In the official Nissan '04, '05 and '06 Maxima brochures, there were three places in the brochure each year where Nissan pointed out that the SE had a 'sport tuned suspension', while the SL had a 'luxury tuned suspension'.

BUT (and this is a VERY BIG but):

The '07 Maxima brochure NEVER MENTIONS any difference between the SE and SL suspensions anywhere in the brochure. Not ANYWHERE.

I have thought about this for a day or two, and now feel the '07 SE and SL may indeed be on exactly the same suspensions, with the wheels and tires representing the only difference. If this is true, it breaks a tradition of many years where there were two suspensions available on the Maxima.

Also, if this is true, then I feel this is a further step toard the Maxima moving upscale to flagship status as an affordable luxury car with the purchaser having a choice between AWD and FWD instead of between sport or luxury suspension.

Further, if this is true, then the '07 SL may ride slightly firmer than the '06 SL, while the '07 SE may ride slightly less firm than the '06.

I could be wrong on this, but if so, I blame Nissan for dropping all mention of suspension differences from their official '07 Maxima brochure.

 

Interesting point. I haven't looked at the brochure yet, but it kind of fits with them removing the 6 speed MT.

Good catch.

 

but from my research in part #'s with the Strut issue, it boiled down to the same exact suspension parts for 04-06 anyway. I have yet to see exactly what was sport-tuned for the SE

 

NismoMax80 - Based on what you found 'part-number-wise', it may well be that the only 'suspension tuning' for the '04 thru '06 was with the tires and wheels, and the language Nissan used the past three model years was sort of misleading.

 

What's new.......I was bummed to find out that the 265hp was really only about 200hp at the wheels. Kind of reminds of shopping for car stereo amplifiers, you gotta do some digging to really figure out what you are buying.

I understand that this seems to be a common practice among car manufacturers, I just didn't realize it until after I bought my car and joined the .org

 

yes both suspensions are the same now, there is no difference between SL and SE. SL will have a better ride because it has the 17 inch wheels but thats about it.

 

The difference is going o be standard equip and wheels/tires. The suspensions will remain the same. The maxima is definitly moving towards sport/luxury with the emphasis on luxury. It has been a long time coming. The all new altima coming out this year is a sports sedan by all means and will include many of the features we love about the maxima. In a few years the maxima will be on an all new platform and move even further upscale. The design changes for 07 where done with the luxury buyer in mind. Like it or not the altima will be the old maxima and the maxima will move more towards luxuriousness.

 

Just to confirm, since 04 the SL and SE models have had identical suspensions. One day while waiting for service on my car, I asked the parts manager if there were any differences between the two suspensions. He wasn’t sure and said he needed serial numbers to enter into his computer. So I got the serial number for my car (SE-6MT), and the serial numbers from an SE auto and an SL on the lot. I gave them to the parts manager, who plugged them into his computer. According to his computer, the springs and struts had the identical part numbers for all three cars. The only “suspension” differences are the rims and tires.

 

That'e exactly what the salesman at Performance Nissan told me when I bought my car in March.

 

I have suspected all along that my SL was really a closet SE! It does NOT ride like a Buick Roadmaster by any means...

 

From service manual:

Front spring free height
SE model : 350 mm (13.78 in)
SL model : 360 mm (14.73 in)

Wheelarch to ground:
Front SL - 738mm (29.06"), SE - 737mm (29.02")
Rear SL - 705mm (27.76"), SE - 705mm (27.76")

So both models have same wheelarch height.

 

mad you beat me to it, they are the same exact part, for the 04-06 only difference is how they are set.

 

I own both SE and SL. Both cars ride nearly identical to each other, with the exception that the SE seems to produce less roll when hitting a bump a curve. Which is probably sue to a lower cg with the tuning. SE has better feedback of the road with the low profile tires too. SL's fluffy tires asorb some of the bumps. It's a good trade off.

 

Same findings here. Test drove an '07 and according to the salesmanager the Maxima is Nissan's flagship with the Altima the bread and butter and "sport" car. And, soon the GTR will be coming into the fold. What a line-up for Nissan.

 

SUBARU here I come. The maxima will forever be marked off my list. After the 5 Gen Nissan killed the Max and I believe sales will fall in favor of the Altima. Bad decision by Nissan to do this. Remember when nissan made the 4 gen GXE and GLE look boring and sales dropped big time. Well seems like they are head in the same direction............SEE YA

 

The 07 Altima is every bit as sporty and luxurious as past maximas. They will be awesome cars and the maxima will move into a higher level of luxury on the next platform. If you don't want a awesome car because of what it's called then I think you have the problem, not nissan.

 

What Nietzsche said.

I am one who is very comfortable with the Maxima moving upscale and becoming the Nissan flagship. Nissan is pushing the Altima as the volume leader (120,000 to 200,000 per year?), and, as the volume leader, there will be more sporty versions/things/options available for the Altima than for the Maxima. The Altima is a fine vehicle, and is only getting better.

But there will be a large upper-middle level clientele that will be very happy with the flagship Maxima. They will find the room, power, style and amenities associated with luxury cars, but at a lower price. I would guess Nissan would expect to sell between 60,000 and 90,000 of the upscale Maximas each model year.

Unless Subarus are much larger inside than the last one I sat in (a few years back), they are not nearly as roomy as the Altima or the Maxima.

But Subarus are very popular in snowy mountainous regions. . . I don't live in snowy mountainous regions, so will stay with the Maxima.

 

Flagship:
IIRC the Maxima has been Nissan's flagship vehicle.

RWD:
If I did NOT live in a snowy area I would have gone with the G35 RWD and then I would have taken a 5 speed, a 5 speed stick does nothing for me in a FWD vehicle.

Room:
I had an '02 Altima SE and the back seat seemed to have much more leg room than the '06 Maxima has.

 

of course he/we all knew it has been the Flagship. He pointed out that it is becoming more of what people associate with the label Flagship.

Many still prefer the Max over a G due to A LOT more room and personal styling preferences.

Good thing 5speed does nothing for you since both came in a 6 SPEED.

maybe the Altima front seats were further up, but the Max is the only car I've ever had enough leg room in the back with the seats back all the way.


and since this thread is on the suspension, many prefer the Max over the G (and especially Z) due to the way softer suspension while still sporty.

 

mwh - NismoMax80 pretty much covered things.

I would add that the rear seat legroom of the Altima will be very close to the Maxima (but not greater), as these two cars are not greatly different in size. Last time I checked (just a year or so ago), the Altima and Maxima had the most interior room of any sedan in each of their classes.

But that is not relevant to my original post. Read my post again; I said the Maxima had clearly more room than equivalent SUBARU vehicles. I stand by that statement. Check Consumer's Report.

As to 'flagship', of course most everyone here on the ORG knows the Maxima is the flagship of the Nissan line, although that definition may have been a little fuzzy at times. For instance, there are those who have felt from the 1971 240Z forward that the Z car was the true flagship of Datsun/Nissan. My neighbor feels the Murano is now Nissan's flagship.

I feel the 2007 Maxima qualifies as a true flagship level vehicle. I also feel that the 7th generation Maxima arriving in spring of 2008 will eliminate any and all doubt as to which vehicle is the true 'flagship' of the Nissan line.

Those who prefer rear wheel drive may choose other vehicles than the Maxima. But most folks will look at an entire vehicle, not just the FWD/RWD issue. It is in looking at the entire vehicle (room, styling, power, cost, reliability, etc) that I find the Maxima meets more of my needs and desires than any other vehicle on the market.

But I certainly respect the right of others to choose the vehicle of their choice. And I absolutely would never go over to the board associated with another vehicle and denigrate that vehicle on its own board; just poor taste.

 

Denigrate?
You did say "becoming Nissan flagship model" and I debated that and added some comments of my own.

Did not mean to upset anyone here or their personal tastes, just responding to lightonthehill last post (quoted in my original message). Drove RWD standards growing up in the '70's and just saying I can't compare them to any FWD standard. I like my soft automatic '06 SL and not running to trade it in on an '07 -probably keep it for 6 - 10 years.