MarkP

http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...._code=02384016

swallac2

They mentioned the Altima 21 times in that small review. They even said that side by side the two are hard to tell apart. Thats just sad.

sammax89

I've seen the Gen6 and I'm totally dismayed. There are obviously some of you out there who are determined to buy Nissans in general, and the Maxima specifically no matter what. As a long time owner and someone who has loved Nissan's past ability to combine Toyota quality with Honda's penchant for sporting cars, I feel abandoned by the new "Renault" Nissan.

It's fine to use the Altima platform if that is what Nissan chooses, but since the two share NO body panels, why not make the two very different looking? Does the Murano look like an Altima clone? No. Nissan got lazy and rushed the new Maxima to take advantage of US production and part commonality with the Altima. One can only hope Nissan gets the message and goes back to making the Maxima something special (Gen7). Remember in the mid 80's when the Stanza and Maxima were almost indistinguishable from each other and the only real differences were trim and a V6? Nissan woke up and went on to design the '89 Maxima to truly stand out as the flagship. Now the flagship is following in it's cheaper siblings footsteps. Wow.

Just think about this... what if Nissan had used the G35 platform with RWD and stretched it to make the Gen6? I for one would certainly have given up a little space in order for Nissan to build a great handling Maxima that no one would mistake for the Altima... kinda like Nissan's version of the 3 Series, only bigger. Of course it would have to look aggressive, like the Maxima always has. Flagships do not have to be only about SIZE, but about CAPABILITY!

I can tell you I will never buy an Altima after owning a Maxima. It's a step down and I do not want to buy a 3.5 SE and see myself coming and going with cheaper versions with plastic hubcaps and downmarket trim. The Camry and Accord suffer the same fate. But you don't see stripped Maximas. That's why when you tell someone you own a Maxima, they know you have a flagship.

Even if the new Maxima drives nice, I still can't get past the cost cutting (with huge price increases!!), and "plumped up Altima" styling. Also sounds as if it is no quicker than the Altima. I will not buy another Maxima only for the name and a few different options.

I want the sizzle AND the steak.

BTW... We love our current Nissans and we cannot tell people enough how happy we are with them (Performance, Quality, Reliability, Value, and Style!)

perrymaxima

Well Nissan can't please everyone. Most people complained that the Maxima would be a full size car since Nissan made the Altima a Mid size sedan. Therefore Nissan only made the Maxima slightly larger than the Altima. Next people complained of Nissan using altezza tailights on the Maxima so Nissan designed the Maxima with out them. Nissan could have done better with the exterior styling of the Maxima but I do believe that Nissan was going for a brand Identity look with the 6th gen Maxima and thus we have the 2004 Maxima which is a mixture of other Nissan/Infiniti sedans. The average person confuses my 2002 Maxima with the Altima all the time so regardless of the Make of Nissan you drive people are going to get them confused.

Look at what Nissan has done to improve the 2004 Maxima over the 5th gen while still mantaining a decent size and adding features that are more exclusive, and judge it based on other MAXIMAs and the competition. The Altima is an excellent car, but the Maxima is still the MAXIMA!

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Whats funny is all of the pubs are giving props to 5th gen, C/D,M/T and autoweek so did the R/T 2003 car buying guide. They all know its a great car even with gen 6 on approach!

annimax

Thanks for posting this article. Nice catch.