This is probably old news but on the nissan news site in the article on the VQ, they state that the VQ will continue in the 2004 max.

Nissan News Article

That should at least end the V8 speculation

 

I am pretty sure it will be V6 and FWD.
Good thing that they adding IRS finally.

 

Nah, they are just picking up where the 3rdGen left off...

 

 

Now this is just speculation, but after looking at Nissan's history per generation, they introduce the original version of a generation, and then half-way through they redesign it. My guess is that they are introducing the 6th gen as a VQ, but the 6.5th gen "may" have an option for a V8. If I was Nissan, I wouldn't dump a new V8 into a car that just got a new V6. I'd have nothing that would see the new car in 2 years. But... if I put a stable V6 (VQ) in a new body, I'd let the body sell it for the first couple of years. Then when the market is flooded with (ugly) 6th gens, I'd change the engine in the 6th gen to a V8 and let that sell the car for the next few years. That gives me (Nissan) enough time to come up with a real design that will sell itself without needing to keep adding stuff to convince people to trade-in (trade-up (or down)). Just a thought.

 

 

 

that sounds pretty reasonable, the V8 in a year or two. putting out the 3.5 certainly got my attention, as well as my money.