New Maxima on the horizon?

[jsomogyi]

Is there such a thing coming in the near future?

[allensteiner]

yeah...read the sticky about it - even got pictures.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Yep, it's starting to hit dealers now.

[audtatious]

It's already hit dealers and we have driven one as seen via the hompage article

[johnnyd6404]

What about the mysterious awd diesel version I've heard about any word on that or is it just a euro model?

[allensteiner]

i doubt they'll have diesel out here - way too expensive at $5/gallon and most car buyers in the US don't realise that TDI = better mileage and less pollution. in EU diesel is cheaper than gas/per liter and that's why TDI cars are more popular.

[DevonD]

I have also heard rumor of a new high performance edition. And that the high perf one will be the one to carry nissans claim of the best handling fwd car in the world. well see i guess??

[MinisterofDOOM]

i doubt they'll have diesel out here - way too expensive at $5/gallon and most car buyers in the US don't realise that TDI = better mileage and less pollution. in EU diesel is cheaper than gas/per liter and that's why TDI cars are more popular.

The diesel Maxima has been confirmed for the US for a while now. We'll get it in 2010. Not sure about AWD.

Honda will be doing diesel versions of the Accord and TSX for 2009, too.

Small diesels will be seeing a big boom in North America in the next few years. Several small diesel cars are on the way, as well as new smaller diesel engine options for trucks (word is that Ford is actually looking to introduce a THIRD truck size to go between the Ranger and F-150, and that it'll have a small diesel powerplant option). The F-150 will also offer a smaller diesel engine.

The big problem is, as you said, the price difference between gasoline and diesel in the US. Especially in the Western US, diesel is significantly more expensive than gasoline. So diesel engines need to get MUCH better fuel milage to be worth it. Of course, they do also offer vastly more torque, but at the cost of revs, which a lot of people prefer (personally, I like power I can actually use, so a redline of 4000 with torque all the way there is fine with me).Another big issue is that manufacturers seem to think it's necessary to slap a multi-thousand-dollar premium on diesel variants of cars. This is a TERRIBLE mistake that will need to be corrected or diesel cars will never gain a foothold here.

Still, I don't think Nissan will have any problem extracting 400+ ft lb out of a turbodiesel setup and still managing 40+ mpg.

[D-Maxima]

The article on the homepage really makes me want one. Its sounds like an excellent car and I DEFINATELY want to see the aggresive stance for myself.

[DevonD]

Yup. Nissan has even teamed up with Chrysler in building the new titan. It will be offered with a diesel power plant too. Lets just hope the build quality is better than that of Chrysler!!

But what about a high performance model? anyone??Im going to a dealer right now to check one out and will ask them as well

[dallasmax]

I am going to test drive one tomorrow. Thinking possible trade............

[jsmithsole]

But what about a high performance model? anyone??Im going to a dealer right now to check one out and will ask them as well

Wouldn't bother asking the dealer, I've heard recent stories of sales dudes asking customers:"are you interested in the coupe or 4 door?""Haven't heard about us getting a new maxima"

When asked about the trim levels, Mark Perry, Nissan North America's director of product planning said the goal is to clearly signal by the trim letters the car's minimal level of equipment.

"It used to be that GLE was our top-of-the-line trim, and that it always indicated leather as standard equipment," said Perry. "For whatever reason, we walked away from that convention and things have gotten confusing over the years. With the new designations we're attempting to go back to making it simple for consumers to determine what to expect with each trim level, especially when surfing the Web," Perry said. "It will also make things easier for our salespeople to present the cars and what they include."

Perry said the 2009 Maxima will be the first car to incorporate some pieces of the new trim designations, and that Nissan expects to roll out the new trim levels to the rest of its sedans by the end of the 2010 model year.Perry also mentioned that SR has been reserved as an enthusiast trim, and SL will stand for luxury[ /B]

[dallasmax]

Well, I went by and test drove the 09 Maxima 3.5 SV.My overall impression is NICE............ You can tell Nissan really is trying to give this a sportscar feel.

The first thing I noticed when driving it was that i has cooled front seats. At 101 degrees today, it felt nice. There are many more gadgets and buttons. I think it would take a little time to get used to all of the buttons and what they go to. The ride is very smooth and responsive. I was a little suprised that with the increased horse power, it seems my 07 is quicker off the line. The salesman claims it is the same engine as the 07 with more tuned performance. Like mine, the 09 feels like it has pleanty of power at higher speeds. One thing I was really looking forward to was the paddle shifters. I have come away a bit disappointed. The shifters do not turn with the steering wheel. I was on a tall curved overpass ramp and could not shift. The interior package is extremely passenger friendly. The rear seats have side bolsters just like the front. The seats were black perforated leather with red stitching. Looks very sporty and clean. This car also has two full size sun roofs though the front is the only one that opens.

I am still letting the exterior grow on me. The front of the car is rather flat. There is also a wide strip of chrome that incircles the windows. With very few chrome accents on the car, these stood out to me. out side of that the shapes are really nice. One really cool looking feature are the exhaust tips. There are two and they are about 3 1/2" in diameter. Looks beefy.

According to the salesman, the 09 is 6" shorter than the 6th gen. You can really see this in the rear passenger leg room and in the trunk. The car is also wider. This is apparent in the larger center console.

I am going back on saturday for another drive with my wife. I am 50/50 on this one as I love my 07 and the price tag is tipping 38k.

Do you yourself a favor and at least take this new gen for a spin. It's worth it.