Altima to end up with the same specs as the Maxi and the Maxi getting even more over-inflated.

Nissan does not want to offer the Max in RWD or AWD options as it wants people to step up to the Infiniti G-series instead.

audtatious wrote:Nissan does not want to offer the Max in RWD or AWD options as it wants people to step up to the Infiniti G-series instead.

I agree about the Alty turning into what we knew to be the Max. I don't like it one damn bit, but I see that that's what's coming.

But no AWD to send people to the Infiniti Dealers for the G?

That is the stupidest marketing scheme ever. That's like cadillac not offering RWD in the CTS so people will buy the STS...The G it a TINY car. It is not a car that Maxima buyers will look at as an alternative. There is no room up front to begin with--if you're over 6 feet tall, say hello to steering wheel marks in your knees. The back is useless--no better than the back of a 2+2 Z32--except it's got doors back there too. The two cars have nothing at all in common. Even if the Max went RWD, they still would not have anything in common. They're not stealing sales. Hell, if anything, they should target getting one of each in every driveway. G for wife's groceries, Max for the husband's need for speed.

If that really is nissan's take on things, I think they need to have a good look at who buys what, and not just what sells and what doesn't.

The Maxima name means a lot to some of us. But if the Maxima becomes a Mercedes Floatmobile wannabe, I'll never buy it again. I don't, however, want an Altima. I want a Maxima. I just want a REAL Maxima--the car it's been for the last 25 years. Not what Nissan's deciding to do because they've watched global trends.And that's what really annoys me. Since the Maxima was born, Nissan has NEVER sold normal cookie cutter, class-specific cars like everyone else. Yeah, The Sentra was a match to the Civic/Corrolla, but that's where it ended. Nissan never made a Camry/Accord fighter. They made the Stanza/Altima. No V6, though. But then, noone ever was smart enough to buy the V6 Accords either, so why waste the money developing a V6 version? Why not make a seperate car for the V6? That's what the Maxima was, really. Especially with the second and third gen's low-powered VG's. Now, though, Nissan's fit right into the global marketing mold. Garbage. My Maxima is what it is because it's DIFFERENT. It's not special, unique, or timeless because it's yet another cookie cutter full size.

If Nissan makes moves like they're starting to show signs of (and already did--with the Altima) there's not going to be any difference between their cars and the next japanese car's brand.

The only ones still smart enough to be different are Mazda. Maybe they should bring back the Millenia--seems like that'd be closer to the Maxima we all know than whatever Nissan's got planned for us next.

Well said.how would a rwd max be any more similar to a g35 than a front drive one is to an Altima? If the Chrysler 300 can be in the same price range then I dont think that it would require a huge increase. I did not buy a maxima as an alternative to the camry or accord, I bought it because it was a cheaper, japaneze alternative to BMWs and such that I cannot afford, and also because it was the sportiest japanese car with four doors for the price.

I agree about the direction that Nissan is taking, but i think that enough is enough. They have their cookie cutter (the altima) and it is a damn nice one. Lets have some individuality and a step up in sportyness for a few grand more. Other than the fatness, I think right now you could say that that is what the 6th gen is, depending on how you look at it. I see more 6th gens on the road in georgia than v6 altimas, so maybe that formula would not be all that bad.

Lets step back and take a look at Nissan's choices for a minute: they've killed off the Silvia and R34 Skyline and are now relying on the 350Z as their sole sports offering (at least in the meantime), they've come out with a small pickup that damn near outprices their big one, and various new models are not as visually appealing as their most recent predecessors (ie. the Xterra, the maxima, maybe the Pathfinder). And just about every car has some form of a VQ in it. So much for putting one of each in every driveway. Oh yeah and the Sentra is butt ugly.

However, given the alternatives from other companies like say Toyota and Honda, Nissan has still got it in spite of all I just said. I would just like to see the sporty theme prevail, and a few more engine choices to spice things up across the whole lineup.

I tend to agree with what both of you said. I prefer the Maxima being the 4DSC in the Nissan lineup. I have no idea why Nissan decided to move the Altima into that role, but that is exactly where it is. IMO, their line of thinking is that a 4DSC would be sporty, with good power, but not have a higher-end interior or be refined. Unfortunately, they have priced the Alty 3.5 pretty damn near the price of a Maxima. They seem to be moving the Maxima to be a somewhat larger luxury car within the Nissan lineup. At most, I see future Maxima's getting a V8, but staying FWD and turning into a vehicle that is sized between the Alty and the Q.

Of course, I may be wrong, but that seems to be the direction I see it going. In the future, I probably won't buy another Nissan branded product. For a coupe, I'll have a G35c, and the next 4-door I get will probably be an M.

maybe the maxima is going the direction it is going to try and play one up with the Toyota Avalon. Seems like nobody goes with their own instincts these days.

MinisterofDOOM wrote:I also would like to see an improved Manumatic. The current one does little more than set the highest gear, and freely shifts on it's own up to that gear. We need a real manumatic.

I don't know if the following was special programming (I doubt it) or the latest version of the G35 has apparently added a real (well, something closer to real anyway) Manumatic ... see the following: zerothread?id=114264 for a recent experience in a G35.

Z

Does anyone have the production numbers for the 6th gen max for each year? I'm just wondering how many they're actually selling.

Sure. Very low numbers.Just the way I like it.

http://www.nissannews.com/corp...shtml

This is monthly, but it still shows comparisons and the decrease in sales.The average monthly for the few months after it first began selling was around 8-9k/month.
Modified by MinisterofDOOM at 9:22 PM 8/1/2005

They must all be in Georgia just about, because I see them everywhere. What about new Altimas, especially the ones with V6s? I see lots of Alty's but almost never with V6s in them

Get away from the exterior styling shift all automakers are having toward tall bubblish type cars. What every happened to sleek? Lower the profile, and give it rear biased AWD. Keep the tails very similar, but the headlights should look more agressive.Dump the V6 for a newly designed I6, 3.4 liters with a 3.6 liter optional.Dump the dual exhaust dual tips for a single dual tip.

I love the straight 6 idea.I've always liked the looks of a quad-tip exhaust, but with a straight six that doesn't make sense.

I personally don't want AWD. It'd be a good option, but I would not want it to the the only option.

Interesting that you commented on the taillights. Taillights are one of my biggest pet peeves as far as car designs. I think the A34 tails are exceptional.

I was never too fond of vertical headlights...I think they are far better done than most on the Maxima, as on the Z33, but I still would prefer a horizontal style, and I prefer that they are not pushed so far out to the corners.

A RWD straight six would literally take the Maxima back to it's roots.And it'd make me a VERY happy person.

I really hope we have not seen the last of the Nissan straight six. Not that we as americans have anyway lately, but I'm a little sick of seeing everything integrated into the VQ. Not that it is a bad motor, just a little over done at this point in time. A straight six would definitely set it apart.

MinisterofDOOM wrote:Sure. Very low numbers.Just the way I like it.

http://www.nissannews.com/corp...shtml

This is monthly, but it still shows comparisons and the decrease in sales.The average monthly for the few months after it first began selling was around 8-9k/month.

Anyone have or know where to find production numbers for 4th and 5th gen max's?

I kinda browesed through this thread. MOD excellent insite in your first post.Couple of facts and a couple of thoughts on what might be coming for 07.Back before the A34 was in production ,the gossip around the NNA water cooler was the consideration of completely dropping the max due to low forecasted sales of the vehicle. The vehicle more or less lost is flag ship status with the A33. In 02 the sales volume of the altima killed the max.So this made them consider dropping it. Since then I have not heard anything along the lines of them droping the model. I have heard about the redesign but didnt get many specifics other then just a face lift. No engine changes were speculated. Have any of you noticed the 04 max had a few trans options for automatic but o5 only has one option? It was originally considered to put the CVT in that car. I think it is very likely you will see that in the 07.It wouldnt suprise me at all. The CVT from my stand point have been virtually flawless to this point. I have yet to see a failure on one. I have heard of a few. That few is far fewer then the volume of automatic failures I have seen or heard of. AWD ; although the chassis is set up for it I doubt you will see it in 07 on the max.

To clerify dust and bones last statement the 4th gen was 95 to 99 and the 5th gen was 00 to 03. are those the models your inquiring about? I do not however have any info on those models sales wise.

I think it would be stupid for Nissan to get rid of a named model that has been around since the 70's. Nissan also needs something that scales between the G35/Alty and the Q. At this point, the Maxima fits there just fine. I am seeing a lot more 6th gens on the road right now than 5th gens.

From an engine standpoint, I see a FWD V8 somewhere in the Nissan lineup. This is primarily due to the Pontiac throwing a V8 option in and I believe others will follow. Performance and engine availability is a big ticket item right now with buyers. "We" want decent mileage, a big engine, and good performance. I see no reason for Nissan to NOT go towards a V8 due to that and what others are doing.

honestly like I said, there are no shortages of maximas in georgia, of any generation, so I don't know where they are losing sales if they are. I just remembered, I saw a picture of a car in a magazine that was said to look like the maxima will look, (I think it was a european model or something, I don't remember) but its basic shape is similar to what we have, just shaped a little more rounded and elegant. I'll have to look in my vast piles of magazines somewhere....

I drove the 04+ Max when it first came out and loved the overtly high-tech interior (reminded me of 2nd gen) and luxurious seating.

One gripe, and ONLY ONE GRIPE: Torque steer! I felt like I was wrestling with the car for control. It doesn't matter for normal commuters, but I'm a balls-to-the-wall WOT addict. Every green light for me is like a gas-guzzling drag race.Does the 04+ Max have equal length half shafts like Cadillac (pre-Sigma) and Acura? It doesn't feel like it.

no maxima has equal link shfts except first gen[RWD].

you get used to it. Once you have one for a while you just learn to grip the steering wheel. My wife's escape is even worse. If you have a front driver with any guts, unless it has equal shafts, its going to have torque steer.

Seems like I remember the maxima losing comparison tests in magazines years ago because of stuff like that. Of course a honda accord has less torquesteer. It's also slower.

MoD and others:

All established name plates have a tendecy to creep upmarket.

The Maxima is still a great car!!

yea but get a honda on a dyno and hold the hell on. When I have to run them for smog they wander all over the place, kinda scary. The other generation maxs dont seem to have the torque steer problem like the 04+ does though. It is quite aggresive on accel.