I saw the older post about this, and read a bit online and on other forums. So I apologize if I am wrong in posting a new thread but I really have to know... is the JDM equivalent of the Maxima the Cefiro or the Teana (or neither even)?

From looking online and reading up on it, it seems that the Cefiro sold better and more in other countries and the Teana sold in Japan a lot.... however Australia is mentioned as well. Then there seems to be something about the Teana being almost like the in-between car of the Altima and Maxima. Reading all this, I felt like I was being led in circles. All I'm convinced of right now is that the Americans liked the Maxima (duh).

All help is appreciated =). I'm feelin pretty lame at the moment. I ask because I want to get rid of the emblems on the back of my car, and after seeing that the Teana is a -possible- equivalent of it, I was debating putting that badge on instead, just to be a little different.

Welcome to NICO!

The Cefiro is the equivalent to the Maxima. The Teana is a newer vehicle similar to the Altima seeing that it offers the 4 and 6 cylinder. Maximas only offer the V6 here.

Please understand that Japanese productions cars, when exported overseas may or may not retain their original model names. The same applies to Ford and GM, especially their European divisions. Having worked in the airline industry for 18 years then semiconductor for 13 years, I have had the opportunity to work and travel around the world. Even I tend to get confused with these model names/changes.

Your 2010 Maxima is the 7th Gen (09 and beyond) Maxima in the US and is designated as A35 based on the Nissan D Platform which is also the basis of the 2nd Generation Japanese Teana J32. In Australia, it is the 5th Generation Maxima. For the rest of the world, it is marketed as Teana.

In the US, the 95-99 Maxima (4th Gen) and 96-99 I30 are based on the A32 platform. The 96-99 I30 are known as Cefiro or Cefiro Brougham VIP in Asia with some engine variations. They are very common in Taiwan. In the US, they only have V6 (VQ) engine. In Australia, regardless of generation, the Cefiro, Maxima and Teana are always known as Maxima only.

Now let’s go back to Teana. The first generation Teana was based on the J31 platform and was produced in Japan from 2003-2008. The Teanas were also built/assembled in various factories around the world - in China, Pakistan, Thailand and Taiwan. It was designed as a replacement for the Japanese Cefiro. So as far as the Japanese market is concerned, the Cefiro brand was ‘dead’ by 2003. However, when this Teana was exported (or made) overseas – it retained its name as Teana in Europe and Taiwan but was marketed as Cefiro in Singapore, Maxima in Australia and Altima in the USA. The 2nd generation and current production Teana, J32, is based on the Nissan D platform and is marketed as Maxima in the US and Australia and as Teana to the rest of the world.

The Cefiro is the predecessor of the Teana. The 1st Gen (88-94) Cefiro was designated as A31 and was a rear wheel drive. It was an upscale Skyline using an in-line six as with other Skyline series cars. The 2nd Gen (95-98) Cefiro, designated as A32, is known as Nissan Maxima (95-99) and Infiniti I30 (96-99) in the US, Maxima in Australia and Cefiro in other parts of the world. They are all front wheel drives. The 3rd Gen (99-03) was the last production Cefiro in Japan.

The name Maxima goes back a long way and was originally an upscale Japanese Datsun Bluebird Maxima in the 70s. The original Maxima was a rear wheel drive as opposed to the FWD in most Maximas in the US. Earlier, it was known as the Datsun 810 in the US. It became a Maxima in 1981. In 1984, the company name officially switched from Datsun to Nissan. So the so-called 1st gen Maxima came to the US in the 80s. In the Middle East, it's known as the Nissan Laurel and as Cefiro in other parts of the world. They were very fast cars for their generation. It’s not uncommon to see them running in excess of 100 MPH on the highways in Jeddah, KSA. The 3rd Gen (89-94) Maxima was based on the J30 platform (not Infinity J30 which was based on the ‘Z’). This was introduced as the 1st Gen Maxima in Australia. The 4th Gen (95-99) Maxima was based on the A32 platform and its luxury version is the 96-99 Infiniti I30 in the US and Cefiro Brougham VIP in other parts of the world. The 5th Gen Maxima (00-03) was designated A33 and its luxury version was the I30/I35. The 6th Gen (04-08) Maxima was for the North American market only where production started in the US (Smyrna, TN). The 7th Gen (09 and beyond) Maxima in the US is based on the Nissan D platform also used in the 2nd Gen J32 Teana.

And you are right…the names seem to go in circles.

Wow Loystock, you seem to really know your Datsun/Nissan history.Two questions, if I may.Is the '04 I35 considered a 6th gen. and was it made in the states?What is this 5.5 gen. all about?O.k that's really three questions.

1.) according to wiki the 2004 is the 2nd gen a33 on the infiniti line. but if you were to compare to nissan it would be of the 5th gen body style.2.) I do believe it was made in Japan, someone correct me if im wrong3.) the main difference between the 5 and 5.5 gen maxima is the motor and subtle styling changes. On the 2000-2001 the max had the Vq30 and the 2002-2003 had the VQ35

Tiger is right.

Please note that Infiniti cars are built/re-badged primarily for the North American luxury car segment. The I30/I35 is the best-seller in the Infiniti lineup. Extending the production run by a year, was more like a marketing ploy to attract I30/I35 buyers to the dealership floor while the Infiniti division transitioned to the resurrected G (G20 to G35) and M (M20 to M45). The I35 provides a good contrast from the G35 sports sedan and the luxury M45.

Holy hell loystock, that's quite the answer. Thank you and jltibbs both, I really appreciate the patient responses. I'm still pretty new to the car scene in general... the boyfriend and I are more DSM-oriented.

My next question is one that is more opinion-oriented. I was thinking to remove all emblems and anything that says Maxima on my car and replace it with Teana parts (just aesthetics though... like rear end badge, door sills, carpets). I figure it would be an interesting little difference. I just don't want to look like some ignorant moron to people that know about these cars. Any thoughts?

so what year USDM maximas are RWD?cool video btw... C33 vs S15

Aside from the 1st Gen Maxima, all others are FWD. Unless Nissan goes back to RWD in the next generation, Maxima may become irrelevant. The FWD Altima has very good performance and reliability, wider range of selections and priced much lower than the Maxima. Nissan needs to differentiate the Maxima from the Altima. And I don't think a RWD Maxima will hurt the sale of the G37.

Holy hell loystock, that's quite the answer. Thank you and jltibbs both, I really appreciate the patient responses. I'm still pretty new to the car scene in general... the boyfriend and I are more DSM-oriented.

My next question is one that is more opinion-oriented. I was thinking to remove all emblems and anything that says Maxima on my car and replace it with Teana parts (just aesthetics though... like rear end badge, door sills, carpets). I figure it would be an interesting little difference. I just don't want to look like some ignorant moron to people that know about these cars. Any thoughts?

I haven't done such 'mod' in a long time. Other forum members should be able to chip in.

Badges wouldn't be a problem other than acquiring them. As far as the carpets are concerned, if the layout is the same or close, it might work.

The badges and door sills would be easy enough to acquire; I see them all over on eBay from reputable selles. For the carpets I agree that I'd have to first see about the layout of course, but what I meant was... is the Teana a proper equivalent for the Maxima to even be doing so?

Again... I really appreciate the patience with my ignorance. These little things would put my mind to ease while I save up for the other mods. Can't really do much with this car because it's a lease... just a couple bolt ons. But I might as well enjoy the car and make it "mine" for the three years that I will have it.
Modified by acidiica at 7:37 PM 10/11/2009

acidiica wrote:is the Teana a proper equivalent for the Maxima to even be doing so?

Our US Maxima, no. They are different cars, despite being closely related at their bones. However, the Teana was sold with Maxima badging in Australia.



That's all original badging.

The Cefiro WAS the Japanese equivalent of the Maxima from '95 until 2003. For 2004, the Maxima model we got in the US was a unique model designed specifically for the US market. There is no Japanese equivalent to this car.

The Cefiro and Maxima names were both used on the Teana, but it's Teana that's the "real" name for that car. The Cefiro and Maxima names were just applied in certain markets due to their existing marketing strength in those places.

The US market 2004-2008 Maxima has the chassis designation A34.Your Teana is a J31 chassis car. Curiously, the J designation was actually used for the 1989-1994 Maxima as well. That car's designation was J30. Why Nissan decided to pick up that J designation again after 14, I couldn't say.

But, to put it simply, no, your Teana is not the equivalent of any US market Maxima. It IS known as the Maxima in some markets, though.

Aww... bummer (I'm in the US so I have the Maxima). Guess I'll go with the alternative plan and just take all the emblems off instead. Definitely a shame, would have been fun.