I went to the orange County Auto Show in Anaheim this morning and checked out, among other things, the 2008 Maxima. Outwardly, it appears just like the 2007. The seats seemed more supportive, with firmer slightly narrower side bolsters, which I liked very much (not as good as the seats that are on their way to me!!!). I prefer my interior (2005) as it seems a bit more higher end. The 2008 Sentra SE-R spec v was pretty nice. Seats are stitched in red as is the steering wheel. The Altima Coupe is a step down from the Maxima, even though the price is only a bit lower. When I left, I got into my Max, and felt right at home. Im glad I drive mine, especially with the 6 speed. Looknig forward to the 09. Maybe they will hint at it at the LA Show in November.

 

hopefully they change something sometime soon.... its a popular car just not a popular modd-ed car

 

I don't think we're going to see the '09 Max at LA Autoshow. On the other hand, we'll be the first to see the all new Murano, and that GT-R thing...

 

Really? You're joking right? The interior of the 04-06 has got to be the cheapest looking interior I've ever seen.

 

Really, I kinda liked the 04-06 dash over my 07 aha..I like the gauges on the 07, but the whole middle dash on the 04-06 in my opinion looked real nice..

 

Only thing that interests me now is the 2010 model with the 3.0L TDI twin turbo motor. Then slap a CVT or manual in that and damn, that will be cool.

Kamski

 

Correction friend... the altima interior is the cheapeest looking EVER

you must be a 5th gen owner right??

I love my dash.. but i will upgrade to a new dahs when that T.T. 3.0 kam talks about comes out... MMMMMM... Booost

 

I agree that the '07 interior redesign is an improvement over the '04-'06.

But, is a bit of an exaggeration, IMO.

What are you comparing it to? If it's earlier generation Maximas, I can't comment. This is my first Nissan.

 

the earlier gens were made in japa if i am correct where ours are from mexico or canada ?

i think the old interiors are nice... good quality.. i just like mine so much more.. my friend has a 2001 ... its nice.. but its not my car.... :P

anyway... both are great.. its just times changing thats all .

 

Mexico/Canada? NO WAY! (Not that there's anything wrong with that)

Smyrna, TN.

Although, who knows what it will be in the future with the new Economic Country of MexiAmeriCanada on the horizon.

 

i put on together on the Nissan site last week. The Platiunm package is back like for 5.5 gen. I didn't notice any real changes.

 

I stand corrected, the 02-04 altima had the cheapest interior EVER.

why yes I am

 

I somehow missed the difference between the '07 and '08 seats, even though I looked closely at them, and sat in both back in August. The difference must be very subtle. I was not able to spot any differences between the '07 and '08 Maximas. Even the interior and exterior colors remained the same.

I personally think the '07/'08 interiors are a step up from the '04-'06, even though I have had no real gripes with the '04-'06.

In comparing the '07 and '08 side-by-side, I noticed something strange; a few '07s and a few '08s had the bottom of the back bumper (the strip above the tail pipes) NOT blacked out. Those particular Maximas had a shiny paint finish the same color as the rest of the car on that panel (just like the '04-'06), whereas most of the '07s and '08s had that panel blacked out with a flat-finish paint. This was not tied to SE vs SL or serial number order or anything else I could spot. Strange . . .

 

I doubt the seats changed from the '07s. I think you just missed them on the '07, dues. The seats in the '07 were one of the things I liked most about the car.

And the interior, common...you just can't deny the fact that its cheap. Sometimes I even say my interior is cheap and it's much more upscale than a 6th gen. The cheapest EVER? Yeah that's a big step...ride in a ford escort. But that still doesn't negate the fact that quality was not used in excess during the creation of the 6th gen interior....

 

Funny, I get comments about how nice my interior is all of the time, and I personally think its one of the nicest I've seen. That is, outside of Audi, BMW, etc.

Joshua

 

I like my 05SE interior better than my in-laws' 04SE. They have the faux titanium with tan interior. I have the faux "brushed" aluminum with frost/light gray interior. I think the black interior is sportier, but less -luxurious- looking than the lighter colors. I think 6th gen interior is nicer than many other newer cars on the market. I also think the 07 interior looks better with black interior than other colors.

 

Same here, people LOVE my interior. I think its better than the 5th gens, what do I know though, only owned one for 4 years as im sure everyone claiming the 6th gens is inferior has NOT owned a 6th gen. Whatever though, I know where I stand after owning both cars and proudly still roll the 6th gen.

 

I liked my 5t gen interior, more traditional; Lexus like. I also like the 6th gen interior. It is more modern/radical in design, but so is the rest of the car. Change is not easy to accept to some as to others...

 

for sure to the 5 gen 5.5 gen owners...

lexus/toyota like is a great way to describe it RH ... they are nice inside... but plain and simple... i like modern new looks like u

 

When some say tha the interior is cheap, nobody ever gives a concrete example of what it is that they don't like. I had the 02 Max SE and I think my 04 Max SL is better in design and function and quality materials. I have had some comment that they really like the suede around the dash which I think is still ooks ok. My interior is frost and I think it looks good with the wood and brushed chrome trim. I know its not as nice as some BMW's or Mercedes' but for the price I got it at, I am very happy with it.

 

No big complaints here, other than the fit. The b pillar covers snap out of place often, until I had Nissan change them out.

No squeaks or rattles......It works well for me.

 

Ok so I own a 07 Max but I was on the nissan website and they claim the 08Max comes with a "sport tuned cvt". Anyone know if its the same cvt from the 07Max or is it some new verison of the cvt which performs better. Opinions are also welcome. Thank you.

 

IMO it's an newer version...

But when you do a side by side comparison on the Nissan Web site, the 07-08 are almost identical (08 gets worse gas mileage???). As for the Platnuim Edition, IMO this is a marketing tool because when I read the list of options it adds, it's the exact same as what use to be known as the Preferred Drivers Package!!!

 

SOS as the 07.

 

thanks guys...this is why i love the org.

 

They both have ‘manual mode’, and they both have the identical range of gear ratios and FD. So, on anything changed with respect to the CVT from the 07 MY.

 

same thing

 

All 2008 cars and trucks will get lower (worse) gas mileage than the 2007's and prior years. It has to do with the govt and it's "C.A.F.E." system of determining MPG. It's on every new 2008 and it can drop by as much as 12-20% EPA estimates from the 2007's.

 

Matts04 is correct. '08 is the first model year all vehicles are required to post the figures from the new, more realistic method of calculating MPG. Most vehicle's numbers will be noticably lower than for '07.

As several here suggested, the '08 and '07 CVTs are from the same assembly line parts bin; 'one size fits all.'

chernmax brings up a very interesting point; the ballyhooed 'Platinum Package' is essentially the old 'Driver's Preferred' package. Unless there is an exterior notation defining the car as 'Platnium Edition', I see no real change. Moreover, if I am reading the info Chern posted correctly, the HID headlamps may no longer be standard on the base SL, but available only with the 'Platinum Edition' package? That would be a significant change, as the HIDs have been standard on all base SLs from the inception of the 6th gen, including the '07.

 

well the Plat in 03 gave a limited Plat color to wheels and interior pieces. i hope u atleast get that...

 

And exterior.

 

oh yeah what he said

 

No standard HID? That is...ridiculous?!

Joshua

 

Finaly some numbers that are meaningful.

 

depends how many base SL models Nissan makes, or maybe potential SL owners don't want to spend extra for the HID option

 

HID's were one of my few requirements when buying the Max. I love the fact that the SL even it's most basic form, was loaded.

I have the 05 SL with the DPP, and love every feature to it. I can't see spending more, and getting less for the next years model. I see myself keeping this thing for some time.

 

Thats how it works now. Go to the supermarket and see for yourself. In order to keep prices low (not fair) the package keeps shrinking or to keep package the same size the content gets smaller by weight/volume.

Same applies here.

Maxima is going to cost more from the get go so in order to keep the prices reasonable (you/I don't see ourselves spending $35-40k on a max) they take out the features and try to make up with options, only if you want it that is.

 

so true, works for everything except tampons, reduce the number in the box and the women rebelled and the company realized the mistake they made and added back the few they deleted from the box

saw that on MSNBC about a year or so, wonder if they tried to reduce the number again