lightonthehill

MaxMus - No, I haven't driven the CVT yet. But I try to read everything I can find about how test-drivers feel about it. Also, having been required to take quite a few physics courses in my college field of study (Geophysics), it is very obvious to me that a tranny that does not have to shift will be superior in both fuel economy and acceleration to any tranny that does have to shift, whether auto or manual. As both the CVT hardware and software are improved, it will gradually become THE tranny of the future.

I understand there are those who love the manual, and aren't interested in becoming proficient at using the FOUR different modes of the CVT on the '09 Maxima. But, even though I began my driving on a manual in 1949, still drove manuals as late as 1984, and love the feel of driving a manual whenever I am away from miserable traffic congestion and radar in every block, I grasped many years ago that I either have to change with the times or be left behind.

So I am excited about the possibilities of the CVT, and am especially looking forward to trying its new 'sport' mode, where engine compression is used as part of the braking system. That bodes for some exciting experiences on winding roads.

ikalinin

iTrader: (1)

???? CAMRY??! Are we seeing the same thing ?

lightonthehill

The '09 Maxima taillights don't bring the Camry to mind for me. In fact, I think the Maxima's tail lights are exactly the opposite of the Camry, in that they are taller on the side, while the Camry's are taller on the trunk. Also, the Maxima tail lights extend up to the stylish crease along the side of the car, while the bland Camry has no crease.

I can't help but notice how very much better the bottom of the Maxima's rear bumper is than the bottom of the Camry.

In a nutshell, when I see the rear of the '09 Maxima, my first thought is 'Let's go have some fun!!!' And when I see the rear of the Camry, my first thought is 'Don't forget to pick up bread and milk while you're at the store, sweetie.'

jcalabria

I don't see ANY similarity whatsoever... OK... they both have red tailights, lol.

Looking at the straight on rear view, I can't think of a single vehicle that looks anything remotely like that... what a kick-*** aggressive looking butt!

The fat pipes look great (too bad about the skinny little pipe inside when you look close, alá 6.0g), and the extractor look between the pipes is fantastic. It looks like it's got a body kit - only better because it's integrated and not tacked on.

SmokinMaxSE

iTrader: (1)

The new Maxima does look nice but I'd have to say the rear tails looks like a "refreshed" Camry. Infact, I just noticed that the last Camry models had the Same chrome over the license plate just like the new Altima has now.....

ejarmol

i love it. no complaints here except for the fact that its not free (for me only)

i would definitely get it 6sp black on black on black on black everything black no chrome black with 5% tint even paint my easypass black

bb700092

I think the tail lights in the 09 Maxima have been influenced by those from the 350Z but certainly they are not cut & paste.

jcalabria

That's the kind of similarity that is good... brand identity and all. Having a hint of Z (or GT-R) in your Max is not a bad thing.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

Some are overstating the whole Camry connection. Of course they're similarly shaped, very generally, as has been the case for both the Maxima and the Camry for almost 20 years. They're direct competitors as middle of the road Jap family sedans. Google some pics of past gens of both cars and they have always looked somewhat similar to each other.... generally speaking.

But the Maxima early on departed from the standard Jap 4door people sedan and became the sporty alternative to the cardboard box (Camry).

The Camry has always been 2nd fiddle in styling to the Maxima, the Toyota being very safe and dull in comparison.
The Maxima has taken more cues from the Z and GT-R in the past than the Camry.


The Camry is so dull, historically, that it is virtually invisible, whereas the Maxima has been a head-turner.

Bronzie2K

I'd have to agree there are similarities with the Camry tail lights. But then again you can also see the Gen 9 is sortof a play on the Z. Still, the Toyota/ Lexus similarities are there whether by coincidence or not and they seem pretty obvious. Nissan should have took that into consideration, especially since the last generation was very distinctive. For a car kept under wraps so long I kinda expected shock and awe, be it good or bad. I just don't see the hype so far.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

gen7 is engineered on the Nurburgring concurrently with the GT-R..... is not worthy of any hype?


People are making such a gigantic deal over the goddamn taillights? That are 350Z-inspired?

You think Nissan got a Camry, showed it to Hasegawa, and said "hey, man, copy this."

lightonthehill

Looking at the back of the Camry makes me think of PTA meetings, Chamber of Commerce outings and Sunday School.

Looking at the back of the Maxima makes me think of slalom times, peeling rubber, cruising and just showing off.

Put another way, I would let the automatic car wash clean the Camry, but would hand-wash the Maxima myself.

Those concentrating on the taillights are missing the overall appearance, in which the Maxima totally crushes the Camry.

BigMarcus

I don't think the maxima and camry look very similar at all... the camry screams cheap. Personally, I think the side of the 7th gen looks similar to the 2006 Infiniti M35

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

Yes.

You get it.

+100

lightonthehill

Thanks, bronzelite.

Changing the subjuect somewhat (away from taillights), is this the first Maxima with no trace of the protective strip running along the side of the car?

The protective strip had long-since become too flat to have any real chance of blocking an adjacent driver from dinging the Maxima with his door, but was still being included on the car as sort of a styling accent strip. Leaving it off entirely gives a cleaner-looking vehicle in my opinion.

For years, I mounted a carefully sculptured one inch wide, half inch thick black rubber strip molding over the OEM protective strip, as well as around the lip of all wheel wells. This greatly increased protection from dings. For the '09, I will probably restrict adding the molding to just the wheel well lips, as I like the clean look of no strip along the side of the car.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

way to keep up the fight Light!

right away i wished to mod my sides one day to shave the useless door ding strips.
you "those are camry tails" are on crack. finally get LEDs. meanwhile those that will no way consider the Max new and eventually hope to get one used 10 years from now complain about vague similarities.

MANY older gens look just like Toyotas or vice versa. oh my they are Japanese competing designers!!! no way they might have similarities!!!

jcalabria

Now...

if you wanna talk about similar tail lights:





THOSE are similar...

Camry/7G Max are not even remotely similar to each other.

Mitsucar420

The maxima looks okay from most angle and given that I'm looking to upgrade soon its definately in the contending. Funny thing though, as I was thinking about testdriving the maxima in a few months when I'm ready to purchase, a Toyota Yaris of all things cut me off. Then it dawned on me that the Maxima tail lights look a bit like the Yaris's!! In looking at the two photos todany, I can ony guess at what I was thinking at the time. Heres a pic of the yaris sedan, tell me why I associated the two??

bb700092

I do not know how you guys see the rear of Camry and Yaris in that of the 09 Maxima. I clearly see the rear of the current Altima in that of the 09 Maxima, except the tail lights. The tai lights are influenced by those of the 350Z.

MaxLV

At first glance, it's a nice looking car. However, I'd like to reserve until seeing it in person.

MAXIMAK99

I think the tail lights and the car over all is similar to this Lexus.



If the picture does not pull up here is the URL

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...&ct=image&cd=2

I guess the second picture with the tails showing are the most remenicent of the 7th gen.

bb700092

Yes, I agree. But the Lexus front is much better, IMHO.

ForeverMAX

at a quik and i mean quik glance at a angle looks semi current gen s class rear

ForeverMAX

its funny this is really RANDOM but 10 years ago the ,max would be or was at 190hp...i know random but hey, i love this max i mean it has every thing a 50,000 car has right? who would have thought thigh bolsters and a/c controlled seats...now i hope people would try not to compare it with an avalon or anything to me its like they said in on of the comercials for the 4th or 5th gen.." THE NISSAN MAXIMA IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN"

modenaf1

iTrader: (3)

I am unsure about this one, I think this might be one of those things you have to see in person, so I think I will hold off my judgement till I see it in person, however for some reason in the pics something about the rear end irks me the wrong way. I think the front looks awesome though. That and I think the Maxima has gotten way too big though. That thing looks even more massive than the 6th gen.

MinervaMaxxxima

I have to say, I'm a little disappointed. It's just so....BIG....I understand that newer cars have restrictions of all sorts due to safety regulations, but my gosh....the thing is gigantic. I wish it took a cue from the G35 sedan in that it's still a sedan, yet doesn't rival a Lexus LS (or a Honda Odyssey, depending upon the angle) in size. I do think it's too big, though I'll have to wait until I see it in person to decide for sure. Ideally, we'd have a standard 6-speed in the true tradition of Maxima driving enjoyment, and maybe even RWD, but I'll see how well it actually handles and drives in a few months.

The taillights are also pretty blaaaah and almost Toyota Yaris-esque.

Overall, I'm a tad disappointed, but at least their heart's in the right place, yanno?

MAXIMAK99

I know I have said it before but I'll say it again. The pictures that you have seen thus far do no justice to this 7th gen Max. I saw the car in person at the Dallas Auto Show, and it is in no way bigger than the previous 6th gen. It is wider, but that is it. The 7th gen was set up on a platform for everyone to see, and a few feet away was the 6th gen. So having the two almost side by side you could see how much more boulbus the 6th gen is. The reason it looks big is because of the new design that makes it look more muscular, but its not a big bubble type like the 6th gen. Anyway when you get to see it in person you will know what I mean.

issues636

i'm really not too sure. certain pictures look good, some are just bleh. i have to see it in person where good editing can't make me think any differently.

TB.4L

My bro plans to buy one.............and i cant wait to drive it lol.

AllBlackMax

I've seen it in person at the Dallas Auto Show and it looks beautiful.

lightonthehill

On Tuesday, I spent two hours touring the Smyrna Nissan plant (a lot of the '09 Maximas on the assembly line that day were 'regatta blue'), then today, I spent eight hours at the Atlanta Auto Show, three of those hours fawning over the '09 Maxima. My thoughts:

THE '09 GRILLE IS ABSOLUTELY NOT AS LARGE AS PICTURES MAKE IT SEEM. PERIOD.

For some reason, folks think a photo has to be taken from very near the subject being photographed. That is a mental blunder. All that does is make things nearest the camera (from the front, that would be the grille; from a front corner, that would be the headlamp assembly) seem huge and things slightly further away seem much smaller by comparison.

Photos posted on the ORG make the grille seem around four feet wide, spanning two-thirds the width of the car, and about a foot tall. BUT: When I stood directly in front of the new Maxima anywhere from around twelve feet to a hundred feet away, the grille seemed small in relation to the rest of the car. In reality, the grille is not over three feet wide (HALF the width of the car), and is only SEVEN INCHES high at each end and EIGHT INCHES high in the middle. When viewed from normal distances and angles, I feel the grille is perfectly proportioned for the car.

The tab at the bottom rear of the headlamp looks MUCH better in real-life than in photos. It actually adds to both the 'liquid motion' theme and the aggressive appearance of the headlamp assembly.

The sculpting of the sides and hood is much easier detected and appreciated in person than in photos. I had a strong urge to slide my fingers along those sensuous lines. Flash bulbs were popping from all sides. I didn't hear one negative comment from a single person the three hours I stood there. There were hundreds of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from folks who were obviously not even aware Nissan had a new Maxima arriving this summer.

Make no mistake, this car will sell well. I think it will exceed the 80,000 copies Nissan has planned. One of those copies will absolutely be mine.

MAXIMAK99

Hey light did you get a chance to see the moonroof (dual) open? I remember you writing about it on another thread, and I wrote back that it looked sleek when open. What's your take on it?

lightonthehill

MAXIMAK99 - The car was up on a platform, and folks were not permitted to 'share' the platform with the car.

The big dark top roof panel (which closes flush with the top of the car and covers everything when closed) was open, riding two to three inches above the normal roof level. I would think the car could be driven at freeway speeds in this alignment, but the same reasons few folks drive at freeway speeds with a normal moonroof open would still apply here: too much wind noise.

I have owned nothing but Maximas for 23 1/2 years, and every one was equipped with a power sunroof/moonroof. I have always kept them closed when traveling at freeway speeds. In fact, I seldom keep my roof open unless travelling around 50 MPH or slower, which can be very often here in the fringe of Atlanta.

In answer to your question, I can see where some folks would feel this new-type roof might be considered a little 'clunky' when open, but I sort of like it, as it lies level and in line with the airflow, should not result in appreciable air resistance, definitely is different, and adds a new dimension to an already exciting redesign of the Maxima. Even when the new roof is closed, it shouts 'there is something special about this roof'. I kinda like that.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

7th gen is less massive than 6th. Don't know where people are getting the "7th gen is bigger" idea.

From pics you can't really relate sizes and proportions relative to people or other cars very easily so that may be the source of misunderstanding.

7th gen is smaller and more nimble.

lightonthehill

bonzelite is correct. I have seen the '09 in person for an extended period both at the Nissan plant and at the Atlanta Auto Show, and never once did I have thoughts like 'big' or 'bulbous' or 'fat' enter my mind. The shortening of the wheelbase and overall length, added to moving wider the wheels and fenders without widening the body give an overall 'firm-to-the-ground' and 'athletic' look. I bet this car will corner at speed with almost no lean.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

Correct and the Maxima 7th gen was developed on the Nurburgring with the GT-R. This is a giant leap ahead in engineering. It will more than likely be one of the fastest FWD sedans ever created at it's time of release. That is serious heat they're packing.

Anuj

i think it looks great!

nafddur

A 6 speed MT and AWD would bring many of us back into the Maxima fold. Softening these things up so much is turning them into old peoples cars (like the Camry).

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

I wouldn't worry about that much. Maxima was never AWD. And there is rumor of a 6MT later. Regardless, you don't test a FWD sedan on the Nurburgring to be "soft" like a Camry!

Meangunz

nope, it looks like a cross between a 08 Altima and a Toyota Camry