Email is a wonderful thing...

INFO ON 2002 MAXIMA STRAIGHT FROM NISSAN
(from Kurt Von Zumwalt, Director, Product and Consumer PR, kurt.vonzumwalt@nissan-usa.com)

ME: I was inquiring about the availability or at least the announcement of availability and specs on the 2002 Maxima. I am interested in purchasing a 2001 but I'd like to get a flavor for what I could get in a 2002. I was told that I should wait for the NY Auto Show. Is this correct?

KURT: The 2002 Maxima will go on sale in August. The star of the N.Y. auto show for Nissan will be the all new Altima....much bigger, better, 4 & 6 cylinder, etc. We won't be talking much about the Maxima until next summer.
We will, however, introduce the 2002 Infiniti I30 at the N.Y. show that will give you a pretty good idea of where the Maxima is going dynamically. No big sheet metal changes but a significant power enhancement. That's about all I can say at this point.

ME: The Navigation system on the I30, will there be an option for it on the 2002 Maxima?

KURT: Not for general release yet but the navi will be available on '02 Maxima as an option on selected models.



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Good stuff but that's all he told you. come on

 

well, you should have seen my other questions. I got a lot of no comments.

 

Besides at least we have an official (hopefully?) word that there will be a power bump with 2002. Although I really want a dealer to post here now and let us know for sure. I'm thinking of not buying a max and going for a Mazada RX-8 instead.

 

I know what u mean but till august that doesn't seem right i'm used to mid july

 

thats what i mean. If you knew everything about the maxima then you wouldn't even compare to buying another car. Nissans losing a bit of buyers

 

In that email to what i understand it sounds like he said the Max will not change for 2002 but for 2003 it will. The I30 gets it first? That doesn't make sense. Every contact I have talked too said it will change. And here is the info they said the 2002 will have.

1) 18" wheels
2) 6spd tranny out of the SE-R Sentra
3) Torsen LSD
4) Slight cosmetic changes
5) 3.5L 260-280hp V6 (from the pathfinder)
6) Stiffer suspension

Expect it..

 

are there pictures available anywhere?... is it gonna be the same body as what we have right now? who knows?

 

I feel better now. I would have been real pissed if only months after buying my new 2001 that a more powerful engine would be released.

 

I saw all rumors
I'm gonna wait till i see it on paper and on the car before i start believing

 

I agree with u ya blue light boy

 

It appears that the 02 Max will still be a 5th generation car, in that there will be few sheet metal changes. The power bump is similar to what they did in the middle of the 3rd gen run, when they boosted power from 160 to 190 hp, but still kept it as a 3rd generation car. If anyone here wants a 6th gen Max, you'll have to wait a few more years.

 

Just don't believe that post much at all. Even if the poster is being sincere...when Nissan wants us to know information like was presented in that post, Nissan will tell people like MT, C&D, R&T, Edmunds, etc. Until I see "Interview with Nissan Chairman" on CNBC or CNN, I'm not believing a bit of these rumors.

I will be ready to trade in my baby for the newer, more powerful Maxima or I30 (whichever arrives with the biggest engine and the most gears first)

 

From what I've read everywhere, Mazda is far away from making the RX-8. The RX-8 has me interested too. I like the compromise between a 2 and 4 door.

 

If the I30 is getting a "significant power enhancement" wouldn't that mean that it would no longer be the I30 but the I35? From everything I have read the Max and "I" series are getting the 3.5L engine.. Wouldn't that mean the I30 would be changed to I35? Makes sense to me.

 

They better not touch the maximas styling until 2004 1/2. Id be damn pissed if they did. Id go right over to their hq in USA (Where the heck is it?) and talk to the man in charge.

 

Go to the Motor Trend website and look around. It shows that the Maxima is due for a redesign in 2003. I hope that's not true...

 

Just think of what they did with the pathfinder. Those poor people that bought the 170 hp engine before the new 240 hp one came out. Ouch!!

 

Notice how he avoided to mention any specifics about the new I30/I35 that's coming out in 2002. and he said that they wont even talk about the maxima till NEXT summer.
It makes total sense... why would nissan offer 4 changed vehicles in 2002.

The new Altima with a V6

The new Q45 with a 300 plus HP engine

The new I30 (which I think makes a better competitor for the TL-S, so I do think that it will be equiped with a 260 plus HP engine) and

The new Sentra SER.

so why would Nissan introduce a 5th car... the same year..Nope don't think so fellas... the max will stay the same till 2003 (maybe the max will get an SER model, maybe)

 

How about ppl that bought bmw 328 this summer before July when the new 330 came out???Ouch!!!

 

Nissan announced part of there revival plan they will be releasing 20 new vehicles all over the world. And 11-12 of them were here in the U.S. And the plan was within 2-3 year time.

 

So this info seems to makes sense and is in line with what we've all been hearing. The new power bump will appear in mid 2002 as a 2003 model. Remeber..the 2K Maxima appeared first in late June of 1999.

 

None of us will have any paint left on our cars, so trade in's will be a bi!ch.

 

I purchased my 1995 fourth gen. MaxSE in May '94. Nobody knew what the hell I was driving for nearly the whole summer.

 

did you say 4 and 6 cyl engines?!

 

my brother has been working for nissan for 7 years what really is going to happen is:
1.)The altima will take place the maxima
2.)The maxima is going to get more powerful but....
3.)It will be a bigger car all around, supposedly it will be a luxury sedan kinda like ls400 really big so the huge power jump should'nt make a big differnce to us cause our cars will be a hell of a lot lighter.
4.)The sentra will take place of the altima
5.)and thats how its been explained to everybody at nissan unless they decided to lie to there employees

p.s. it always helps to have family that works for nissan, its the only way i can keep my warranty and run zex at the same time!hehe

 

i went to the nissan dealer yesterday for my weekly visit (jk) and i was talking to him about buying a 2001 and he told me to wait because 2002 is coming out with a whole new body and stuff..ithought he was lying..guess not..cuase i never heard anythig about it until now

 

WTF??? We have Maxima's, not god damn daewoo's. Our max doesnt need to have a new body every 2 years. I would really like our max to have a full 5 year production run like the 4th gens. Or how about a 7 year run like the third gens. .

 

The 2002 Max will get a slight refresh and the 3.5L engine. It will NOT repeat-NOT be on a new platform. That would not make sense anyway since the Max would not have to grow in size to get the 3.5L. The 3.5L is really just the 3.0L with a longer stroke and should fit in our Maxima's now with little or no modifications to the platform. I would look for the Max to stay on the 5th Gen platform until at least 2004 or 2005. Most car companies keep a car on the same platform for at least 5 years. Supposedly the Max will eventually be on the 2002 Altima platform..and since it would probably be more cost-effective for Nissan to build the Maxima here rather than Japan, the 5th Gen might only last 4 years in the U.S. This is all speculation on my part but it is about the most educated guess I can make given what Nissan and other car companies have done in the past.

 

Well, I personally can't wait until they add the horsies or when the 6th Gen comes out. Will I be in line to buy one? Dependent on what they do. If not, I might either go 4th Gen SE, another 3rd Gen GXE, or (if I am lucky) 5th Gen SE 20th Anniversary in either Sterling Mist or Black.

 

I went to my local Nissan dealer for something and I happened to ask the guy if he had any info about the new Maxima or the Altima. Basically he said the same thing....it's definite that it's coming out as well as definite with the 3.5, 260 hp engine...because Acura came out with 260 and the Maxima has to compare. Also, the V6 that is going to be in the Altima is going to be the 3.0 222hp VQ we all have in our cars now. So therefore, they're going to phase out the Maxima GXE because the Altima V6 will take its place. Also, the NY auto show will be the first time that they both show, he said, with more attention to the Altima. So two for o ain't bad...guess it will happen then

 

AAHHHHHHHHH I dont want to wait till 2002.

 

I got this picture from "Nissan Brochure Online" found in this website. It's a Japanese Nissan Cefiro (computer-generated version) coming out in 2002. Could this be the new exterior design for 2002 (or 2003) maxima?

It looks like a cross-breed between current altima and Taurus....

 

I saw this picture before... it's Photoshop enhanced!!

 

I can't wait for the upcoming auto shows, especially NY. I'm liking the news about the Altima. I might just upgrade to that. I plan on keeping my 2000 Max in the family though. My wife will inherit my Max and I'll trade in our other car for the Altima or Maxima.

 

Big time photoshop. I have the same picture of the real cefiro.

 

Can you show me the real picture of this photoshop-enhanced ones? I would like to see it. Thanks.

 

It looks like it has the Altima's rear doors to me. The rear quarter window looks pure Altima. I doubt that is on the 5th gen platform..unless the photoshoper made a mistake in interpreting the rear quarter styling.

 

All I can say is those headlights are FUGLY to me.

 

that has to be the worst makeover on a car ever..i hate it!!! i really hope its not going to look like that..i'll stick with the older maxes...