Decided to stop by my Nissan dealer today to see and test ride the 2k4 Max SE. As a perspective, I've had a '98, '99 and currently a 2k3 Max SE.
Overall, I was surprised that I was favorably impressed with the car as I went in with a negative bias. It feels solid, the exterior styling is fine and , while looking somewhat bigger, it drives like it a smaller car. The suspension on the Auto SE was great and more akin to the 4th Gen cars than the soft 5th Gen SE suspensions. It was taut without being harsh. The only things I really didn't like about the car were the gauges (I think the 4th and 5th Gen gauge pak is much nicer looking) and the cloth like material on top of the doors and dash. Had Nissan used a suede like the 90-96 300ZX, it would have been much classier looking. As it was, It looked cheap and like a nightmare to keep clean and looking new. Otherwise, the interior was fine and the seats were very comfortable. Ridewise, I felt it handled and rode better than my 2k3 SE and was much quieter at speed (although there was some wind noise getting into the car from somewhere). So, when the time comes, I would definetly consider one of the 2k4 SE cars with the driver perferred and leather pkgs assuming it could be had at near invoice. At MSRP or anything close, I would have to shop other brands including the G35 sedan (if they can make those seats bigger and more comfortable).

 

is the 04 just as fast as your 03 maxima??

 

Couldnt agree with you more the new Max at MSRP other cars would soon pop up as better values......

 

I had my way with a black/black SE 6 speed.
Ride, handling and comfort, outstanding.
Performance? Didn't seem that great but tight quiet cars can be deceiving.
The cloth on the doors is awful!
Audio, AC and all that other krap on the center button array bites too.
Gauge pod, I could get used to but why? It seems out of character for a luxury wannabe.

Hands down nicer in every way than my gen 5.

 

Difficult to say if it was faster. Probably about the same given the short time I tested the car. You could also feel the additional weight but it was a quality type of additional weight. Also, I didn't notice the torgue steer anymore or less than my 2k3. The Bose I could take or leave like my 2k3 that has the option. But one issue I did forget to mention...This particular car had a bad case of throttle hestitation like that affecting some of the 2k2-2k3 cars. Mine doesn't suffer from this issue so it was very noticable. I presume it was only this car or it could be fixed with the outstanding TSB on the 2k2-2k3 cars. If not, it would be a deal breaker.

 

I think your evaluation is quite fair. I don't know anyone who is paying anything near MSRP for the Maxima, you would have to be crazy to pay sticker price for any car. As for the G35 seats, they also need to fix the ergonomics of the G35, especially the location of the mirror controls.