According to this the 2003 maxima will be redesigned more like the altima platform to compete with the toyota avalon.
http://www.motortrend.com/future/2003_2.html

 

All I know is that everyone buying a 2k2 is going to wish they waited. Can you say V8 soon.

 

ooh man...v-8?..naaaaaaaah i think the nice and light v-6 3.5L does the job quite nicely...im sure adding more weight to the front end wont to much to improve the cars handling. but hey...im sure the v-8 u'll be smooth as a babies butt

 

I am getting so tired of people saying this. I think most of the people in this forum were fully aware that the car is going to be redesigned when they bought their 2k2. Like me they bought the car for it's looks, value and performance. I don't really want a Nissan "Avalon". As it moves upscale, it will most likely move out of my price range anyway. If I had to have a hot new body style, I would have bought the Altima. I know I won't regret buying a 2k2.

 

I would guess if the Maxima moves to a bigger sedan style that it will not appeal to most of those on this board (20-30 age without kids yet)

So, what will the people on this board move to?? G35??

Those who did get the 2K2 Maxima should be happy since soon the car will no longer be a mid-size sport sedan but a big boat for families of five! Have you ever noticed how ugly the Avalon is?? God forbid if the Maxima tries to look like it!!!!

 

Guess I am in the minority, 36 w/ 2 kids. The Accords and Camry's were too boring, the Avalon was nice, maybe if I was 50 I would buy it, but doubt it, by that time my kids will be off to college, maybe then I can get that Austin Healy. (if they get some scholarships!) Can't see a luxo-barge in my future. We wanted a car that was same size or bigger than the Accord and Camry, but more fun to drive. The Maxima and Altima fit the bill. Bought the Maxima cause it was a bit more polished than the Altima, loved the Majestic Blue color and the fact that the Max had a few years of this body style already.

 

I agree. Hearing that news just makes me want to go out and buy a 2k2 while I can still get one. I think Nissan will lose a lot of customers if they make tha max any bigger.

 

I don't know about you guys but my next car will be the 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII. I've been waiting for that car to come over here for years and it's finally going to be here January 2003!

My friend is even considering selling his WRX to buy an Evo. It'll be nice to have a sweet daily driver (Maxima) and a *****-to-the-walls weekend AutoX and Rally machine (EvoVII).

 

Bigger doesn't always mean it's going to ride like a boat.

Just think about it, the 5th gen Max is just slightly bigger than 4th or 3rd gen's but no one seems to have stopped driving it.

The Altima is also bigger then the 5th gen Max yet it's now being touted as a performance sedan by many of it's owners (and then some).

The 6th gen Max may be bigger but it doesn't mean to say Nissan will just let go of their performance image - especially since it *is* their flagship model.

Think of it this way (even though it's far-fetched). The BMW 5 series is the same (if not very close) size as the Maxima. The BMW 7-series is definitely larger. But does it perform any worse than the 5 series? Nope.

 

Just to add to the rumor mill. I spoke to a manager from the TN plant that told me the new Max will start production in about 3 months and would be out around November. He said the new one is fast. I said I had heard that they are talking about a super-charged V6 or a V8. He said it won't be a V8 it will be a super-charged V6.

 

Hmmm...Supercharged...Could this be the 2003 Titanium limited edition that was discussed earlier instead of the 6th gen?


BTW, shouldn't Nissan be releasing info on the 6th gen Maxima by now? Why is Nissan keeping the lid on this so close to production with production of the 6th gen slated for January 2003?

 

<drool> That would be sweet! </drool>

 

And if it were true, then given the Titanium edition Maxima is the same one as the 2k2's then the 2k2 owners does have hope of getting the supercharger as well

 

While making the Maxima replacement into an Avalon competitor might make some sense in terms of expanding Nissan market share while allowing the Altima to expand its market target/appeal, I heard otherwise. A Nissan executive said that the next Maxima replacement will further its appeal as a sports sedan. You know what? I wouldn't mind if the Maxima was actually smaller/lighter than the Altima (maybe about 180-185 inches) so as to maintain the highest level of agility and straight-line performance. That way the Altima 3.5 SE can be a family-sport sedan while the Maxima takes the lead as the sportiest FWD sedan in the market. This would kinda be like the VW Passat and Audi A4 market positioning.

 

If you look at nissan's engine trend for the maxima, they have kept the same engine in the car for atleast 2 years... and being that the 3.5 liter engine is so widely used by 7 nissan/infinti models, i expect nissan to keep the engine in the maxima for atleast another year or 2

 

Nisan will loose its edge and customers if they keep designing cars and giving them 3-4 year product life cycles. From a business standpoint the 5th gen wasn't successful with a 3 or 4 year body cycle (who knows for sure yet). Look at the 3rd gen 6 model years, 4th gen 5 model years. Heck even the Accord is having a 5 year run as well as the TL.

 

Yes and no.

How many out there have sold their 2k's or 2k1's for 2k2's and the extra power/features?

It's all a bit weird and inconvenient for some of us owners, but nissan is putting in a few extra bucks every year to make rather significant upgrades / changes to their maxima line. This might not be perfect for us, but at least it shows they are putting interest in this line, unlike some other companies with their bland model years that are the same over and over again. GM's biggest functional upgrades to the Grand Prix's was moving a dashboard light around a few times, and slight revisions in their air intake. Useless. Honda, Toyota, Ford, everybody else.. all slight and minor changes if at all (generally speaking).

In the max's case, they've given the 2001's a nice extra bundle of features in the AE (including the autodimming mirror, extra 5hp, all the quality bolt-on upgrades on the interior, perforated leather, etc.) For 2002, a significant power increase, xenons, and a pleortha over other goodies like the HLSD, heated steering wheel, 6 cd indash changer, etc.

Nissan is keeping up to date and ahead of the times unlike some other companies who release a product and let it sit there while the competition catches up and gets in the lead.

Just my $0.02 heh...

Jer

 

True Jer but it is not cool to change designs so often especially from an owners standpoint.