almason

Folks,
Yesterday I was afforded the oportunity to drive the 2002:
Maxima
Altima (w/ the lovely 3.5L 240HP engine)
Honda Accord V6 (Good accel -- Auto trans. needs work)
Toyota Camry
Toyota Avalon (Don't know why -- Its Toyota's 'Buick')
VW Passat (suprisingly weak engine)

All part of a manufacturer's survey in the D.C. area through Motoresearch Inc.

Needless to say, I was blown away by the Altima! The engine had just sooooo much power, plus the the Alt. base price is more than $2K+ BELOW the 2002 Maxima SE price.

The opportunity!!! I get to give these guys some additional feedback on Wed, 23 May. Other than the all-to-true comment that Nissan is making a major marketing mistake by pricing the higher HP Altima $$$ below the Max, what should I tell these guys? What would YOU like in the Max! I'm be more than happy to relay your opinions.

Al M.

punkdork

So does the 2002 max have the 3.5? Any exterior or interior changes on the 2002 max? Which cars have HIDs? If the max doesn't, it needs them.

MaxSEAE

first is first, get a V8 in that hood....then the rest will follow....o, btw rwd would be nice r betta yet, awd.

KennyLau

Of course you know that this will open up another one of those Maxima vs 2002 Altima threads!

In any case, it'd be nice to see the Maxima have the following things as standard:

A) RSB
B) FSTB
C) Better paint
D) MP3-capable stereo

Some cool options might include:

1) DVD-Video in-dash player (like the Panasonic one)
2) Reverse indiglo type guages

Those would probably be low cost to Nissan, but would offer much more in value to the customer.

Also, I believe the 2002 Maxima will get a horsepower boost, so it should be more than even the best 2002 Altima. This will still give the Maxima a bit of edge over the Altima, so Nissan's pricing structure should still be justified.

maximadave

iTrader: (10)

Make the '02 Max w the 3.5 260hp motor in the SE
in the Max SE-R make it normally aspirated 290 hp
+ HID lights and a 6spd tranny...so that Maxima sales
wont decline (you never know)

Maximadave

MS 2K1 AE

Here is what I would like to see.

1) 6 speed manual
2) 250-270 HP
3) SE-R version with stiffer suspension/FSTB/RSB
4) Better paint

almason

For reference. The 2002 Maxima driven was still a 5th generation model -- It had the 3.0 engine. Its more refined than the the 3.5L Altima, but the difference in acceleration between the two is noticeable -- 240 HP is hard to beat. The Max SE I drove had tail lights like the Y2K GXE, but I don't know if this was a final production model. Some controls have also been added to the steering wheel.

Al M.

RcticMax

First, see if they'll swap out our 2k/2k1 Max's.

Then I woke up.

Second, see if they'll forgo the $2.99 they saved by taking out the auto-window rolldown feature from the keyless remote and put it back in.

Third, see if they'll actually put real paint on it instead of whatever it is they call it on ours now.

KennyLau

I think in elementary school they call it watercolors.

RcticMax

Hey, you're right!!!

MichaelAE

iTrader: (1)

YOU NEED TO CONFIRM THE 3.0L vs. 3.5L QUESTION. If the 2002 Maxima is a 3.0L/222/227 then the whole world will turn upside down. This is a must on talking to anyone from Nissan.

almason

Feedback: Had follow-up the session in a Nissan focus group on Wed. Kinda like group therapy for Max. and Altima owners now that the Altima is jumping up a notch. The only hint dropped by the Maxima marketeers was a 6-speed on the immediate horizon. Guess we will have to wait for the 26o HP engine to show up -- some day

Al