lobewiper

For those who have seen the new Max at an auto show, what do you think of the interior quality?

Mr. Nismo

iTrader: (36)

I've owned a 2nd gen all the way through a 4th gen and nothing, I mean NOTHING, tops the 3rd gen quality. I will give you my opinion on the 6th gen interior when I see it.

Maxmann

I've owned 3rd gen and 3 5th gens (01, 02, 03). I don't see the 6th as any improvement over any of the prior. It appears more plastic-laden and sterile. I don't sense any warmth or coziness to this interior. Your gut reaction is usually spot on. My gut with the 3rd and 5th was "wow". My first reaction upon seeing pictures of the 6th was "oh no...".

They need to start over...

srm

maxger

I don't know if it is just me but I do not like the 3 pod instrument display. I know the altima, new maxima and the Z(?) have the same design. But I never had a car with it. What do you think?

KyMAXSE

Yeah, I noticed this too. Everyone came out and stated how little they liked the Altima interior and the 3 pod display, low and behold, and it shows up on the Maxima. Meanwhile, the new G35 display is very similar to the 5th gen Maxima one. What gives?

tmuscedere

Was at the Detroit Auto Show last night (didn't get mugged). Sat in the '04 Maxima. The interior SUCKS. Thats putting it mildly. The car resembles a Altima with nothing special about it. I was planning on buying a '04 Maxima but after last night that has completely changed. I dont know if this is Nissans way of getting people into the G35 which has a much better interior or just pushing the Altima more. I think nissan has done a terrible job on this car. The good point. The outside of the vehicle is beautiful, it puts the Altima to shame in any respect. I dont know if I could get used to the length wise sun-roof. The weird part is that the glass is one piece but the headliner is two pieces with the front seats having one sunshade and the rear having another. I wonder what happens when you open the glass?. Overall I think Nissan will see sales of this car drop dramatically, with people either going to the Altima or going to the G35. I think that I am going to look at a '03 max before they all disappear.

95emeraldgxe

i think the sunroof is the only think i like about the new maximas

eternalmaxima

I saw it last night..the interior is okay except for the cheap plastic they used on the dash & guages...

sammax89

I think this is the death-blow for me getting a Gen6 Maxima and maybe another future Nissan at all. I have held on to my 1989 since new simply because this thing is a quality and reliability dynamo. When I first test drove it in May '89, I was blown away by the build quality and interior's seamless, curvaceous design. The dash vinyls and interior plastics are beautifully grained and to this day appear as up to date and current as anything out there. In fact, I remember reading in the car mags about the impending redesign of the Gen3, and there was fear and trepidation that Nissan would screw up a good thing. Then the Gen4 arrived, and while faster, it grew uglier and cheapened.

My dad (retired) bought a 2000 Maxima SE when the 17' wheels first became available, and his car has a beautiful interior... 2 tone Blonde that comes across just as nice quality-wise as my mom's '98 ES300. It was the performance, coupled with the classy insides that sold my dad on a Maxima (like it did me some 10 years earlier).

But now... just as I predicted to anyone and everyone, Le Cost Cutter (Ghosn) has cheapened Nissans (and Infinitis, I might add) to the point where EVERY article written mentions the cheap looking and feeling interiors. That is what Renaults feel like in Europe, and now Nissan is just an extension of that. Sad indeed.

Some may argue (like current Altima owners): "So the interior smacks of cheapness, so the doors close with a hollow rattle... I look past that and focus on the performance!" Huh? For me, I spend alot of time INSIDE the car, why would I want to be reminded every moment where Nissan was able to take costs out? Savvy manufacturers (Toyota/Honda) never let the customer perceive any cost cutting! Well, I like countless others, have been willing to shell out the extra cash to get a great performing car that possesses world class materials over some Ameri-crap. It's called value for the dollar. You get what you pay for. I am willing to pay for performance AND quality.

One look at the press-release photos Nissan has on their website tells the tale. While the outside may be better than it looks in photos (although the front and sides look way too derivative of the cheaper Altima), the high resolution interior pictures are sad for me to see. Just over the Gen5 alone:

- What happened to the classy gauge cluster?
- Where are the cool flush-closing vents?
- Where is the leather-like dash graining?
(The pebbley-graining reeks of a Chevy Chevette)
- Where are the soft contours and quality switchgear?
- Where are the hidden cutlines?

When something works, why not stick with it and ADD to it? Why change designs and materials just for change-sake?

You know, Nissans are becoming more of what American cars have always been... a larger percentage of R&D money spent on features and froo froo items and less time and money spent on refinement and quality materials (Bag the Skyroof and power-fold mirrors and give me back better surroundings). Look at Chryslers... great looks, neat ideas, but they come across as cost cut and cheap feeling.

I just bought a new Pathfinder, and I KNOW it's replacement next year will be a step back in quality. What I predict will happen is that the pendulum will eventually swing back to making all Nissans feel as good inside as they used to. Hopefully the customer will demand it. If not, THIS loyal Nissan owner will move on for good. I dunno, maybe Nissan can make it and prosper building cars for the lowest common denominator (the most bang for the buck/to hell with quality) customer. I certainly won't be one of 'em!

By the way... aren't Mitsus and Mazdas already covering that part of the marketplace?

bwalsh

I am not crazy about this design either.

Prodeje79

I was in Detroit Tuseday and Wednesday. The new maxima kinda grew on me. I cannot find my USB cable or I would post my pics I took.
Eventually I will post it.
I also got a 2004 Maxima offical booklet. MAybe I can scan the pages.... oh wait I do not have a scanner. =P
I will see what I can do.

Wills98MaxSE

Seems like Ghosn has been learning techniques from the Big 3 (Ford, GM & Chrysler) on how to make Nissan & even Infiniti interiors look/feel cheap nowadays. Both the Altima and G-35 got slammed for interior fit & finish by many car reviewers. And whats w/ the yellowish-orange illiumation on the instrument panel lately? I bet GM, Ford or even Chrysler would love to have people like Ghosn on thier team since they all have the same thing in common - making cheap interiors

I agree w/ you, if this is how Nissan wants to make interiors from now on, then goodbye Nissan

MaximaDisciple

One of the mains reasons I chose the Maxima over the Altima was the interior. Judging from the pictures on Nissan's site they just lost a repeat customer.

Although I do like how the center console extends all the way to the back seats, but who's ever in the back seat of their cars, well... except teenagers and hookers.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Yes the 89-94 have a high quality interior that is second to none and still looks good 13.5 years later and the design is timeless! The 4the gen interior is ok, I just dont like the seats. 5th gens are very contemporary looking and I especially like the seat desgin in the 02-03's. I was in LA for business and saw the 04 sort of late in the show and the guys let me sit in it. It doesnt have the cozy feel of the 3rd-5th gens and the materials are not of the same quality of the 5th gen's but closer to Altima's. For those of you wondering go sit in a Murano and it is very similiar feeling and looking inside to the 04 Max, if you want new get an 03 while you can. I think that production and orders have already stopped, and my deaker has sold 3 of them since Monday when I went in for a visit.

Wills98MaxSE

So do the Xterra, Frontier & Murano

rcy

I've only seen the pictures, so I can't comment on the quality. As for design - ugh. I'd have to agree with some other posters here that the 3rd generation had a great interior, and I'm kind of fond of the 5th generation as well.

I hate to admit that I've been looking at other cars besides a Maxima, but I'm smitten with the interior of the new Honda Accord. The new three pod design (Altima, Maxima, Murano) and orangey dash light colour just don't do it for me. And has anyone looked at the interior of the new QUEST?!! YIKES. The interior of the new Toyota Sienna is similar (shifter on center pod) but looks way nicer.

Man, I love Nissan, but I'm questioning some of their latest offerings.

Maxmann

I hate to admit it but I agree with sammmax89 about the direction of Nissan interiors in general, and yes that includes Infiniti (but to a lessor degree). I had a 3rd gen and loved the design; it would work well today! I also liked the direction the 4th gen took, with the waterfall dash...very much a classic design and forever functional. And I think the 5th gen design was even an improvement over the 4th, although I'll admit I think we began to see the first signs of cost cutting in the 5th gen. I'm not too impressed with some of the component parts (e.g., on/off levers for the air vents, texture of the cup holder lids, etc.) but their overall impact on the interior is minimized by other fine looking and textured pieces.

But, looking at pics of the 6th gen...I'm thinking this is really bad. I think they are starting to look a lot like Pontiac interiors. One thing I hated about pontiac years ago was the hard plasticy surfaces and gawdy interior lighting. I haven't been inside a 6th gen yet, but my gut is usually spot on. It looks to me like the only thing "maximized" about the Maxima is Nissan's profit margins.

This is no "Maxima" and I honestly wished they would have called it something else. I haven't talked to ANYONE that has seen the pics on TV spots or on the web sites that likes the car. I really will be interested to see who buys these cars.

R.L.Altima

...who thinks the Maxima has a cheap looking interior. This latest Maxima is AWFUL! Nissan should be burned for this, but I saw it coming all along. Nissan spent too much money on features, when they should have just given the car a nice interior, is that too much to ask? I don't think so.

FameMax

IMO I like the 4 seating, and wheather it makes it to production or not, i like the orange leather

bk2kmax

Speaking of seats, maybe it's just my eyes but it looks as though the new Max only has seating for 4 not 5 due to the arm rest in the backseat, is this true?

Leopor

4 seats with a rear console is an option, you do not have to get it.
You can have the 5 seats if you like.

bk2kmax

Thanks dude, that's refreshing, I mean who would want a Max with less seats than all of the previous Gen's.

Leopor

I do

If you get the 4-seater, you also have the option of getting heated seats in the rear too. If I get one, I'm definitely getting the 4-seater.

maxger

Maybe the 4 seat option has something to do with an all wheel drive drive train in they may incorporate in the future. I hope not.

JAKE02

From the pics i have seen, the door panels on the 6th gen max... look similar to the ALTIMA's........yuck. If they have cheapened the interior but raised the price i will hold onto my 2K2.....at least the interior in it is much more upscale than the cheap crappy Altima interior.......

† ErV †

pod style gauges = hot in japan. so what's hot in japan = hot everwhere.. NOT.

seriously though, many japanese (domestic) cars have the 3 circle cluster design, including the '99 accord. perhaps thats where they get the horrific ideas from. next you'll see is centrally placed cluster so you can drive with 30 degree tilt in your neck. oh joy.

first depreciasion, and now they top it off with crappy interiors. i guess it depreciates for a reason

RichK

I think the real test for the new car is going to be build quality. Since the new car is built in the States, I want to see what fit and finish issues are. All the previous Maxes have even seams along the door openings etc. I would like the see what happens with this new one.

I am also glad I got an '03 SE because I highly doubt I would by an '04. Who wants a strectched out Saturn Ion? I think Nissan did a great job ruining a great car. I just can't walk up to one without cringing