The pictures do not do this car justice. If you think it's ugly, or doesn't look that great, or looks like an Altima, or whatever by looking at the pictures, then I would be forced to agree wiht you on all those conclusions.

I did not like it at all.

A friend and I were both planning to get fully loaded G35s come end of march or so. We went to the Canadian Auto Show to check out the Maxima, because I wanted to see if it's as ugly as I thought it was.. I was really interested in seeing how the skyview and the back bucket seats looked actually.

I was shocked. To say the least. The car was MUCH bigger than I expected. The lines are all sleek, and the whole car seems to 'fit' nicely together. The headlights are very nice looking, and I like the positionning of the fog lights, off to the side a little. All the lines culminate in the back of the car, which I would say is by far its best looking angle. Which is appropriate, because the back of your car is all anyone'll be seeing anyhow

I maintain my thoughts that Nissan/Infiniti makes the nicest interiors under $50000.
BMW - Uninspiring and bland. Audi - Some nice aspects, but again very simplistic. Mercedes - I think the only other nice ones under that price. Honda/Acura - Horrible, worst of all.

Nissan interiors have the most features, the most thought out design, and the most appealing too. The metal dash components are radical, I agree, but once you sit in the car, it works.. it works with everything around. Everything inside is well placed, the lcd screen is in good view, the instrument cluster is well done (although I'd prefer if it was covered with a one piece cover, instead of the 3 pod design). The seats are extremely comfortable with very good lumbar support.

The back is even better. In the 4 seater version, you would swear you're sitting in your favorite chair relaxing at home. The seats simply hug you. The rear seats are heated (a big plus), and that center arm rest that houses everything from cupholders to storage is godsent. (There might also be dual climate, but I'm not certain)

The skyview worked alright, but it didn't offer as much light as I'd hoped, and it is a little small. I'm hoping that they will enlarge it a bit (width wise) in the future.. so that it would be better than a sunroof.

The interior by the way, is very roomy, I am a pretty big guy, and I was very comfortable inside the car. My friend who is much smaller wasnot hindered by the roominess either, he also felt very comfortable.

Overall, the design of the car is sturdy, it looks stiff, apparently they've done a lot to combat torque steer, and rigidity, which is very good of them. I think that the '05 model will be the one to really sell, if they do a couple of things;
1) Change the grill to something nicer, even the grill they have now, without that stupid chrome bar coming down behind the nissan badge. (The grill design is actually very interesting when you see it irl)
2) Add more power. I hpoe that they follow the trend of the 2nd year new model cars, and boost the power to say, 280-290. The car is heavier than before, so a 10 hp increase only keeps it at hwere the 5th gen left off, if not makes it slower


Conclusion: both my friend and I quickly ditched our ideas of G35's, and are sold on Maximas. We've put down deposits, and hope to have them soon.

 

I saw the new Maxima at the Kansas City auto show today and I walked away impressed. The interior had always worried me, but after sitting in the car, it is put together VERY well. It looked like much of the door coverings were in suede which really surprised me. The car overall (a white auto SE) was very clean looking except for the nasty grill. I think it's definately in a class above the 5th gen and the price increase is justified. I don't think Nissan will have to worry about stepping on the G35s turf because the Maxima is a completely different car.

Did the 6th gen change my opinion about lusting after the G35 sedan? Nope. I still prefer the tighter and sporty interior of the G35 plus the seats in the G35 are amazing and RWD is a good thing. I want the car that de-throned the BMW 3-series


Dave

 

I saw the new Maxima at an auto show this weekend and came away very impressed.

Yes, that stupid looking tooth on the grill needs something to make it less noticable. It doesn't appear that the tooth can be "extracted" from the rest of the grill - having a body shop paint it body color maybe the way to go (buyers prefering the "liquid silver" color can probably skip the process). The rest of the styling is very nice. They even had an Altima nearby and being able to compare them simultaneously, I prefer the Maxima's styling to the Altima's. The mini buttress roof is a nice detail. No paint chips were noticable anywhere (but this may change as the miles pile on- ha-ha!).

Inside, even though the '04 Max lost a little bit of head room in the back, my 6'-2" frame had no problem fitting in either the front or the back. Then again- the SL I sat in had the "Skyview" roof and not the optional regular sunroof. I prefer the regular sunroof to the "piggy bank slot". The interior materials appear to be on par with, if not slightly better, than those on my 2k1SE. Fit and finish seemed to be sufficent.

One thing I did notice: compared with many more supposedly "larger" and sometime much more expensive cars I sat in (this includes the Infiniti Q-45, G-35 sedan, FX-45, Mercedes E-320, the Audi A-6, and the Acura TL, the Maxima was the easiest to enter(especially the back seat) and had the most room. Only the Q-45 and Audi A-6 compared in comfort but the stickers were way north of the Maxima's.

Prior to going to the show I wasn't really thinking of trading my 2k1 in on a 2k4. But with the IRS and the added power and other ammenities, I'm not so sure I can resist anymore. A test drive is definitely in order. I can't wait 'til my dealer gets one on the lot.

Just my $0.02 worth....