Have you seen the latest Car & Driver -
The 2002 Altima - 3.5 liter 240HP VQ -5 speed -16 or 17 wheels -looks pretty sweet.
On the smaller whelbase and probably lower weight is going to make for a fast & super nible sedan - Quicker than my MAX 97 SE.Plus it looks pretty sharp -not at all like the previous gen.
I'm sure it's a little smaller inside but think about the trade off in Handling! Glad to see Nissan spreading the joy of the VQ.

I definatly like the new Altima quite a bit but the 2002 max should be just as fast because they are going to be about the same size as each other and the 02 max will have 260 HP. It would be a lot of fun SC a 02 max's engine,hmm don't give me any ideas.

I am very surprised about the size of the new Altima. It is almost as big as the current Max!!! Until the next Max redesign, there is going to a lot of confusion about which to buy. Me thinks Altima will be the winner for buyers who are deciding between top-end Altima vs. mid-range Max. I am wondering if the Max redesign will ultimately serve as a sporty Toyota Avalon ie. larger and "near Luxury" catagory.

CW

The Max "has to" get bigger. No way Nissan is gonna have 2 cars from their own lineup competing with each other for sales. There's enough of that from outside competition. The Altima will take over the reigns as the performance king in the sports sedan niche, and the Maxima will be the bigger almost as bad *** brother:)

DW

I think the Maxima will suprise all of us when the new model in 03 is introduced. I feel very strongly that the maxima will be quicker sleeker and just plane better then the Altima in every way except maybe value and handaling. Don't be suprised to see a 300+ hp MAX very shortly laying it's smack down on the Altima like it always has. If not a, SC will do the trick. A flagship model is always the most desirable car made by a manufacurer.

I agree that top of the line is the most desirable, but not always the fastest or best performing. Cases in point;

BMW M5 (or the 540) and the 7 series.

Mercedes Benz S class and E class . . like the E55. More performance oriented than any S class upgrade will be.

Toyota Camry and Avalon . . .bad example?? The Avalon is simply a bigger Camry with a few more creature comforts.

Acura 3.5RL and the TL/CL series.

Shall I go on . . ?:)

The Altima is taking over. Look also at the present evidence; The Gen 5 Maxima got bigger with that limo like back seat, and Nissan started making the FTSB standard on the exisitng Altima.

In the end, you just can't mess with the laws of physics. A bigger, heavier car cannot out-perform a smaller, lighter one, especially if they have the same engine. The smaller one takes it by far.

DW

I hope your Avalon theory isn't true
 

Have you ever driven one ? Those couple of extra inches take the Camry into a class formerly held by Dad's old mid size Buick. Not an improvement, by any means.

I'd hope that the new Max would move into more of the serious sports sedan caegory to compete with some of the Euro and other Japanese cars coming out. Seems like this is a hole in the Nissan lineup. This would also give them a fill-in for the Infiniti line - which is being out modeled by Lexus. The new Maxima doesn't have to get bigger, just better.

Bob

I don't know why anyone would buy an avalon.
 

If you want to spend that much and love toyotas, why not just get the lexus ls300.
One of my coworkers is a single guy in his late 20s. He has a 3rd gen Maxima SE, so I thought he was pretty cool. We had a company picknick, and he said he wants to buy a first gen Avalon. I almost fell off my seat. Wow. I told him that noone under 50 has any business buying an Avalon. He really had no clue. He was asking me "what's wrong with Avalon? it's such a nice car."

Re: I don't know why anyone would buy an avalon.
 

LMAO!!
:jump:

DW

Re: I don't know why anyone would buy an avalon.
 

Apparently he hasn't taken one through a corner, or maybe even down a straightaway, yet.

Bob

The Maxima will be faster than the Altima. I do realize what you were saying about the nicest car not neccesarily being the fastest, but in this case, it has always been the Maxima which was Nissan's best performer (besides the Z). They have always made it sporty and they always will. Yeah, the new Altima is bad-***, but the new Maxima is going to be off the hook!!!!!!! Oh, they are finally going to put a close ratio 6 spd tranny in it!

I'd really like to beleive what your are saying. Even if the Max comes with the 6 speed, I doubt it will be the better all round performer compared to the new Altima. Also, we all forget one obvious thing; the Maxima is soon to lose its top of the line status. Nissan is bringing back the Z.

I bet the new Max is going to be big, like a 7 series bimmer. Nissan has to do that to make sure its got all its bases covered of the car market and not have too much overlap between products. It'll perform very well with he help of a 6 speed, but it won't be as nimble as the new Altima.

Hmmm . . . now that I've thought this, I wonder a bit more, if the new Max is going to be about the size of a 7 series,as I think it will be, couldn't they use the new Q platform as its base?? Put RWD back in the Max lineup?? I don't know about the 340 hp V-8. They'll probably keep that exclusively Infiniti. Hmmm . . . .sounds like an economical and feasable plan.

DW

Even thought the Z is coming back, the max is still the flagship. Acura has the NSX, but the RL is the "flagship". There is NO WAY that Nissan is going to make the Maxima the size of a 7 series BMW. It just won't happen. They won't do anything in the world to make a direct competitor for the new Q. does anyone actually read about new stuff in the automotive world....if you had, you'd know that for next year infiniti is releasing the I35, with a 260hp 3.5 V6 on the SAME platform as the current Max/I30. It just have a different front grille and wheels. What Nissan actually DOES is much more of an indicator of what is to come that speculation and guess work.

You make a good point about Acura, but having to resort to insults with the implication of ignorance is uncalled for. So I havne't read the automotive mags and found out about the I35. It was just talk. That what this message board is about. You should have taken the bet. I could say that since I'm so busy with my job the only time I can spare is to be on this board, unlike others with a whole lot of free time to read ALL the car mags . . .


DW

wow...well I hope they don't have the wheelbase too big on the max, and I wish they'd just throw in a v8 or something! ^_~ I just don't want the Max to be ruined. Sure the new Altima will be a good performer, but I guess it depends on what you want in a car.... I really wanted a Z, but I can't afford the tax/insurance, and I wanted FWD and 4 doors after a while. Sooooo...I guess it's just what you want is what you'll get!

:)

Let's not forget, the Altima will have 4 wheel independent suspension too.

Hmmm.... makes me wonder if the Max will stay with the beam or go back to being independent.

I've drive Altimas and Maximas, and I can say the rear of the Altimas feels more intuitive going through a turn, especially with bumps, than that of my Max...

The VQ's been the Max's assett ever since '95, but now that it's going to be shared with the Altima, Z, Pathfinder, QX4, I30, there might be more of an aftermarket!

btw, I think a rwd version of the max would definitely be fun, nice and a good way to go, but hasn't the Max been a fwd v6 ever since it was called a maxima? or were those early 80's maximas rwd?

-V

What about an all wheel drive version like the Skyline?
 

That would be definite fun!!
Still I think the new Altima's smaller size will help it win out in the handling dept.
Hope they don't make the max like an Avalon or some FAT PIG Buick and just give it a bunch of HP and a floaty suspension. Guess well see. For now I'm just thrilled with my 97 SE 5 Speed.