"LOOKS LIKE THEY JUST TOOK THE FRONT OF THE ALTIMA AND THE BACK OF THE Z AND SMOOSHED THEM TOGETHER BLECHGROSSYUCKBARF!!!!!!!!"

Where am I, supercars.net?

Maybe it's just the whole rice wave getting to everyone, but what ever happened to a modest looking car with unexpected performance being the hottest thing around? Isn't that why lots of people buy maximas anyway?

I personally think the first official picture makes the new max look pretty ballsy. Quad tailpipes? Do you really think they'd put those there just to make the car LOOK fast? I doubt it. It's gonna be fast, it's gonna be comfortable, and nobody's gonna see it coming with that kind of understated speed.

I think the sleeper has become way underappreciated in the last ten years. I don't know about you guys, but I happen to love those cars that seem boring and typical to an outside viewer until you step on the gas. Nowadays it's all about looking flashy with nothing to back it up, hence airplane wings on civics and hideous things such as the toyota celica. I'm 6'3, and a car that can comfortably seat me and three other people and keep neck-and-neck with a mustang GT "sports car" through the 1/4 seems pretty damn appealing to me.

"The soul of the 350z" doesn't sound like a tagline for a stretched altima to me, it sounds like the tagline for the next generation of our favorite sleeper. Complain all you want about how it looks, because when it comes down to it, I still like the way it looks, understated and all.

 

Well said... I kinda like being at a light with my only mods being a Stereo Upgrade and a baby seat in the back...some kid in a way to modded VW Golf...giving him at least five car lengths...Then letting him look at my smile through the rear view mirror...LET THEM SLEEP ON ME!!!!!!!!!

 

Well, a Max on Nitrous Oxide can keep up with a stock '00-'03 GT. I own an '00 GT that runs 13.8's-13.9's all day long, is bone stock, and still has street tires. I love my new Max to death. It's the best 4 door on the market for it's performance and price, but it is not as fast as my GT (both cars stock).

 

EXACTLY! If I wanted a Z I'd buy a Z

 

I don't know, but I ran newer GT a while ago and didn't have a problem with him.

The best one was me racing this older 5.0GT, I think he had some mods too and putting like 3 cars on him. The look on Mustang's driver face was pretty funny I think he got scared by the sound of FrankenCar intake.

 

Thanks for saying that- I couldn't agree with you more! I'm an inch shorter in heigth than you are and need all the room I can get.

My local dealer has the EXACT 350Z I wanted (with all the options I wanted, too) but a two seater is out of the question for me. I need a "family hauler" (well, we do have the Grand Voyager too....) to transport the wife and kids.

I LOVE sleepers!

SLEEPERS RULE!

 

What's upsetting about this new car is not so much its looks but that it's has not improved on the biggest complaint in the car's history. It's still a front-wheel-drive. They had the chance to re-design and make the Maxima a car that could be loved by everyone, including enthusiasts, and they blew it. I like the sleeper concept, too, and it would be a much better one if it were built on a rear drive platform.

 

My friend says a fwd is easier to drive, especially in the winter: is that true?

 

Yes, it's easier to drive because you can direct your power. Doesn't mean your better off than anyone. It doesn't matter if you have FWD, RWD, AWD, or 4WD, everyone stops the same on ice......

Sarin

 

Not necessarily. If your rear tires spin, you can still steer. If your front tires spin, you cannot steer. Rear drive has much greater tendency to oversteer, which many inexperienced drivers do not know how to correctly handle. At the limit, rear drive handles better and is more fun to drive, but for non-enthusiasts, front drive is probably better.