CD Article: 2009 Nissan Maxima

[CD_Editor]

First Drive:


Nissan has decided to bring the 'sport' back into the Maxima sedan, giving the car a complete overhaul with new, aggressive styling, a driver's interior and even more power, reports Managing Editor, Grant Yoxon.  It goes on sale June 26.

 More:
Read the article | View the photos | All The First Drives

[Leowin]

Prospective buyers of any car would like to know what would be the cost for a new car in Canada vs US so IMHO no review is complete without the price comparison. Nissan just like most of the other car companies has been charging a huge premium here in Canada for their recent lauches, again Nissan says Maxima will be around $40k herein Canada, with options it will retail close to $45k plus taxes and freight whereas it is expected to be priced starting at around $31k, with options it will be around $37k.

For 45K, Maxima is overpriced.....wait for 1 year and the price will be coming down atleast by $10k....

[auto_enthusiast]

If it really is pushing 45k up here, I think many drivers would steer toward the RWD G35.

[si]

I'd really like to contest Nissan's claim that it's the 'best handling FWD car available'  ...   

[Wolfe]

And by being a better luxury sedan it is also a better sport sedan.

WTF

[Thinking Out Loud]

And by being a better luxury sedan it is also a better sport sedan.

WTF

 

Personally I woudn't use terms like 'rippling muscles' for the bodywork - 'bulbous' perhaps for the rear (maybe the pics don't do it justice?).  Especially when you can use words like 'super' for the driver's position..... 

And indeed - what is the hoser (oops, I meant to say) 'hosed' Canadian pricing relative to the US? 

Do we need to again tell Canadian Nissan purchasers to 'Take off, eh?' to the US to buy their product....

[Jaeger]

I will reserve comments on exterior styling until I actually see one in person (I like much of what I see, but some aspects are a question mark) - but the Maxima is back on my radar for a possible future purchase.  The big, bloated previous generation model sure wasn't.

Kudos for Nissan for NOT following the trend of Honda - and seemingly every other manufacturer - marching to the mindless drum beat of "Bigger is better.... bigger is better... bigger is...."

At least they are attempting to get the Maxima back in touch with its 4DSC roots - even if claims of the "best handling FWD car" and supposedly targeting Porsche as a handling benchmark are so much transparent marketing drivel.

One big raspberry for failing to offer a manual transmission even as an option, but its hard to argue with the economics of it - there are fewer and fewer dinosaurs like me that want them, and more and more people willing to accept floppy paddles as a substitute for "manual" shifting.

Judging from photos, the interiors of the Infiniti G and M sedans have nothing on this new Max - more Kudos to Nissan there.

Nissan has acomplished two essential goals with this car: 1) made it a hell of a lot better than the old one; 2) distanced itself upmarket from the Altima.

Jaeger

[sailor723]

I


Judging from photos, the interiors of the Infiniti G and M sedans have nothing on this new Max - more Kudos to Nissan there.

.

Jaeger

Funny how opinions can differ..........From what I can see in the photos I'd say the interior is pretty bland and Ho-hum   (although I do think the exterior styling is an improvement)

[Jason801]

"Although power grew from 222 hp in 2003 to 265 in 2004..."

Um, no.

The 2001 model had 222 hp.  The 2002, 2003 models had 255 hp.  I know mine does, heck, even your own site says this.  Look up the test drive of the '02 Maxima SE.

[Mike-NB]

One thing I always liked about the Maxima was that Nissan continued to offer a manual transmission.  Then, of course, they dropped that, no doubt because of lack of sales.  In my opinion though, if you are trying to push a luxury sedan to the sporty end of the spectrum, where the Maxima usually belonged, you have to offer a manual even if only a few buyers opt for it. 

[speed12sil]

Am I missing something or isn't there supposed to be at least a short impression of how the car drives? If I as a potential buyer wanted some decent if not great interior I'd be going for an Accord already, not turning to Nissan, and would be somewhat disappointed by the fact that the entire article basically just gushed over how well the car looks and how well the interior is.

The maxima's target buyers are (and should've always been) those who seek the best large(r) FWD sport sedan. That Nissan believe their target buyer would love a car that comes with only CVT is frankly ridiculous.

[Jaeger]

I


Judging from photos, the interiors of the Infiniti G and M sedans have nothing on this new Max - more Kudos to Nissan there.

.

Jaeger

Funny how opinions can differ..........From what I can see in the photos I'd say the interior is pretty bland and Ho-hum   (although I do think the exterior styling is an improvement)

True, subjective perceptions will differ, but to my eye this is a pretty darned nice interior.





Jaeger

[si]

That Nissan believe their target buyer would love a car that comes with only CVT is frankly ridiculous.

Only Nissan's entry trim level Sentras/Versas and the 350Z offer regular automatics.

[Juke1]

At 39.84mpg on my last tank of gas I find nothing ridiculous about the CVT, try that with a Camry or Accord

[Schmengie]

 I hate the front end, especially the too-weird headlights.    The greenhouse looks like a clone of the Honda Accord's, and the tail-lights look like they were swiped intact from a Yaris???  Back to the drawing board, Nissan.

[2hondas1BMW]

To me, the front end resembles a hammerhead shark...?

[johngenx]

The interior looks nice in the pics save for the garish trim on the steering-wheel mounted controls.  Overall, I don't get the Maxima.  Costs about the same as the G35.  That many ponies really should be driving either the rear wheels or all four.  The G35 and G35X pretty much cover Nissan's bases in the $45K-ish bracket, and do it well.

[mmret]

The nature of the interior does not suit the car. Its too cutsey.

For this money, if you want sport, as many have said get a G35. If you want the size you can get an Accord and save bucks.

If you want size AND sport....Get a 7 series? Dunno. Conundrum.

[Jaeger]

Are the Max and G35 comparably priced when comparably-equipped?  I haven't done comparative Canadian pricing so I don't know, but I do recall when I was shopping for my Altima the same comments were made - why not get a G for the same money?  Well, they weren't even close when comparably equipped.  A loaded to the gills Alti was close in price to a base model G (a car which effectively didn't exist - 2 were located in the entire country when I was shopping).  Comparably equipped, the difference was more like 10 grand.  And top-of-the-line models were even further apart.

Jaeger

[johngenx]

At 39.84mpg on my last tank of gas I find nothing ridiculous about the CVT, try that with a Camry or Accord

You're turning into a troll.  The thread has nothing to do with the Accord or Camry.  The Altima 2.5 is rated for 8.9L/100km city and 6.3L/100km highway while the Honda Accord AT is 9.9/6.5 and the Camry is 9.5/6.2.  As for 39.84mpg, what the hell is that?  US or Imperial gallons?  Miles?  Can Mitlov translate, please?

I think you got 7L/100km.  100% city stop and go?  No way.  Mostly highway?  Yes.  The Accord is the poorest of the three in the city, with the Camry next and the Altima the best.  It's lead is lost on the highway with all three about the same.  Between the Camry and the Altima, the winner will be the one with the most cautious and sensible driver.