Maxim(a)SerjVQ

What you guys all think of the 07? I love the new front face and the interior improvements, but I'm gunshy about it since the CVT, the 'still looks like a saturn ion' rear, and the fact that it doesnt have the newer VQ in it. I'm just looking for opinion as i currently have a 5.5 w/ 126k on the ODO. Am I nuts? should I wait for the 7th gen(wish there was some spy photos or SOMETHING about it some place) or should i just drive mine til a hole in the ground looks better?

Fastmax05

iTrader: (17)

Being a 6 th gen owner i say go for it man... i love the way the 07 's looks.. Love that thye put the fog lights at the bottom where they belong..i love the back end..more sportier to me... I dont love CVT but i have drivin one w/ cvt..i didnt mind it coming from a auto 5 spd 6.0 gen

SuperMario

The 07 looks awesome...but if it doesn't satisfy your appetite, get a G35 sedan, it's beautiful.

My brother in law just got the G35s and it's amazing. The only thing I'd say I don't like on that one is that it has a 5 spd. auto; should be 6 spd. or even 7. Infiniti needs to get their act together in that aspect

hondadude

I have come to really like the CVT. Once you get used to it, a regular automatic feels strange. Other than the crappy paint, I am pleased with mine.

Fastmax05

iTrader: (17)

7 spd auto? HMMM... ok i guess

Maxim(a)SerjVQ

Well, I've driven an 06 SE demo model with the 5AT, and I've driven the 07. I would have to say I like the CVT more for it's smoothness, definately, I've even heard reports that it gets better performance than the 5AT. but I've also driven a Saturn Aura XR with the 6AT and the paddles. that car RIPS and the tranny rocks hardcore. BUT... My well-used autotragic in my car still feels great. better than the 5AT i would venture to say. I've had a great experience with my 5.5, bad paint, speeding tickets and all. So, really, either my next car is a 6.5, I wait for the 7, or I just plain go with something else. the new 08 CTS is just around the corner with competitive engine specs, a 6-speed, and a starting price point to match an 07 SE with leather.

I haven't really seen many tech bulletins on the 07, and I've liked them from day 1(since imo they fixed almost all of what I didn't like about the 04-06) I thought I should seriously consider them. I'd hate to have to leave such a great community anyway, and there's this mystique about the maxima that I can't stop loving.

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

FALSE!!!!!!! a fellow orger raced his brother's 6.5 against his 6 and they were even until about 70mph IIRC and then the 6th gen started pulling

RHMax

7th gen should be out within a year. It might be a little larger; CLS meet Charger meet 7 Series BMW, so I've heard.

Maxim(a)SerjVQ

well, that could be for any number of reasons. I had a published article brief in one of the car mags i read (can't remember if it was automobile, autoweek, or C&D) but basically it sings the tune of the general enthusiast's distaste for CVTs and to disprove this, Carlos Ghosn himself provided two Versas for comparison(yeah i know not a maxima but let me finish) one Versa was the traditional auto, and the other being a CVT. In the magazine's results, it showed that the CVT had a performance edge in standing, and rolling acceleration all the way through the 1/4mi. what it also revealed was, that at least in their case, the CVT was LESS EFFICIENT fuel economy-wise. It can be construed through this example that the CVT is better suited to extract the most performance from an engine. Obviously, for just as many reasons why the 6th started pulling on the 6.5, the CVT in this example is set up differently from the one in the max. depending on the engineer's priorities, the CVT in the max may be biased more for economy than the versa's. It's good to know there are other examples out there to compare with.

If the 7th gen is less than a year away, then I'm definately waiting to at least experience it first. for the love of god, let it have the VQ35HR, a better rear-end, and more tranny options!

lightonthehill

I wouldn't put any much stock in one particular Maxima's performance against another. We have no way of knowing that those two particular Maximas were in perfect tune, and had no defects or deficiencies that might affect performance (like one driver being very slightly more adept than the other).

The '08 Maxima should begin arriving in late July or early August. I don't expect it to be visibly different from the '07. It will be a 'lame duck', in that it will probably have a production run of between six and nine months.

The only question for me is when does the 7th gen arrive? I have been parroting spring of '08 for over two years now, but have based that mostly on analyzing what Nissan has done with the Maximas since its inception over twenty-five years ago.

I still feel that, unless a technical or facility problem crops up, the '09s will probably begin arriving in the March-June window of next year. We will begin seeing spy photos late this year. Probably three-fourths of the first dozen 'spy photos' of the 7th gen will turn out to be of something other than the '09 Maxima. That always happens.

The 7th gen will be very different from the 6th gen. It will have moved further upscale, be plusher, more powerful, and possibly do a better job as a '4DSC' than the 6th gen. It will not be intended as a 'mass-market' vehicle, and, depending on options (such as AWD), will cost from $2K to $5K more than the 6th gen. And it will be worth every penny.

Don't expect the diesel version until probably spring of 2010. And it will be a powerful diesel, bearing no resemblance (such as smoke, noise, etc) to diesels of the past.


edit - I really like the '07, and if I had to replace my 6th gen this year, there is no doubt in my mind I would opt for the '07 Maxima.

Maxim(a)SerjVQ

heh. Well, the thing is, I've always been very happy with the cloth interior that's in the maxima, including the 6.5, so I certainly hope they still have an aggressive starting point. plus, they seem to always be fearing that the max would cannibalize G35 sales. I think they're currently too close in price, as much as I love the G35, I don't want to pay to move to it. If i can get a 7th gen SE with the high-end stereo and nice alloys for under 30k, then that's where I'll go. then again, I alsow want the unique suspension tuning to return to the SE model as well.

soundmike

iTrader: (24)

The 7th generation Max will go back to its roots of being a 4DSC. It was mentioned in an article that mentioned Nissan's goals for the model, just recently.

Now, as to what exactly that means, we won't know until it's actually out.

larsim

I would not buy an 07 Maxima right now.
I would wait a few more months and get the 09 Maxima....

lightonthehill

Were it only a 'few more months', I too would wait.

But the wait would most likely be at least ten months, probably nearer twelve. Even then, the selection of colors and options will be somewhat limited the first three or four months after it arrives, and good deals will also be much tougher to come by during the first few months a new generation is out.

If the release comes as late as June '08 (very possible), it could be September '08 before the car equipped as he wants is available at a dealer near him, and even if the car of his dreams showed up at his dealer the first week the new gen was out, the salesman would be dealing from MSRP, not invoice, early on.

To wait or not? Tough decision.

Maxim(a)SerjVQ

well, the plus side would be that if i wait for the 09s, and decide not to get it(doubt it based on what their announced intentions are) i could score a hella nice deal on an 08.

SmokeNismo

Personally, I wouldn't do it. There's not enough difference between the 6 and the 6.5 to make someone trade. not like the difference in 5 to 5.5 where they introduced the 3.5. Save your money and wait for the 7th gen.