As said above, as miles pass you "can" tell the difference no matter your age. You won't notice on a quick test drive most likely. People have different tastes and real world factors apply. The SE is supposed to be the sport-tuned model. Although I typically prefer the more sporting variants of models myself, not everyone uses the same "enthusiast" criteria the Motor Trend / Car and Driver bunch uses to evaluate cars. I.E. my wife cares not about how many g's the Max will pull on the skidpad, nor its top speed or how it performs in a cone slalom. Our city and area is saturated with law enforcement, at least two blue'n'whites per block it seems, so anything much over the speed limit is not an option. Traffic is also so terribly congested that any hope of finding an open stretch of pavement to realize the performance potential is a slim proposition anyway. Traveling outside of town, there are only a couple of freeways, the rest are two lane rural highways that are straight, flat and dead. Therefore what mattered in our particular case was how well the suspension damped expansion joints, road imperfections, and generally how comfortably it got us from A to B while moving as swiftly as is prudent. It's all a matter of personal preference.

 

Perfect explanation, as it describes exactly why I went with the SL over the SE and it's 18" Wheels and Sport-Tuned Suspension.

 

Unlike many of those who posted on this string, I could immediately tell a significant difference in the ride of the SL from the SE. The ride of the SL was central in my decision to purchase it over the SE.

 

It's the SE for me, even with the problems, NOTHING beats getting close to the limiter though the gears...6spds OH YEA!!!! even at 40, reliving my youth/midlife crisis, least I didn't buy a Vette.

 

Daves04smoke's post got me to thinking (an event in itself); it would have been interesting to have had THREE categories to choose from here. SL, SE-auto and SE-manual.

There is actually more difference between the SE-auto and the SE-manual than between the SL and the SE-auto, both of which have exactly the same engine and tiptronic tranny.

Thanks to wsu's post in this thread back around 5 PM, I am no longer the only poster here who has no trouble distinguishing between the ride of the SL and the ride of the SE. Not that the SE is harsh as much as it is 'sporty firm', while the SL enables my senile bladder to ocassionally skip a rest area on trips.

 

From my SE test drive, I would have to describe its ride as (very) "stiff" or even "hard". To my senses, the SE left me feeling like every bump was transferred from the wheels, through the chassis, and to the bottom of the seat. I understand that this is precisely the experience/feel that some people desire and that this aspect of the SE is central to many people purchasing it. As beauty is in the feel of the beholder, the SE experience was definitely not my preference. Even the softer ride of the SL, which I purchased, I would describe as firm/sporty. Of course, not only are our senses individual to each of us, the words we use to offer descriptions may not mean the same to each of us either.

 

This is my 3rd Maxima SE.

- 1st was a 1996 SE manual, no mods.
- 2nd was a 1999 SE manual, Mods: CAI and Y-pipe
-3rd (current) 2005 SE manual, loaded except GPS.

Suspension feels 'soft' in comparison to my previous
'99 Max. I'm thinking, I may have a front strut issue.

Definetly prefer a 'firm' ride, firmer than stock that is.

 

have had my 05 se for about 2 weeks, it's great. ride is firm, but not harsh. does anyone know where i can order nice carpeted floor mats for it, don't want the autozone cheapies. and what are "sticky", was told to look there for information.

 

Rob,

'Stickies' are the informational reference tables, posts, etc, at the top of the board. They solves the messy problem of answering the same questions every day as a new poster comes aboard with the usual questions.

I would strongly urge every new poster to glance over ALL the stickies pertaining to the 6th gen, and keep in mind they answer most of the routine questions we may have.

As to the carpeted mats, mine are the standard Nissan mats available from the dealer's parts department. They fit very precisely, have 'MAXIMA' embroidered on them, and have served me well. And they are not that expensive. I seem to remember $150 for a five piece set (includes trunk), but that was two years ago. Worth it, in my book.

 

I don't think I've ever driven a car off the lot without matching floor mats.

 

thanks for your help.

 

My last two Gen 6's have been SE's. I prefer the suspension on the SE and larger tires. The only gripe about the 18's is the cost to replace them...might as well go to something larger...

 

I brought the SE, because of the larger wheels...Though I wanted the elite packge the dealer did not have it in...The SL is nice also

 

SL here. To me, the SE dash lacks the chararcter of the SL dash. Also, the SL is stiff enough for me, but then again, I'm 46 and am starting to enjoy the softer side of life

 

My feelings (and age) echo yours regarding the ride of the SL, which I drive too.

It's funny how the importance of many things change as one matures. When I was younger (in college) I remember picking up a guy in Louisiana who had run out of gas and so I took him to a station and they gave him a 5-gal bucket with a loosely fitting snap lid to take gas back in to his car. He steadied the filled bucket between his legs as I took him back to his car, but gas sloshed all over the passenger-side front floor. The funny think was that at the time I never thought a bit about it. Also, I lived for about two years in PHX AZ with a car that didn't have AC. Again, at the time, it was hot, but I didn't really think it was much of an issue at all. Maybe I'm getting soft, vain, and particular as I age, and maybe part of it is the nearly irresistible urge to raise/adjust one's lifestyle and spending habits to whatever level of income one is at. I will admit that I was formerly certainly much less reserved about stopping to help people than I am now.

 

so what has changed?? and more imptntly why??

 

I can guess what wsu's answer may be.

There was a time when one could help a fellow traveler without great fear for one's life. Unfortunately, those days are over.

There are probably around two million career criminals at large in this country at any given time. Most have served jail and prison time, but served far less than they would have had there been space to hold them.

Many of these mean folks are out there, just waiting for the right time to make another 'hit'. Pretending to have car trouble is one of the classic ruses of recent decades for reeling in a good samaritan as the next victim.

Another ruse is to pretend to accidentally tap the back bumper of a car, always in a deserted or rough area, then pounce when the innocent victim gets out to exchange insurance info.

Hitchhiking was a primary mode of travel up until around 1960, and I have hitchhiked tens of thousands of miles (including from San Francisco to NC). But these days, hitchhiking is a huge no-no, and picking one up is an incredibly foolish deed.

Each situation has to be evaluated on its own. Should I come upon a family in the middle of nowhere, where the car hood is up and there are scared children clinging to their parents, I would almost surely stop. But, in most cases, I simply slow, get on my cell phone, roll the window down far enough to yell out that I am calling for help, and keep on going.

I do make the call for help, as chances are the trouble is legit. But I don't stop. Not with the easy treatment of habitual offenders we now have in this country.

And why is all this important to Maxima drivers? If you were either a professional criminal or a punk out for a joyride, would you rather carjack a Taurus, a Cavalier, or a Maxima? Think about it.

 

lightonthehill That's Sound advice, times have changed and I know for a fact that the crack heads around the DC area have been responsible for more car jackings and deaths on a daily basis then the war in Iraq.

It's a sad day when our nations capital beats the numbers of a war torn region. If congress wants to impliment some type of an American pullout strategy, they should start with the Washington, DC area...

 

2 to 1. I guess I have another rare car, He he he.

 

We don't have much for fun roads with corners here in Iowa, mostly flat and straight. Also, the SEs we found all had the wheel option that adds $1500+. This made the car at least $2000 additional, just to get the same stuff that the SL had, and with a rougher ride. Not tough to make that decision. If we had more "sporty" roads here, might have been another story.

 

Lovin' the SE. I initially liked it for the sport suspension and the bigger wheels, even though I knew I was gonna throw some dubs on there. I also really liked the factory spoiler on the SE. Also, I had a 2001 SE and loved it too. Hey, all the SL's and SE's are tight!! The only other thing I wish I would of got was the Navigation. I get lost easy.........HA, ha! PEACE OUT.

 

Your wrong, the SE comes standard with 18's. On the SL's, it's offered as an option for $1500+. Anyway, base your decision on your driving conditions, performance and the handling you are looking for, not the huge wheel gap of the SL... If you look on the Org's classified and Ebay (under wheels and tires) section, check out how many more SL owners are dumping their 17"s vice SE 18" owners...

Your call, choose wisely...

 

standard with 18s, but the nice looking chrome wheels are 1500+...I should have been more specific.

And I could give a rat's *** what other people are buying or selling...like you said, buy the car for the performance characteristics you want. Why have lower profile tires if you don't have any curves in the road? Higher profile tires get better grip and ride smoother.

 

I have on 05 SL. i like the interior of the SE better. i also like the SL wheels, wish they came in 18 inch like the SE. The SL was just more bang for the buck. It would cost over 1k more to outfit an SE to what an SL comes with standard.

 

On one of the treads there was a link to a "Spec" sheet. All sorts of specs were quoted including Cd. With spoiler - 0.28, without spolier 0.30 - I have the link somewhere and will post it here when it `surfaces' again. Please excuse me if I have re-posted someting further on down on this thread.

 

I would say SE, I dont like the woodgrain and I like the sporty suspension in my opinion

 

HERE it is. Look in the `dimensions' section, about ¾ of the way dowwn the page.

 

Im having such a difficult time deciding between an SE or SL. Love the 18'' on the SE, the spoiler and metallic interior look. I really dont like the wood trim on the SL but I do like all the extra goodies in it. However the dealership is trying to give me a much better deal on the SL and the Black/Black SE is hard to find in my area right now. Has anyone made any mods to the wood trim in your SL?
Peace

 

i m a 30 yr old wife and planning to have a baby this year, so i got SL instead of SE. i think SL is my better choice since i have changed my driving habit.

btw, i had celica GT with aggressive package but just sold it.

-sc

 

prefer the sl definitely agree the ride is softer

 

The SL ride is awesome.. rides like a Lexus... I think at least.. not like an LS but ya... lol-- its smooth enough for me

 

SE rocks. The suspension is awesome when cornering.

 

Sittin on 18's...

 

It's even better with the Cattman rear anti-sway bar replacing the lighter
(and less stiff) original equipment bar.

 

SE-it's sportier and stiffer and planning to make it even more stiffer with cattman springs and sway bar and eventually bigger rims.

 

SE 6-speed!!

 

Se Is The Way To Go

 

The SE was just perfect for what I was looking for.....plus I didn't like the 17's on the SL....

 

SE for the wheels and suspension.

 

I'm driving an SE and liking it. I got it for the tighter suspension and the 1" larger tires. I couldn't see spending the money on the SL...but I'm kinda' cheap. ... besides, I'm not one for all the added "luxury" of the SL. Just my taste.