A ton of people were swarming around the 2001 Max, a very popular car for enthusiasts. Anyways i was talking to the Nissan Rep about the 2002 Max. He said the 2002 will definately have the 3.5 with 260+ hp available with all models and not done as an SE-R, with auto and manual tranny available. No body changes til 2003. He said this engine is just a bigger version of the current 3.0, same engineering and layout just bigger. Im definately waiting for the 2002. I hope it comes out early in the summer.

Ed

 

so does this mean that a 2001 or 2000 owner could import the engine from a 2002?

 

Any news on what manual tranny? 5sp or 6sp?

 

Bert, i asked that question to him about the 6speed but he said thats all the info Nissan headqtrs. will release at this time. He said their not letting anymore info out of the bag, just rumors about anything else, however the info he provided me is definate. I also like the Acura 3.2 TL, will be a tough decision for me as the 2002 TL comes out in early March, way before the Max release i would think.

Ed

 

They need to hurry up and release some concrete info.. all my mods are hinging on whether or not I will be trading in for a new stick.... ugh the suspense is killing me.

 

I hate to be a pessimist, but I would be very surprised if the next model year (2002) includes such a significant engine upgrade considering none of the major car publications (ie. MT, C&D, R&T) are doing previews. Nissan would want to drum up enthusiasm among their avid Maxima followers. They would have to wait a little while in order to ensure that their 2000 sales #s were met, but now that we're in 2001, they should be all over marketing a car that will show up by August.

I'm not suggesting that ED571 is making his story up, but perhaps the Nissan rep at the show is full of it.

FYI...If I end up to be full of it...if the next model year does include the 3.5 with a manual tranny, consider me a prime candidate for a trade-in (as depressed as it will make me, and my financial advisor, to trade-in a car in my first year of ownership).

 

Well.. they may not want the Maxima hype to drown out the new sentra and Z... especially if say the engine is only available in an SE and its not really a special model like the SE-R and its not a full performance model like the Z. Just speculating here.

 

Haha ... If the Z and the New MAX will use the same damn engine ... why does't Nissan just Badge the Z as a Maxima Coupe!!!!

And call it a "MAX Z MA" Coupe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*NOTE* I never liked the Idea the New Z isn't TURBO charged, or the fact its using the same engine as the Pathfinder!!!!!!!

 

Hey, guess what, I'm the one who's full of it. MotorTrend's 2002 guide...

"2002 Nissan Maxima: Engine increases to 3.5-liter/260- horsepower V-6."

The guide does not specify a specific model...that is the entire quote. Also notes that the Altima is getting the 3.0L V-6. I guess trade-ins are in the works.

 

Yeah... this news is all over the place now. Freshalloy.com, Motortrend, various dealers, inside sources, etc. My dealer confirmed it. I can't wait to see something firm though. I'm seriously thinking of trading in my 2000 for a 2002 3.5 VQ. It all depends on the details and the price. If they offer a 5 speed auto, it will be a tough decision. If they offer the same 4 speed tranny, I'll get the stick.

 

im pretty sure that this 2002 thing is pretty concrete. i would definitely get a manual tranny considering all the trouble that nissan is having with the 2k auto. besides 5 speeds are more fun anyway. not to mention faster

 

One more interesting note. The Nissan Rep told me the Max will get the VQ35 to compete with the likes of the Crown Victoria, Chrysler 300m, Toyota Avalon and some other big boat type sedans. He said the Altima will compete in the future with the Acura TL, Audi A6 and the Volkswagon Passat. The 2003 Maxima is probably going to be huge. The 2002 Maxima with the VQ35 and the current body style could be real sweet performance wise.

Ed

98 Ford Mustang Cobra SVT
91 Ford Explorer Sport 4X4
98 Chevy Malibu LS( soon to be lemonlawed)
02 Nissan Maxima SE (insert here)

 

Yeah 5 speed manual is more fun, unless you drive in the stop and go traffic I run in every day. If Nissan goes to a 5 speed auto, it should go fast. Look what happened to the Acura TL when it went from 4 speed to 5 speed auto. It became much faster in the 1/4. Dropped from 15.9 to 15 flat. Same engine.

 

Which brings me to the old question. Why don't more mfgrs make more 5 or 6spd autos?