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They are in financial trouble and Nissan wanted to produce something that was cheap to make.

I may not be right. Please feel free to correct if I'm wrong.

 

This text was copied from Steve Cutchen's excellent MaxFAQ page http://web2.airmail.net/scutchen/max_faq/


Here's what Motor Trend said about the new multi-link beam suspension when they awarded the 1995 Maxima the Motor Trend Import Car of the year:

The new Maxima benefits from a generous helping of suspension wizardry. MacPherson struts carry over up front, but the rear struts with parallel links have given way to a new Multi-Link Beam configuration with trailing arms. Lighter, more compact, more space-efficient, and less expensive to produce, the new system also delivers tangible dynamic improvements over the one it replaces. Nissan will use this patented rear-axle design on many of its upcoming front-drive vehicles, including the new Sentra.

The challenge facing Nissan engineers was to devise rear suspension that would deliver a properly compliant ride while preventing unwanted camber change and suspension jacking under cornering and eliminating scuff change (transverse movement of the body relative to the axle) over uneven road surfaces. Both are common problems in a conventional beam-axle design located by a simple Panhard rod. Nissan's variation on the basic theme involves two key modifications. The first substitutes a special oversize lower bushing in the Panhard rod that's stiff vertically but pliant laterally. The second piece in the puzzle is a control link (formally known as a Scott-Russell link) that connects the Panhard rod with the axle to provide additional stability. This combination ensures that the axle will only move up and down, thereby maintaining proper camber in the rear tires at all times. This unique hardware also maintains a more consistent relationship between the vehicle's roll center and its center of gravity, which contributes to a better cornering feel and less body roll, regardless of loading. Since the springs and shock absorbers no longer have to contend with as much lateral force, they can be made smaller and lighter. The result: Both ride and handling are improve. And, as an extra bonus, fewer suspension mounting points result in less noise being transmitted back into the body structure.

 

We got a beam because it's cheaper, lighter, takes up less space, and for all people like to complain, it's really not that bad. It's a clever design that works. I know it's fun to pick on the beam, but for most situations it's fine.

 

Damn I was way off!

 

IRS is preferred, but the beam axle isn't that bad.

The VW Passat gets raves about its handling and guess what, it has a rear beam axle. The thing that's bad about the Maxima's rear beam is that the suspension is calibrated to be somewhat soft, yet does not yield a comfortable ride.

 

Nissan want to be cheap and did what American car manufactors do, charge the same for something worse. The independent rear is better than a beam axle.
Look at all the good handling cars, and prove me wrong.