Enjoy.
http://www.freshalloy.com/site/cars/...spy/home.shtml

 

NOTICE THE DUAL EXHAUST!

I like the back view..the corner view of the car is so-so

 

no front shots? maybe that means the 2004 max is really fast

 

IMG I liked the 2004 Maxima in silver now I am getting nervous the car looks just as bad as the 2003 Accord form the rear... I'm starting to get a bit disappointed!

 

holy crap your a moderator now?! - wow how many do we have total so far......btw - i think the new max sucks

 

I'll be nice and say I'm glad I own a 5th gen...

 

it doesnt look nearly as bad as i thought it would. it does look a little too much like a new passat though...

 

It's looks alright. I Love the dual exhaust but I hate the side view.

 

dual exhaust = money
chubby look of the whole car = not money

 

It has a bathtub apparence that I'm not thrilled with right now. I don't dislike it, but I'm not sure I will give it a thumbs up either.

 

I guess I'm not buying maximas anymore. It looks like a big four door ford focus.

 

your bathroom tub reference = my chubby looking reference

 

Everything for me hinges on the front... I'm praying it doesn't have one of those Renault-ish snouts.

 

Why do they bother to label it as a "3.5 SE" ?? Will there be other engine options?

 

IMO the side of the vehicle looks almost exactly like the Altima. It has the "brush stroke" and everything. The rear kind of looks like a Sentra.

 

The front is most likely ugly and i hope to God this car will get a minor revision before it's handed over to manufacturing.

Well, everyone's headed to ooglyville. First the Camry, then the Accord, and now the Maxima... it's the late 70s/early 80's all over again! But I think the 04 will be a thumbs up only because of all the functional goodies, and possibly stunning track times. Let the New Accord V6 vs. New Maxima V6 fights begin bring on the CL-Slow while you're at it.

Oh, and if Nissan claims that this car has the soul of the Z (even though the Maxima had the VQ before the 350Z), then maybe $tillen will play around with this one more than any other maxima. Clearly according to the propaganda, this car is aimed at the young yet future family people. Get the car and have a blast while you're young, and keep it for when the family rolls on in.

 

hmmmmmm..... why do i get the feeling this is another one of those modified altimas again!!! it has the basic design of the altima, surely Nissan wont be dumb enough to design two of its main breadearners with the same general shape.

I know people in the Nissan Design Center in Michigan....i'm gonna confirm this with em.

The last fraud 2004 max on the org was also photographed from the rear and no front pics

Lets see.......

 

see for yourself www.nissanusa.com

 

Well.... I guess the saggy @ss tradition is a favorite for the Maxima engineers??

The 5th gens eventually grew on me, but not sure about this!

 

hmm yeah....I'm a believer now!

 

I am not digging it at all........

 

i'd really like to see the front of this new one..something tells me tho...i'm not gonna like it

a VQ30DE'T' would certainly help..

 

I agree; it looks like VW and Nissan had a baby together or something. It looks like Nissan took half of the 5Gen and the butt of the Passat and glued them together.

I really hope they are re-considering re-designing that thing...
IMO, "sporty" started to lose a little in the 5Gen. I know, I know... the Maxima supposed to have the "sporty" feel, and the "family" look. But th 3Gen and the 4Gen looked a little sporty.
Don't get me wrong... I ain't doggin' no Maxima... I wish I had all Gen Maximas. It's just that this 6Gen doesn't really make me jump up and down.

The fact that it could be a all-wheel-drive or V8 makes me kinda excited though.

 

I agree.

I am immensely anticipating a small revision although it is highly unlikely that a lot will be done by the time they're out in the spring...it's just around the corner.

 

The specs (possible all-wheel drive available, IRS, 270-280 VQ V6, auto and manual trannies available) will make the Maxima a good offering, if the price is right. Styling is ok, but I don't like the azz or tailight treatment. I'm glad I did not waited for it. Hopefully when I'm ready to buy another car, Nissan would have done something about that azz...

 

man....im gonna have to the 2k3 max...the last tight maxima.

im mad a nissn...they've been really hot lately. i saw the murano last night. white one....hot as hell...photos dont do it justice...hopefully we can say the same about the 2K4 max

 

It looks like all you 2k2-2k3 guys should beef it up a lil bit on the -15HP thing because an actual 255HP 2k3 might be the last largely likable Maxima for a while. And what if since it's done fast, they do some kind of mod on all recalls that acutally adds between 1-5 extra hp on top of the lost 15. That would be a really sweet mistake.

Wait til we all see the 2k4 front... I'm betting on a nissan logo as big as 4-6" in diameter. And those cornering lights? They look to close to the corner to be foglights if they might be. So if they're cornering lights, where oh where are the foglights gonna go?

 

I second that.... if I were to tell the new Max from the side, I would probably mistaken it for an Altima.

 

I think the front will look like the Teana

That back shot is NICE! The fat rear fender flares, quad exhaust tips, wide track, fat tires makes it look muscular squat look, something that I couldn't say to ANY maxima to date.

Why do the last couple shots show the Maxima accelerating? Looks as though he's hauling *** to get away from photographers

 

I think everyone is being a bit harsh. If the Maxima starts looking more mainstream, we will have to deal with it. Because the Maxima as a niche car, which we all fell in love with during one generation or another isn't working in the marketplace anymore. It has to move further up to accomodate the Altima. Two mid-level sedans on the same showroom floor is one too many mid-level sedans on the showroom floor.

As far as styling, the top half is definitely Altima. But if you block off the top, the very front, and the very back, look closely, and you will see the 5th gen Maxima. Except for the door handles. Those look like they were pulled from the Z, as well as the wheels. But it has to look similiar to the Altima; it is the same platform.

I think you guys are reaching (or hoping?) with the 280 hp and AWD. Nissan is too smart to put AWD in. It is a huge waste of money, weight and fuel. Of course, so are independent rear ends (on FWD anyway). Unless the car is pushing the limits on fairly rough pavement, there is really no advantage to an independent rear. And unless you live in the arctic belt, AWD is really no more than 20-30 hp being soaked up for no end gain. And without AWD, 280 hp is going to be a bit un-manageable for a transaxle. Be happy Nissan bent on the independent rear. And be satisified with a smaller trunk while you are at it. (It can make the difference between fitting a 12" and 14" box. Think about that the next time you buy a small appliance.)

And before anyone starts critising Nissan for using the Altima platform: it is a very successful (so far) platform, and by merging platforms, an auto mfg can offer a lot more vehicles and keep the costs down. (Altima/Maxima/Turano/I35, G35sedan/G35coupe/350Z, Q45/M45, see my point? Nine choices, three platforms, two engines).

If you want to see Nissan stick around, accept their new path. It is a good path. They are making very inspiring vehicles, and they currently have Toyota and Honda scrambling to catch up. (i.e. Accord's new-found horsepower, and don't be surprised to see Toyota offer a more powerful engine sooner rather than later.)

Nissan is poised to become Japan's new #1. Whether it will really happen is another story, but they are making a good start. Old Carlos is doing his job. And I think you are going to start seeing alot of new Maximas and Altimas in your travels.

Anyway, I didnt like it first glance either. But I looked at the press photo more and it is starting to look good. The only part I dont like is the spoiler. But as long is it is taped on (which it probably is) it can be easily removed. I dont think that rear end even needs a spoiler.

Just my assessment.

JimmyH

 

with what JimmyH said... I think maybe this new breed of Maxima will have to take some time.

Who knows, like FreshAlloy says, this Max is supposedly up to compete with the BMW 5 series? Man, if this 6Gen Max is able to set up to the podium and perform well, who is not going to gawk at this beast... assuming that it will be a beast.

I don't know... I know what I said before, but, like many who have already said, this 6Gen may have to grow on me before I start liking it. I didn't like the 5Gen design at first.

But I still hope Nissan will re-think the design of it.

And I don't know about you others, but what do you think about a RWD Maxima? I actually asked NissanCorp. about why they don't make RWD Maximas. They told me because of comfort and ridability concerns. I just want to drift in a 6-speed Max.

 

With some of the photochops that have been going on, the car doesn't look horrible when it's lowered.

It's starting to grow on me. The side angle isn't too great, but I don't know I'm starting to like it. I'll have to see the front first.

 

Like a bunch of people have said, it all comes down to the interior and the front design. even so, thats going to have to be one kick *** interior and nose. im glad infiniti is not re-badging this car. maybe it will grow on me, but I doubt I can like it as much as my max now, or the 5 gens. whatever.

for some reason my dad really likes the car, or so he says. maybe he's just pulling my chains.

 

wow, you guys are harsh. I dont think it looks that bad. The new design looks like nissan is trying to keep up with the times and that is why it looks a lot like a lot of new cars.

 

If Nissan is targeting the Max at the 535, they better have some aces up their sleeves.

I had assumed the next max would be based off the new G/Z platform. But that is obviously the Altima platform.

Why would the Max be aimed at the 5, when the G35 is aimed at the 3?

And they are right about rideability. RWD is too much for the mainstream market to handle. Until you start putting advanced suspension and dynamic handling ($$$) into the mix, RWD is too hard to control on anything but dry pavement.

 

has anyone noticed that the rear end of the new max looks just like that of the 350 z but stretched?

 

Maybe a V8 Man ...it's been rumored...even by my dealer..Imagine
M A X I M A 4.5 SE-R... BTW I Love the way it looks so far.. you guys are crazy, But to each his own.

 

Rear looks sweet, esp w/ the silver shown on Nissan's website. Now all we need to see are pics of the front and the interior

I Just hope that Nissan doesn't "cheapen" the interior like they did w/ the newer Altimas

Is it me or does it seem like Nissan is pulling a "GM" on their interiors lately? (making the inside cheap)

 

I just bought a 99 Maxima today from a Nissan dealer and was asking about the 6th Gen. The dealer told me that the 6th Gens would have a whopping 290 horsepower. I think the body style looks more like a Dodge Stratus than anything else, and I am guessing the front will be remnant of the 3rd gens, thin compared to the 4th and 5th gens. Maxima's never disappoint, so I don't know why everyone is all worried. I still think 5th gens are the best gen yet.

 

I keep looking at this thing and try to like it, but its not happening. Muscular?.....there's absolutely nothing muscular about this cars looks apart from the muscular VQ