MorpheusZero

iTrader: (10)

Says the guy with the automatic

Some of us like shifting our own gears the right way you know

lightonthehill

This poll is extremely misleading in that drivers preferring manual trannies are far more likely to be here than non-manual tranny drivers are. I speak with every Maxima driver I have an opportunity to, and have yet to meet one who ever heard of Maxima.org. I haven't even met one driving a manual tranny Maxima this year.

The fact is that Nissan had great trouble selling Maximas with manual trannies. And that situation grew worse every year. By around the year 2000, my dealer couldn't give them away. I was shifting about 800 times each way to and from work each day in 1984. I can't imagine how many thousand shifts each way would be required these days. Anyone having to drive daily in traffic such as here in the metro Atlanta area would have to be a nut case to buy a manual tranny.

Nissan was very very wise to remove this manual tranny burden from their beleaguered dealers.

Folks used to manual trannies (both my daughter and my son love them, and I used to love them also) may not find the old-timey driving fun with CVTs, but, despite false CVT starts by some American companies, CVTs are the 'coming thing' in trannies. Based simply on elementary laws of physics, it is very clear that, as it is perfected, the CVT will outperform all shifting trannies in both smoothness, fuel economy, and accelleration. It may not quite be there yet, but it will be.

Prefer it or not, I am one who is ready to accept the future.

bigpulve+

iTrader: (11)

Im old enough to let a computer select my gears.

SoonerFan

iTrader: (5)

if nissan continues with this trend, i will never buy another maxima. i will continue to drive my 02, and do all the shifting for myself.
thanks

shysmax

Moral of the story is for us manual "purists" to cherish, keep and enjoy our cars. They truly are a breed of their own. 4dsc with a manny tranny = get out there, shift and enjoy!!

shysmax

The Max was geared to the "poor man's BMW". FWD 4dsc with manual with a Z engine. Over time, while Accords and Camrys offered their v6's with autos only, Nissan continued to offer a 5/6 spd. for its Max. ITs the sole reason I bought my '02. (Well, ok, plus the fabulous VQ35). Nissan broke classic Maxima tradition with the 6th gen. when they discontinued the manual option, and now, the Max is just another Accord, Camry, etc....

My vote - manual transmission.

jwaters943

lightonthehill has it right. Manual transmission sales for the Maxima were dismal. By discontinuing it they're probably losing less than 5% of their sales to another automaker. An acceptable loss considering the cost-savings affording by not having to get the Maxima certified with a manual, and other costs associated with offering another transmission.

Who knows though, maybe Nissan will come out with some anniversary or other special addition with brembo's, a different paint color or two, another 10-15hp and a manual transmission just to please the purists/enthusiasts.

merlin2375

iTrader: (3)

Not much to talk about here IMHO, there's no substitute for a manual transmission.

bb700092

I guess lightonthehill and jwaters943 are right. But here is something to think of. Nissan makes a manual tranny for the Altima. How difficult can it be to put the same tranny in a Maxima, especially since the Alti and Max often share the same platform with close hp and torque?

jcalabria

It not technically difficult at all. Its just a matter of the costs associated with certification for such a small number of sales.

Its no coincidence that the Max lost its MT option at the same time the new gen Altima came out. Prior to that, they had platforms and powertrains similar enough for the Max to piggyback on the higher volume Altima's certification. Once the Alti shifted to a different platform and the "new" VQ35, that no longer was possible and Nissan could not justify certifying a low volume MT Max individually.

Now that the Max is also on the "D" platform, it at least opens up the possibility again of shared certification - so there may be at least a glimmer of hope. It is a small glimmer, though, because the low number of potential MT sales still make it tough to justify. I doubt you would see a regular production MT available, but a limited edition anniversary model that the dealers wouldn't have much trouble selling could be a possibility.

Shinjiduo

iTrader: (106)

Me personally I would love if Nissan had a DSG like transmission option. Faster shift than any of us can do ourselves and no killer drivetrain loss like in a conventional auto. The best of both worlds. Plus if they can put it in a crappy VW they can pull it off in a Max.

DeusExMaxima

iTrader: (1)

6 speed

rnupetroop

COME ON FELLAS, LETS BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE MAXIMA, NISSAN MAYBE PREPARING THE SWEETEST SHIFTING 6SP EVER FOR THE 3.7.

ENOUGH POSITVE ENERGY HERE WILL SOMEHOW TOUCH THE THOUGHTS OF THOSE AT NISSAN AND SOMEHOW GUIDE THEM THE RIGHT WAY. I FEEL ALL 6SPDERS PAIN FOR I LOVE MY 6SPD EVEN IN THE 2ND WORSE TRAFFIC CITY IN THE COUNTRY OR 3RD.

bigpulve+

iTrader: (11)

There is a little button to the left of the A button.....use it dammit...

SoonerFan

iTrader: (5)

jcalabria

A DSG's are a great "have your cake and eat it, too" option for enthusiast drivers, but clutch engagement and shifts are typically not smooth enough to be an AT/CVT replacement for the typical driver, so you still end up with having to certify two trannies.

Grand_hustle17

iTrader: (22)

regular auto........ trying to balance poll

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

I voted manual but I'm willing to give paddle shifts the benefit of the doubt.

Shinjiduo

iTrader: (106)

Yeah it sucks that most automatic drivers are too pansy assed to be bothered by a little shift shock. I can still dream though...

lightonthehill

This horse was beaten to death back in 2006 when the 2007 Maxima came out with only the CVT tranny. The essence of a 4DSC in the third millenium is in the HANDLING, not in such antiquated things as a manual tranny.

The manual is now a plaything of the past, as far as efficient technology is concerned. It is desired mostly by those who grew up using it, and who consider a manual to be a 'manly' form of tranny. The reality is that a manual tranny is about as 'manly' as refusing to stop and ask directions when lost. The time is almost here when the CVT will surpass every type of tranny that still requires shift points; surpass it in smoothness, accelleration, and most important, fuel economy.

Yes, I loved driving the manual at one time. I also loved the Stutz Bearcat, the Terraplane, the Cord, the Auburn and the Pierce-Arrow. But times change. In the traffic of modern metropolitan areas, the manual serves no real transportation purpose. With some exceptions (such as mountain driving on empty roads) it is strictly a 'pleasure toy'.

Nissan gave us every chance, and kept the manual in the Maxima long after producing it became unprofitable. Most dealers let them go at fire sale prices, because nobody wanted them. Those who come crawling here bemoaning the loss of the manual need to wake up to the economic reality of the times. Companies would be foolish to produce a product that is, relatively speaking, not in demand. We need to accept that and move on.

rnupetroop

Now, caps off , my apologies fellas CAPITAL TYPE of guy. get it.....never mind. Good points about the cvt vs. manual, though.

I do know that, handling on roads in this area would be kind of ahh I don't know.....not as important as having a 90mph speed. If Nissan was reaching for only the handling(4dsc) goal then who are they reaching out to???? When talking handling, are we talking ride comfort or zig-zaggn from lane to lane or going around a curve at a higher speed than what is posted

Being an arm of the law here I've seen plenty of traffic from exotics to classics and there is no room here for either vehicle to worry about their strenghts or weaknesses without worrying about those blue leds lighting them up.

I suppose Nissan is targeting weekend drivers taking their 4dsc on some curvy mountain roads(closed off of course) and just letting it go because handling is a "pleasure toy" also.

Yes we do need to move on but get some clarification on Nissan's target area for Maxima owners.

I need to research the cvt vs. high end automaker's 6pd and 7sps automatics!

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

I wont' apologize for continuing to beat this "dead" horse.

If you're going to market it as a 4-door sports car once again, there needs to be at least an OPTIONAL manual (make it cost extra if you have to, I'd pay extra for it personally).

--

btw, you guys argue about CVT being so economical in fuel economy What a freaking joke of an argument.

Guess what: if you care about fuel economy, don't buy a 3.5L V6....go buy an Accord Hybrid or something.

rnupetroop

Yes zirrr!!!

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

And like I said before: You want a manual? Don't buy a maxima. I know I won't for my next car. The percent of people that ACTUALLY would buy a manual maxima is incredibly small, and I still stand by the fact that it's a smart move my nissan to only offer it in the altima.

dizmax96

iTrader: (2)

id say 6mt and cvt w/ paddles. ive got a 6mt in my car and my wifes got cvt. im happy with either. i think they should offer both 6mt and cvt for the 7th gen.

BadBlackMaxSL

iTrader: (1)

7 speed auto with manual mode and/or paddle shifters.

rnupetroop

Well, I drive a 6speed manual 6generation maxima as a daily driver here in the Atlanta area after jogging 5miles in 33minutes and I am far from a nutcase or maybe I am ..... the thing is I can get free rides on the transit here in atlanta but I choose to drive so that definately certifies me as the nutcase that bought the manual in july of 2004 and fell in love with her.

But until I get old and wore out and as long as my elbow and knee joints allow me, I will be shifting.

The thing is majority of the time my work shift allows me to avoid all major traffic and frees my 6speed stick shift up but when I did have to drive 85south from Duluth to piedmont rd at 0600hrs in my 6spd manual, I never did get any road rage or irratated with the traffic which happens alot among other drivers here in atlanta.

Well looking at it from another perspective I may be a nutcase because of the work I do in Atlanta, having this 3week vacation and I am missing it.

I'm all for green, but is the cvt the answer? If nissan cancelled the 6spd for green reasons fine but if they cancelled it for lack of demand? I don't know from the looks of this biased poll.

btw i have had the opportunity to drive the cvt 07 maxima as a replacement model for my wife's armada for a whole month(pics to prove all) just not the same and felt the left leg was getting jealous because the right leg was doing all the work!!!!

I did vote manual.

rteenie22

for what it is a TL-S is a beast a doctors dream...but it doesnt out perform either of those...maybe in interior room...but not performance measures...

STARR

iTrader: (1)

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

poll means nothing.

all these people screaming "no manual kills it for me" were never going to consider buying one anyway.

nissan already makes a RWD 6sp Maxima. they just sell it as an Infiniti.

rnupetroop

If nissan makes no more 6spd manual maximas, I'll will be at the infiniti dealership keeping it in the family with g35sedan6mt.

The manual option of the maxima was always why I stayed ahead while competing with my brother and his favorite car maker.(Pretending "that's my car.")

Loyalty I suppose, this being my first (not my wife and I) but MINE . We bought new cars together but because she can't drive a manual we always looked at something of her taste.

I have loved maximas since I first layed eyes on the 2nd gen my uncle drove to the family reunion and every generation after after that. That desire just kept building as I had to quench that desire with a motorcycle.

Quite as kept, my wife loves to ride in the 6spd manual as she did on my bike!

I do need a manual, preferably a maxima because I have come to realize that women get bored with automatics and need some 6spd stick shift action.

Grown Folks Only(GFO) put the chuillren in the bed!!!

lightonthehill

Irish - The CVT is no 'freaking joke'. You are badly misguided in associating fuel economy just with hybrids, etc. The CVT will not only soon bypass all shifting trannies in fuel economy, but will do so while exceeding the accelleration times of shifting trannies. The most simple laws of physics mandate that.

And the concept that a 4DSC must have an available manual tranny is a carryover from the second millenium. I am a second millenium man myself, and always loved the feel of a good manual tranny. But the failure of Maxima buyers to purchase manuals left Nissan no reasonable reason to produce them. The dealers actually hated trying to sell Maximas with manual trannies.

You need to look elsewhere than Maxima if you require a manual.

lightonthehill

rnupetroop - The real sticking point with a manual in the Maxima was the inability to sell them. The posters here are totally unrepresentative of the average Maxima purchaser. For years, dealers accepted manual Maximas because Nissan made them. Then they sat on the lot for months until the dealer let them go at a loss just to regain the parking slot.

I know my dealer grew to hate manual Maximas around 2000. He said he never made a penny on a single manual Maxima. I don't know of another Maxima driver in the county I live in who has a manual Maxima, and we have a huge Nissan dealer four miles from my house.

Those here bemoaning the lack of a manual in the Maxima would have flunked any high school course in economics, much less a college course in supply and demand. This is evident by the fact the Altima is mentioned. The Altima is a mass-produced car of which Nissan plans to sell over 250 thousand each year, and hence offers all kinds of options. By contrast, the Maxima is now an upscale sports-luxury vehicle which Nissan hopes to sell around 80 thousand a year, and hence must limit the variations for economic reasons.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

3 pedals, 6 gears, independent rear suspension..... bliss

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

4DSC=6/5spd MT end of discussion

SoonerFan

iTrader: (5)

jcalabria

I'll be the first to applaud if they bring back an MT, but the vast majority of the original 3rd Gen 4DSC had auto trannies, too.

syntax182

Man, for me, when it comes to the manual transmission, it's not about the computer shifting better, or it's cheaper, easier to fix, or easier to get better gas mileage, or it's more advanced technologically. It's about the feeling of being more in control of your car, instead of the car doing all of the work for you. It's just way more fun, and for me, I feel that kind of connection that's more personal. Kind of sounds , but whatever. ha ha.

And hasn't the manual transmission been updated technologically over time since it was first introduced? It's not like they can't make further technological advancements with it to get smoother shifts, or better mileage, I doubt it has reached it's potential, it will keep improving.

rnupetroop

lightonthehill-I clearly remember when I first bought my burnt orange maxima at the gwpn in duluth they had about 3 6spdman parked right next to mine.

I don't know know how fast they sold but I do remember going back for a free car wash about a month and a half later and they were gone.

When I traded my burnt orange at the new gwpn location about two years later they had about four and one was white or silver two were loaded black, one of the black maximas had chrome aftermarket rims with the navi and one smoke(the one I have now).

The sales guy told me that they had a buyer for the burnt orange already and that was a 6spd. Everyone I run into with the 6th gen always mention that their dealership didn't have a manual. Eveytime I hear that I feel so blessed.

I can definately accept the fact if they deleted the manual for economical reasons but just for lack of need or demand is hard.

Either way I still have to live with it because Nissan will do what they feel is right.

Maybe nissan should have went with 4drslc four door sports luxury car I think it would better fit than 4drsc four door sports car because it stills resembles but doesn't take away from what the 3gen owners have.

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

i don't mind the CVT as long as it's paddle-shifted b/c that's kinda cool imo. Tho i'd really rather see the old "treadmill paddles and stick" 6speed but unless sales suck and Nissan thinks that's why, then i doubt we'll see one.