Few of us have seen the 09 Maxima in person. Most of us have only seen photos and videos. Though photos/videos cannot capture the looks of a car, still some of us already like the car while some do not. We would like to know how we, as a community, feel about the looks of the car.

The colors and 360 degree views are available here:
http://www.nissanusa.com/09maxima/in...mepage.Home.P1

Many photos are available here:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2009-nissan-maxima/
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2009-...a-live-reveal/
http://www.leftlanenews.com/nissan-maxima.html#photos
http://www.automobilemag.com/multime...per/index.html (large photos)


Feel free to comment as you like. Note that we are talking only about looks here, not about performance, features or options.

 

I would say I am unsure. I do not like it much from the pictures/videos but cannot guarantee that I will not like it in person.

 

I think it will look better in person.

I think everyone should check nissanusa.com and look at the 360 veiw of it. It looks alot better than the pics posted here.

 

I wish I could get it in Solar Yellow. With dark/shadow chrome instead. that would be soooo much awesomeness, It could make me forget i hate the stupid tabbed headlights.

 

I like it a lot.

It's a vast improvement over the 6th gen mistake.

 

I went to the Autoshow in the city today, got to see the 09' max and the Gt-R. Both completely amazing.

 

It will look even better with a performance wheel package, eg, GT-R:

 

Headlights = Lame/ricey

Taillights = Camry

 

It's far ahead of the 6th gen IMO so I will say I love it. From interior to exterior if this would have come out for the 6th gen I might have stayed in the Nissan family.

My wife and I both have history with the Max (one of the first things she said to me was nice car, reffering to my 96 (which is also what I drove us home in after or wedding), and we picked her up a sweet blue 2002 which got her hooked on Maxima's too) and after showing her this post we can't wait to get to a dealer and give them a test drive.

 

Yes I do like it especially this pic along with these wheels.

 

^^^ Great look with those wheels, bonzelite. This rear view is simple, yet elegant. I really like this car.

 

Yes, thanks.

I think this gen is fantastic. It's getting back to the 3rd gen's subtle aggressive idea. Simple but very attractive. I like how Nissan has flared out the fender guards like on the GT-R.

With word that the 7th gen will have a 6MT option by summer, I just might seriously consider this as a purchase. 290HP stock is nothing to be ashamed of especially if the chassis is nimble on it's feet as was the 3rd gen (both 3rd and 7th gens have IRS --praise the Lord).

I bring up the 3rd gen because this newest iteration is the closest new Maxima I have yet seen that resembles the 3rd gen's basic shape and idea:

Simple but sporty, innovative enough to stand apart from the generic looking Camry (which has gotten a much needed "sexed up" look borrowing heavily from the IS350).

From the press releases, the new 7th gen chassis is engineered to be much more responsive and rigid, having been tested on the Nurburgring. That is pretty serious business.

I think I'm totally falling for this car. I'm a Maxima purist and this is getting it for me.

 

Bonzelite - I feel the shortening of the wheelbase and widening of the stance on the '07 bodes well for some rather sporty handling. I was glad to see the increased power came at no cost to MPG, and that the weight has stopped rising.

Don't get me wrong; my '04 SL is the best Maxima I have ever owned (and I have owned nothing but Maximas since Oct 1984), with plenty of power, huge gobs of room, and draws admiring looks everywhere I go. It will break my heart to give it up. But the '07 Maxima seems to be headed more the direction of earlier Maxima generations, and that may please a lot of long-time Maxima owners.

 

I agree.

This rekindles my interest in newer Maximas. I've had 2 3rd gens (both VG 5spd), and currently have a 2000 GXE 5spd.

I miss my 3rd gens the most. When modified just a little (notably the suspension), they were so fun to drive. I want another one, actually. Their chassis responds well to more power and better handling. The 3rd gens were very nimble even with their relatively sluggish FWD steering, ie, understeer. The IRS helped amazingly well to plant the chassis well in turns, particularly when the cars were dropped.

This new one seems engineered from the beginning to already be at a level of performance that you would have otherwise beforehand had to have modified.

 

I actually like it. There are a few things that are a miss, ie headlights, but overall its very nice. I may consider one when looking for a new car in the next few years.

 

I'm just not convinced yet. I have to see it person. From the pics/videos on the web the car reminds me of the 6th Gen when it comes to exterior styling. It looks good or really bad at certain angles. Also, the car seems pretty small compared to the previous Gen. IMO smaller and bulky does not equal sportier. "It should be an aggressive, Mercedes-Benz CLS-style car sharing some cues.." So what happened? Ha, cues??? that's where they went far left. Maybe those headlights are cues from the CLS. All in all,its not a bad car, it just doesn't demand my attention. It probably would be much more appealing to me if it had debut say late 06 / early 07.

 

i like a lot about the car now however i don't like what they did with th front...not exactly the front grille or headlights cause i actually do like the headlights a lot...buh i don't like the fact that the front of the car gets flattened out. i mean it kinda looks like the new accords...with flat front and aero rear and mid...

thats why i like the older ferraris...aero (bullet like front) and flattened rears...like a bullet! the new max kindas looks like a reverse bullet...that kinda bothers me.

buh i do like the its running the same 3.5 VQ as the g35 sedan with 290hp instead of 306hp which is understandable seeing that it is a nissan as compared to a infiniti....lolxz

 

The new Maxima is everything Nissan says it is. It has gotten back to it's roots as a sporty sedan, and ultimately a 4-door sports car.

It's front profile is more historically Maxima-like than the previous 2 generations, particularly getting far away from the 6th gen.

Nissan's design cues and choices exactly reflect where the Maxima came from in it's earlier beginnings, complete with IRS, with a return to a smaller overall body:

 

I just got back from the Dallas Auto show, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The pictures and video that I have seen thus far really do no justice to this car. The new Max is incredible. When I first saw the first pics of the car I thought it looked ok. Everything looked way better in person, even the rear of the car that some have compared to the Camry or the Civic. When you get a chance to see one in person look at the rear of the car and you'll see there is nothing Camry or Civic about it. I couldn't even believe the size of the tail pipes, they are as big as the pipe on my after market muffler. The interior which is another thing that I did not find flattering from the pics, also looks better in person. They had the moonroof open and it looks cool how it opens and stays on top of the roof on the outside, but you can't really tell its on top, its very sleek. The car looks more aggressive and meaner in person. And the front wheel gap between the tire and the fender is almost non existant, which is great because that will save you money in case you wanted to lower the car to eliminate that. I will definately have to upgrade from my 99 to the 09 when it becomes available in June, I think 10 years is a long enough wait.

 

Couldn't agree with you more.

 

I want mine an even more sinister de-chromed black on black.

 

I heard that, brother. That would look just sick.

Realize too that this car now has eclipsed the BNR/BCNR-series GT-Rs in rated factory HP!

 

Sorry to burst your bubble, but they're not.

 

I LIKE IT! THIS SUMMER, IT SHALL BE MINE

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by jcalabria
I want mine an even more sinister de-chromed black on black.


That's kind of how my 99 looks, super black with gunmetal 18" rims. But when I get the 09 it will again be super black, except this time im getting solid black 19's. De-chromed of course murdered out.

 

Sounds good... don't know if I would go all black on the wheels myself... On a black car I like gunmetal/anthracite or black centers with polished rims. My little 'ol '87 Max was all black with black center/polished rim BBS style crosslace wheels. It was amazing how different (especially lower and longer) looking that made that car. I hated those plain flat wheels the 2.5G Maxes had (but they were better than the "sewer plate" wheels on the 2.0G's, lol).

Only two of my Max's have been black, but overall I've had more black cars than anything else. I don't necessarily dislike other colors, but nothing ever looks quite as good to me as a slinky sexy sinister black car. The 7G looks like its curves are tailor made to show off black.

 

Hey I can't argue with that.

 

Coming off of a M35X lease in March 09, the 09 Max will be something I will be looking closely at.

Hopefully they made the exhaust more audible, a more comfortable yet sporty ride, and a better quality interior.

I think, since I never drove a car with a CVT in it, a test drive in it will be the ultimate decision for me.

 

Any pics of the non Nav interior yet?

 

If it's anything like the 09 Murano and the G's and M's, the non-nav will look exactly the same except you won't have the actual nav function available and instead of short cut keys to key navigation functions it will be more generic (e.g Radio, Source, Aux, etc.)

 

MaxMus - Nissan's press release said they worked very hard to get exactly the right exhaust sound from the '09. I am looking forward to hearing it.

 

not to mention the induction "sound creator"

 

I like this car very much, I'm seriously thinking of getting one, the SE version with 19" of course. I mean no max has ever look so sexy and pack with so much technology ( I mean in it's stock form ) I simply cant wait to test drive one and get it.

 

hmmmmmm idk it's still growing on me, not too much of a fan

 

I can't wait to test drive the 09 in June.Just purchased an 04 last August so trading on a new vehicle is out of the idea but I just want to drive it.I like the look, the rear looks alot like the Altima to me,I prefer the rear spoiler.The cockpit look is nice, but the instruments look plain.I was hoping for a 300+HP engine but I heard the CVT transmission is a work in progress.

 

DConrad - The HP jumped from 255 to 290, which corresponds to 300 HP under the rating system used until this past year. That is a BIG 35 HP leap. We certainly don't need more HP than this in an affordable FWD family sports/luxury sedan.

The CVT tranny was a 'work in progress' for many years. Now those who are driving the '07 and '08 Maximas are saying very nice things about it. The '09 Maxima has a CVT that can be operated in FOUR different modes. I think we can stuff the 'work in progress' terminology in our grandmother's cedar chest and accept that, like it or not (and some don't), the tranny of the future is here, and it is the CVT.

 

Hi Light. Did you ever get a chance to test drive a Nissan with the CVT transmission? If so, how did it feel to you. I have some doubts about this choice of transmission technology. I may test drive the 6.5 Gen this weekend to get a feel for it.

 

I say wait for the 7th gen, the 6.5 gen employs an older algorithm and uses a slightly slower processor.

I may actually go as far as saying you probably should test drive the 09 Murano instead since it has received both software and hardware updates.

However, given that they've tuned the 7th gen to be on the sportier side, it may not even feel the same.

Case in point, i have a first gen Murano and it behaves quite differently than the 2.5 Altima rental i had for a while and even that felt different from the 3.5 loaner i also managed to drive for a while.

 

I didnt like the pics i saw on the web but it looks incredible in person at the NY auto show

 

The 6th Gen styling took a while to sink in

but this new one, WOW! I'm in love. talk about stepping it up nissan
I predict this is gonna sell really well