george__

iTrader: (1)

It's not confirmed yet

CS_AR

Chris - What are you looking to trade into?

Chris Alexander

CS_AR I'm burned out because a new Cataylic Converter on my 6th gen is gonna cost what $1500 and soon as I fix that then something is gonna go next so i'm looking at either a Tahoe 2010-2014 or a Lexus GS 2007-2011. Before I got the 06 almost bought an 02 they are the best but i'm not fond of the rear end it looks like a possum.

george__

iTrader: (1)

The gen 7 rear looks like a parrot

Chris Alexander

george__ especially at night from a distance it does, I feel kind of bad though I wanted that 8th gen to be a little bigger than the 7th but dam they making it big as a surburban it seems.

lightonthehill

Do not be misled by either the photos of the 8th gen Maxima in full camo, in partial camo, or compared with the 7th gen sitting behind it in one of the photos referenced earlier in this thread. The 8th gen will be very similar in size to the 7th gen. Very slightly more interior room, but little change in weight, as more parts of cars are being switched to lighter materials.

Those who last month expressed doubt here that the 8th gen would resemble the Nissan Concept 4 Door Sports Sedan were told at that time (by me and by another person who actually works for Nissan) that the resemblance would be rather close. It will.

I am always happy when a new generation of the Maxima is finally released, so many of the rumors doubting the worthiness of the new generation can be put to rest.

D.Stillwell

Anyone see this video yet? First time I've seen it, and it makes the new Maxi look quite interesting to say the least, not in a good way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKHJBZpkzMw

CS_AR

Yes Sir.. Already posted last weekend. That video appears to show the new Altima/Lania series body and Q30 platform. Notice the C-pillar has a different shape than the new Maxima.

D.Stillwell

Ah, missed it. Sorry for the double post guys

I was actually looking at the C-pillar and thought it was ugly and weird looking, thank god thats not the Maxima.

CS_AR

I think differences like the C-pillar will help people decide to move up to a Maxima.

Sent from my Z998 using Maxima

lightonthehill

Yep. That video is from last April, and even though it does have several styling cues we will also see in the 8th gen Maxima (Nissan is currently on this fetish of similar styling characteristics between their different products), the overall effect is more attractive in the Maxima design.

We won't have too much longer to wait. Nissan mentioned back in late summer that the intro would probably be the Chicago Auto Show Feb 22nd or New York Auto Show March 3rd. I though there was a chance things might go so well they would move the intro up to the Detroit Auto Show Jan 25th, but that is now looking doubtful. At any rate, we will know within either two months or two and a half months. Years of speculation will soon be coming to an end.

In the meantime, Nissan will release a 'teaser' photo, usually of a front quarter view from ground level, probably in late January or early February, and we will also probably be seeing a spycam view of an 8th gen without camo about that same time. Because of the new 'floating roof' feature, the teaser photo may be of the rear quarter view. As one who always buys the first model year of every Maxima generation, I am excited.

CS_AR

Here's an idea for some regional maxima.org MAXUS club meets.

Chicago Auto Show -> Feb 22nd - McCormick Place Convention Center

New York Auto Show -> March 3rd - Jacob Javits Convention Center

Detroit Auto Show -> Jan 25th - (Pending Product Release)

a-b-c

2003MaximaMan

thrilled that it is close to the concept. Only obvious difference is the rear window. The production version has a quarter section.

george__

iTrader: (1)

omg they are making a FWD automatic sports coupe

LOL

Maybe this is why they axed the Nissan Altima coupes

CS_AR

The new Maxima look will definitely like window tinting.

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

Looks like it will be the sedan version of the 2015 Murano. So much for excitement.

http://www.nissanusa.com/crossovers/...model=murano_B

Jprocs24

Interesting...

phattyaltnatl

Man, that thing looks absolutely MASSIVE! Looks like it's going squarely up against the Chevy Impala. I don't now if that's a good thing or not.

george__

iTrader: (1)

They need to differentiate the Maxima enough from the Altima. More weirdness to come from Nissan with their MAXIMA NISMO (confirmed?)/Q30 (based on Altima)/Q40 (based on G37)/Q60 (based on G37 coupe) etc etc.

Q50 fail!

lightonthehill

Yep. But then we knew they would go to a quarter section, else the rear window would not be able to open due to the short vertical span of the rear section of the door. At least they used discreet black molding between the rear door window and the quarter section to make the break not too noticable.

I think there may be a few here who will be surprised when the 8th gen Maxima arriving at the Nissan dealerships is far from the bulky Impala. The 8th gen Maxima will have a verticality (bulkiness) between the 6th gen and the 7th gen.

lightonthehill

Tough audience here. As with every new generation of the Maxima, there will be those who are not overly impressed. That is to be expected, as every person sees things differently. But the differences between the 8th gen Maxima and the latest Murano will be enough to separate these two for most folks.

The 8th gen Maxima grille will be much more pronounced than the Murano. The Maxima grille will occupy the entire vertical portion of the front center of the car, while the Murano grille is rather small and pinched in between the hood and the mid-height bumper. The Maxima will actually have a rear, while the Murano looks like someone chopped off the back fourth of the vehicle. The Murano will be tall and chunky, while the Maxima, despite the Impala suggestions here, will prove to be about as low as the 7th gen Maxima, which is low for a sedan.

And the Murano does not look that bad, considering its purpose and the audience for which it is aimed. Quite sculptured.

I know there will be a lot of folks that are excited. I know I am. This car will be moving off dealer lots from day one. I love the Strad color. It is similar to the Pacific Sunset (burnt orange/240Z) on the Murano. Nissan used a similar shade (called Burnt Umber back then) for two months only (July and August 2003) as a 2004 Maxima generation 6 introductory color.

george__

iTrader: (1)

^
It's going to have 300+ HP with a FWD platform... The thing is going to suck against a a equivalent RWD platform. Nissan has totally screwed up the balance imo

D.Stillwell

George, people aren't gonna be buying these cars for racing. Whole FWD vs RWD thing is moot point here. Two different platforms and cars.

Jprocs24

I feel like it's still a mix of both, since they do label it as a sports-luxury sedan (etc..). I don't think 300+ HP and FWD mix very well in general, but then again Stillwell brings up a solid point of they're not race cars.

CS_AR

Here's a question for the group.

Should Nissan discontinue the 370z due to lack of market share and "beef up" the Maxima to appeal to younger performance minded buyers?

Three Vehicles that may be discontinued soon article.

http://www.fool.com/investing/genera...in-the-us.aspx

lightonthehill

No. These vehicles could not be more opposite. One is a small two door RWD sports coupe, while the other is a fairly large four door FWD 'affordable sporty family sedan.' The Maxima has NEVER been a 'race car', although it fared OK in that department during the eighties and nineties due mostly to weak competition.

The Maxima is designed to appeal to both sexes and all ages, but especially to families who need a back seat that will hold three children/grandchildren. It has never been a true sports sedan, even when it came close (I have owned all generation Maximas since buying two 1985 2nd gens in October 1984, so do have an idea about these cars).

I am disappointed with the 370Z's sales. But the Maxima is intended to be Nissan's flagship and sell only around 70K cars per model year, and with the release of the 8th gen, I see that as very likely. By contrast, the 370Z is a niche-type vehicle that will probably never again sell in great numbers unless Nissan can come up with a knockout version. The competition for the Z is far stronger these days than during the first thirty years of its existance ('70 to '00)

D.Stillwell

^^ Bingo. Competition.

The Z is a great car still, competition is too much. Mustang, Cmamaro, Challenger, Hyindai Genesis....

And most people care about what? Looks and claimed HP figures. Most people will buy a Mustang with 400+hp claimed for less than the Z....Only a few of those people will buy the Z due to its all around performance (size/nimbleness)...

Most people dont realize that a 370Z with less claimed power is still gonna run circles around a Mustang on an actual track with turns. Most people like a Mustang that can accelerate fast to the next red light.

True story...Maxima has suffered the same problem for a while now, but at least it still makes sense to buy one when price/competition is considered.

CS_AR

Thank you for the insight.

Here's an interesting article about CVTs.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/cars/y...397_story.html

.

george__

iTrader: (1)

They market it like it's a sports car

brand new Maxima is not a good bang for buck in Canada. Used they are a huge bang for buck since they have low resale value and only a little more than a Altima 3.5 but better equipped.

lightonthehill

George - Virtually all cars are marketed beyond their true capability. Virtually all products are. Other than a tiny small cheap sticker in the left rear door window, my 7th gen had no '4DSC' emblems at all, and the TV and newspaper ads in the Atlanta area were pushing the 7th gen as a 'sporty' car. The drift of Maxima advertising that I see suggests an 'affordable family sedan with a sporty edge.' Occasionally, I see the word 'sports' connected to the Maxima. But a 'sports family sedan' is not the same as a 'sports car.'

As to the price of Maximas in Canada, they are a terrible bargain there. But the Maxima is one of the best bargains available in the U.S. It is posible to drive out a totally loaded top of the line Maxima in the U.S. for under $35K. That same car in Canada, after all discounts, will still be between $45K and $50K.

lightonthehill

First article that I have read that seems balanced and honest regarding all tranny types. I especially appreciated that they emphasized that the CVT is no less reliable, dependable or long-lived than shifting trannies, and does indeed improve fuel economy. It also mentioned the fact dual clutch trannies are very good for very aggressive driving, but not pleasant for normal driving. It said what we already knew, in that automatic trannies are the most expensive, and sometimes cost more than the engine.

D.Stillwell

^^ Frankly, I think the Maxima is marketed just fine. 4dsc is laughable of course, thats why our 7th gen has no stupid stickers.

It's no 4dsc, but a quick sporty/luxurious family sedan....yes

Above average power, looks, and reliability is what you get in a Maxima, all for a fair price.

And in todays world, where 90% of sedans sold are smaller, economy 4 bangers, and many with CVT....One can say the Maxima is sporty.

Besides that, how many cars can you find for 30k or under that compare to a Maxima? For us we found it to be ZERO. And we didnt even get the sports/tech, just a loaded SV.

Now for you Canadiens...it sucks price wise. But for us, with the deal we got our 7th gen Maxima cost the same as a comparably loaded POS Camry without V6!

CS_AR

Not to bore people with an automotive transmission history lesson, but it seems the transmissions that are lighter weight and easier to build (read cost less) survive over the long haul. The 4-speed (forward) fully automatic transmission named Hydramatic hit the market in 1940 -- roughly 75 years ago. It would be enhanced through the mid 50s but later licensed to Rolls Royce because it was too expensive to build compared to a 2-speed automatic transmission that descended from Buick's Dynaflow named Power Glide for Chevy and other entry level B-O-P models.

A few years later, competitive pressures from Ford and Borg Warner caused the release of a 3-speed automatic that descended from Power Glide (slip and slide) family named <chuckle> Turbo Hydramatic </chuckle>. So what happened to the mighty Hydramatic that was so overbuilt that the War Department used it in the M24 Chaffee tank? Rolls Royce kept using it until roughly 1967. I guess Rolls didn't need to worry about manufacturing costs. Everyone else got the lower cost 2-speed or the (2+1) speed TH variants until the gas crisis in the late 70s and early 80s forced the return of a yet lighter weight 3-speed plus overdrive automatic.

So its taken nearly 3/4 of a century for another major shift in transmissions to occur with the growing CVT utilization. I don't know how it feels to drive a dual clutch transmission for comparison purposes. As for predicting the future, I'm betting on whatever transmission has the lower cost to build.

From what I've read from people who work at Nissan dealerships, owners should plan to change CVT fluid at 30,000 to 35,000 mile mile intervals. I think people will find low cost sources for Genuine Nissan CVT fluid from online dealers and figure out ways use fluid extractors like the one in the following link as a way to keep their CVT's fluid fresh while reducing cost of ownership for cars that are out of warranty. Using anything other than Nissan CVT fluid is a fast track to transmission failure.

Fluid Extractor Link Thread Below

https://maxima.org/forums/fluids-lub...xtractors.html

.

george__

iTrader: (1)

Nissan is milking us poor Canadians but their sales have sky rocketed here


http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/

CS_AR

How about currency exchange rate + sales taxe being the difference?

CS_AR

Nissan and Infiniti sales are up in the U.S. also.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nissan Group today announced total U.S. sales for November 2014 of 103,188 units. With one month remaining in 2014, Nissan has now set a record for most U.S. sales in a year in the company's history with 1,269,577, up 11.5 percent for the year.
Nissan highlights:

Nissan Division has also set the record for most U.S. sales in its history with 1,164,254, so far in 2014, a year-over-year increase of 12.4 percent.
Nissan Division finished November with 91,790 sales in the month, down 1.7 percent from the previous year.
Rogue sales set a November record at 15,067, an increase of 43.7 percent.
Nissan LEAF also set a November record with 2,687 sales, an increase of 34.1 percent.
November sales of the Versa subcompact were 9,283, up 11.5 percent.
Sentra sales increased 16.0 percent in November to 13,530.
Frontier pickup sales increased 5.5 percent in November to 6,332.

http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/u...2014-u-s-sales

george__

iTrader: (1)

^
Why did the Altima performance so badly?

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

Do you even sentence bro?

D.Stillwell

^^