mls277

Anyone hear of what's next for Maxima in 2010? AWD? bigger V6?

Anyone think they will be crazy enough to swap the 09 for a 10? Thoughts?

tigersharkdude

iTrader: (20)

nothing different, like awd or bigger v6

DrunkieTheBear

iTrader: (17)

Yeah they won't be changing anything that soon. If there are to be any changes it wont be till next year or the year after that like nissan tends to usually do.

dauntlessmax

Diesel, and probably some improvements to the front seats rocking. Mostly the annoying vibrations from the pedals.

dkmura

Production for the '09 Maximas may be cut short, as Nissan is trying to tailor supply to fit demand. The 2010 A36 model will be primarily the same chassis/drivetrain combination, with the possible addition of a diesel option. As others have said, look for small detail improvements, rather than large changes. Adding features like AWD (which would be difficult to fit in the Global-D platform) or VQ37VHR might take the Maxima out of the price range its designed for.

mls277

Yeah you are probably right. Infiniti is probably more for those seeking AWD and I doubt Nissan wants to have a 42k MSRP Maxima. Wouldn't make sense. Am I cheap or does anyone else think the current MSRP of 35-38k is pretty darn high? I know it's worth it in the end, but thats still a good chunk of change.

lightonthehill

I agree that AWD is for Infiniti.

Yes, the MSRP has been creeping up. But loaded Maximas of today have many more appointments than the Maximas of less than a decade ago. I love my heated steering wheel. Living in a hot climate, I really like the idea of an air conditioned driver's seat. The double-panel roof excites me. The '09 has 68 more HP than my '00 and 35 more HP than my '04, yet seems to be getting better freeway MPG than the lesser HP engines in the lighter previous gens.

I think the key here is Nissan's announcement back in 2002 that they had decided to gradually move the Maxima up to near-luxury status, and make it a true flagship, while filling the old basic 4DSC role of the Maxima with a more powerful and sporty 3.5 Altima. The upscale version of the Altima actually does perform rather like earlier Maximas, and fits that price range, also.

Yes, the MSRP of the '09 is getting up there. But a loaded '09 Maxima is actually a luxury car in everything but name (and perhaps AWD). Thankfully, somewhat because of this recession, we aren't having to pay those MSRPs.

As for AWD, with two-thirds of the Maxima's weight already over the drive wheels, it moves rather well on snow, and I would not opt for the extra expense of AWD, which would also lower MPG slightly.

lightonthehill

All this makes perfect sense, and fits with what Nissan has always done the second year of each Maxima generation (essentially nothing). As you indicated, the only really big question with the '10 is whether Nissan follows through with the planned '10 diesel Maxima. With the price of diesel out of line with the price of gasoline, and the recession wiping out the whole automotive industry, I understand Nissan's delimna regarding the diesel.

bk2k3max

I just read that Nissan is going to take the engine from the GT-R and put it into the Maxima and also give the Max AWD, so it will put down 480HP and crazy torque to boot.

And if you believe that, I have some prime real estate to sell you in the Florida Swamplands.

Nissan's trend has always been to make major changes in between 3-5 years, so I really do not see any really big changes for the 2010 Max, except as previously mentioned (Diesel) but to be expected is the 6spd Manual version. (maybe even a Nismo Sport Version of the Max, maybe??).<<just wishful thinking.

I often wondered why Nissan never went back to being RWD in all these years.

mls277

Owning a RWD LS1 Camaro I can tell you that I appreciate the FWD in bad weather. AWD sounds like fun to me, I'm not sure I'd want RWD unless it's a vette or muscle car. It can be a pain.

maximase86

iTrader: (24)

They did...it's called a G35 instead.

mls277

Good point, but it's just not as much fun as the new max!

lightonthehill

There will be either a very slight cosmetic change, or no change for the '10 Maxima. Nissan does not change things the second year of a new generation. According to my dealer (and I'm also getting this feeling from dkmura on this board) even the '10 diesel may be put on hold. This is a very brutal economy, and the price of diesel fuel doesn't help.

There will definitely be changes for '11. If the diesel is postponed from '10, we will see it in '11. The '11 will also have distinctive cosmetic changes to front and rear, and add a few desirable goodies. I hope one such goodie would be a better system of monitoring the psi of each tire. I don't see AWD; puts the price too high and lowers the MPG. The Maxima will return to RWD when Nissan abolishes its Infiniti brand, and not before. FWD is far more appropriate than RWD for the way 95% of Maxima buyers will be using the car.

tyler5619

iTrader: (7)

i expect there to be a 2009.5 se-x model. improvements are to include, but not be limited to:

6spd transmission
twin turbo diesel
AWD
Super HICAS 4 wheel steering
auto park
winch
AMD quad core extreme processor
320GB hard drive
automatic ice maker
Bluetooth time machine capability.

but maybe that's just me.

then again, i could have just said that if nissan follows their own pattern, 2011 will bring us a 7.5 gen with a few more performance options. I DON'T THINK it would be out of the question to promote a 3.7L, and/or an AWD option. I DO AGREE that it would raise the price above TYPICAL nissan prices, but it's like lightonthehill said, Maxima is meant to be nissan's flagship. and in my own humble opinion, the word MAXIMA is similar to the word maximum, so i think all options should be available. if infiniti still made the I, i would totally agree with giving more options to the "luxury" version. hmmmm... i would love to see an I37 released...any takers?

Mr. Green

iTrader: (2)

Diesel may be still higher than gas, but (at least here in Virginia), the price of diesel has now fallen rapidly. I pass a station daily that now has it for $1.97. Its only about 30 cents higher than 93 octane. I don't think the price of fuel is going to kill a diesel car at this point, especially with all the "futures" guys predicting it to fall back below gas levels within 2-3 years.

lightonthehill

I agree that, when we consider the higher MPG of diesel, today's higher price for diesel is definitely not a show-stopper. In fact, I am convinced the Maxima diesel will arrive. But because of this deplorable economic situation, Nissan may defer the release until 2011, when hopefully the recession will have bottomed, and the diesel might make a bigger splash.

dauntlessmax

It's all cool! Just try and think that one time about twelve years ago, maximas were sold fully loaded under 30k(my parents). So thinking 35k-38k is high would be normal in my case.

McSteve

iTrader: (3)

Just factor for each year around 2% inflation. Our money is getting worth less and less...

lightonthehill

That is always the trend. But the speed at which our money got worth less and less between the middle of September and the end October was unprecedented in American history. That collapse was what triggered the $820 (or so) price hike on the '09 Maxima in October.

bk2k3max

A Diesel Maxima is definitely in the future, as it will be for all cars because Diesel is the fuel of the future. There is a reason why automakers are waiting to convert to Diesel but it doesn't have anything to do with the price of Diesel fuel.

The reason automakers are waiting to push the majority of their cars to Diesel is because there just simply aren't enough emission applications (complete exhausts/computers to process low enough emissions) to get the balance between lower costs for the parts and computer applications for all cars which in turn will be able to make the cost of Diesel fuel go lower in price as well.

I've been doing a lot of reading for future fuels and fuel sources in the US and the rest of the world and Diesel will be the future fuel.

Here are some links:

http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/oilgas/archive/070502.htm
http://ezinearticles.com/?Bio-Diesel...ture&id=804240

Here's a quick piece of an article I've research:

So hybrids are where it's at, right? Wrong again.
The Prius has problems.
First off, the gas mileage on the Prius is not all it's cracked up to be. Consumers have noticed, and some aren't happy.
What happened is that the EPA tests vehicles under ideal conditions on a flat surface. In the real world, it looks like Prius' mileage is not so hot. Also, most of the hybrid's big mileage gains occur in stop-and-start city traffic. On an open road, the conventional engine actually gets better gas mileage.
When you look at the Prius' true mileage, there are plenty of conventional vehicles that do as well or better.
Add in the high extra cost of the hybrid engine, and some say you have to drive the car a hundred thousand miles to recoup the extra money you pay for the fancy technology.
There's a third alternative, a "sleeper" technology that's going to surprise everyone...
And the winner is...
The humble old diesel engine — the third and final competitor for car of the future.
How can that be? Diesels are loud, dirty and smelly. A pollution nightmare.
You can hear a diesel truck from a mile away, see the soot from halfway down the block and smell the exhaust as it rolls by.
Except — surprise! — those diesels you hear and smell are antiques. Thanks to new technology, diesels aren't so dirty anymore, and the gas mileage is better than ever!
Here's what happened: Europeans have to pay heavy gasoline taxes and they worry about global warming, so they invested in the diesel engine as a stopgap, just in case the hydrogen car hit a snag.
As you know, hydrogen DID hit a snag. Now the stopgap looks like the winner in the great auto race.
You see, diesel gets about 30% more miles to the gallon than gasoline, and those savings are real, in any kind of driving conditions. What's more, people who worry about global warming prefer diesel because it emits up to 20% less carbon dioxide. But wait, it gets even better...
Diesels have a huge, surprise advantage
Diesels now rival traditional gasoline engines for quiet, and European refineries have removed most of the pollutants from the fuel. The engines cost more, but the gas savings almost make up the difference. I'll tell you a sleeper stock — it's not a car company — that's the best way to play the diesel revolution.
But meanwhile, there's an even better way to invest than the hardware under the hood. Diesel's biggest edge is something you'd never expect...
You don't need crude oil to make diesel fuel
You can make it from coal, plant matter or even cooking oil. (No kidding! A restaurant can invest in a cooking oil converter kit that lets you fry a batch of potatoes and later reuse the oil in your delivery truck.)
In a few pages, I explain how liquefied coal is one of the big technologies of the future no matter what, whether the diesel engine wins or not. But if diesel wins the auto race, coal will be the biggest thing since folks traded in their horses for cars. King Crude may be dead, once and for all.
How bad does the world need these new technologies? REAL bad. My readers have already profited, with one energy pick up 731% as this is written, and two others up 544% and 289%.
We reaped those gains because, whatever the future holds, the oil crisis right now is bad enough...
In India they make fuel from cow dung
Every year and, indeed, every month the world will grow more desperate for the alternative fuels and technologies I'm talking about.
India imports more than 75% of its crude oil. It's so desperate for alternatives, it recently promoted cow dung as an important energy source. A new use for sacred cows!
The problem is Asians these days are buying cars like... well, like Americans.
The Chinese would have to buy 650 million vehicles to reach American levels of car ownership. That's not likely. But a fraction of that figure will create an oil and pollution crisis big enough to finish us off.
In the vast markets of India and China, a vehicle that runs without crude oil will be irresistible. But there's still more to the diesel story...
A hybrid diesel engine is the next step
A combination of hybrid and diesel technology will take the fuel savings up a notch. Make that two notches. And it will happen soon.
An MIT study predicts the diesel hybrid could outperform a hydrogen fuel cell engine on both gasoline mileage and carbon emissions — within 10 years.
In other words, the hydrogen fuel cell car may never get to market. It's dead in the cradle thanks to breakthroughs elsewhere.

lightonthehill

^ Yep. The diesel engines in more refined passenger vehicles stopped being loud, smoky and fumy half a dozen years ago, the benefits of diesel, unlike a hybrid, are there under all driving conditions, and diesel has it all over both gasoline engines and hybrids when it comes to torque and long-term reliability.

One stumbling block is getting diesel fuel production and distribution up where it should be. Most service stations around where I live do not even have a diesel pump. What U.S. truckers went through last summer should never have happened, and was very detrimental to the image of diesel. That was brutal, and totally unnecessary. That fiasco has actually had an impact on auto maker's diesel plans, because it temporarily negated the advantages of diesel in the buying public's mind. It will take a year or two to fully recover from that negative impact.

But diesel is definitely in our future.

bk2k3max

I agree with you on Diesel taking a hit that'll be hard to recover from but once the move to Diesel driven vehicles happens you can bet that the advertising campaign will begin and change minds big time.

You have to remember, no one in their right mind want to go back to paying nearly $5 a gallon. There are already huge investments going towards the manufacturing of Diesel exhaust applications and Diesel fuel management systems so you can expect that once we turn towards this fuel source that cars like the Diesel Maxima will be the first built and will in the future become more of the standard car built with Gasoline models being only far and few between, if at all.

nalc

iTrader: (11)

I'm hoping for a 30th Anniversary Maxima in 2011 like they did with the 20th AE in 2001.

The 20 AE? No huge differences over the 01 SE. It had different (better) wheels, a limited slip, five more horsepower, "AE" blacked headlights, sexy aluminum "MAXIMA" plates on the rocker panels, and a "20th Anniversary" badge on the back. But all of those things set it apart from a run of the mill Maxima.

This is what I picture for the 30 AE:
$1500 option on the sport maxima
Slightly smoked headlight (not smoked lenses, which reduce output, but the chrome part on the inside. Think altima SE-R headlights)
Blackout grille and window trim
Body-color handles
"NISMO" 19" forged gunmetal wheels
maybe a spoiler or something
a special shift ****
aluminum, not wood, trim on the inside
MAXIMA plates on the rocker panels
limited slip
maybe a ~10 horsepower bump



I'm looking forward to the diesel. The diesel BMW E90 gets 36mpg highway from a 3.0, so hopefully the Maxima can get about the same. That would be impressive, especially considering the vast torque of the diesel, and the way diesel reacts well to a chipped ECU or propane injection, for the real gearheads on ehre

BigPete

iTrader: (2)

CVT = better gas mileage.
CVT = slower

the difference in HP is to compensate for the CVT. I really doubt the new max is any faster, however; the sport tuned suspension is supposedly very nice.

tyler5619

iTrader: (7)

i think adding an optional manual transmission (6 or even 5) would be not only a good idea, but also not that hard to do, seeing as similar new nissans offer a manual tranny

Scottwax

iTrader: (8)

Hopefully they correct the CVT transmission only issue by adding a 6 speed. The new Maxima is a great looking car but the 6 speed Altimas quicker...but not nearly as nice inside. Kind of wish there wasn't that trade-off. The flagship of the product line should not only have the nicest styling and interior but should also have the best acceleration too.

Evgeniy

Looks like all the engineers (Except Rolls-Royce) are following the concept of aerodynamic Japanese style for sports cars. Yes it is Better and more efficient, but it got boring. They all look the same, and most likely, soon all the engineers in every single car manufacture will come up with the same design of the car. Like you can already predict every single new series that will come in the next year. I am sure there are much more cars that will be epic and beautiful in the square or more cubic design with modern designers ideas.
1991 Mercedes Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution or BMW M3 E30 are epic. This aerodynamic idea got way to boring except for the Citroen's Gran Turismo or Caparo T1.

BigPete

iTrader: (2)

they should add the 7speed CVT thats in the new 370z and put the VQ35HR in the car with an optional 6speed manual.

also the manager at my local stealership told me the max will most likely have a diesel version in years to come.

BigPete

iTrader: (2)

or put the vq37hr in it... that would be great.

dkmura

The 370Z's optional seven-speed tranny is not a CVT, it's a conventional automatic. Neither of the 370Z trannys will work in the Max since both are designed for RWD. The Maxima also requires a transverse tranny for the N-S location of the VQ35. While many enthusiasts on this board lament the lack of a manual tranny option for the Maxima, the point is that there's simply not enough demand for them! Get over it and realize that the Maxima's third gen CVT represents the brand's progressive view for the future. And if you've gotta have a manual tranny, both the 370Z and/or G37 are products that have outstanding ones!

tyler5619

iTrader: (7)

see: 2002-2003 6spd max.

IIRC, the 2002 6spd was a testing grounds for the 350z, and with such great response, they continued to offer it in 2003.

the 6spd max had the same transmission as the Z.

gizzsdad

Not even close. The Z tranny would stick out through the left front wheelwell, probably between the spokes of the wheel, preventing it from spinning/turning.

I have two modest hopes for the 10. Add the cooled seat for the passenger and tighten up the low speed steering a bit.

One change I remember for the 2nd year of the 6th gen was the replacing of the plastic trim painted to look like brushed aluminum(SE's)with more durable material.

nalc

iTrader: (11)

Obviously, it's not the exact same transmission, but the same gears could be used.

A RWD transmission has a flywheel, gears behind it, and then an output shaft coming out of the other end as the engine, which connects to the driveshaft.

A FWD transmission has a flywheel, then a chain or a large gear that allows the transmission gearbox to be parallel with the crankshaft, rather than an extension of the crankshaft. Then, the differential is built at the end of it.

You could take a RWD transmission, take it apart, and build it in a FWD configuration. GM did it in the 60s when they made the Turbo 425. They took a Turbo 400, a RWD auto transmission, chopped it in half, reversed the rear half to face forwards, and put in a chain to connect the two halves. Then they called it a Turbo 425 and put it in their FWD cars.

I mean, obviously it's not plug and play, but they don't have to design a transmission from scratch to have a FWD 6 or 7 speed. They can take a 370Z gearbox and just redesign the flywheel and output shaft areas and put it in a FWD transaxle housing, keeping the same gear ratios and other good characteristics of the original gearbox.

CT Maxima

Within the last year, the United States had a "warning heart attack" with respect to energy prices. It took a massive worldwide recession to reign-in out of control hydrocarbon prices. Hopefully, we have learned the lesson and will set a course for a new energy source.

Diesel fuel has been anointed the "fuel of the future." Has everyone forgotten that it also comes from a barrel of oil? Yes, there is biodiesel; but there is not enough acreage and growing seasons to make enough biodiesel to drive our cars. We are fooling ourselves if we continue to rely on the severing of a hydrogen to carbon bond for our energy source.

Electric cars are the future. Where the electricity will come from is the question. Battery technology is also not where it needs to be. This country needs innovations to solve these problems. Shuffling and re-dealing dog-eared cards will only make the arabs chuckle at our foolishness.

trackstarz04

iTrader: (2)

I agree. They should put a 6 speed back in. That's one thing I regret about the newer maximas ('07-'09)

lightonthehill

PLEASE forget this manual Maxima nonsense. The '09 Maxima fills a totally different position than the Maximas of olden days.

Nissan told us very clearly back in 2002 that the Maxima was being taken 'upstream' to near-luxury flagship status, and its historic role as an affordable 4DSC would be filled by an upscale 3.5 Altima.

They did exactly that.

With a limited production (around 70K, as contrasted with around 250K for the Altima), it is not economically practical to have a manual option in the Maxima.

Where were all these 'gotta have a manual' fans between 1996 and 2006 when Nissan kept producing a manual Maxima and manual sales dwindled from 5% to 2%? Manual Maxima sales were so difficult dealers would not accept them. They simply sat on the lot wasting a space until the dealer let them go below cost.

The '09 Maxima is a very nicely appointed, stylish family sedan with a sporty edge. The target customer base for this car would have less than 3% interested in a manual. Nissan would be throwing away money if they produced a manual version of the '09 Maxima. They would be very lucky to sell 2,000 manual Maximas grand total nationwide.

This new CVT, despite rumors here to the contrary, is more efficient than either a manual or automatic. Those who insist on a manual need to find the boards of a vehicle that has a manual.

When target audience, number to be built, dealer attitude, past sales of manual Maximas, etc, etc, are all considered, Nissan would be foolish to put a manual in this '09 Maxima.

dkmura

Light- another excellent summation of the MT vs. CVT controversy. Despite some protests, there simply isn't a good business case to put forth in offering a MT option for the Max. And during these troubled times, NOBODY (least of all Nissan) can make a bad decision that costs them HUGE money.

trackstarz04

iTrader: (2)

Ok. This makes more sense. I didn't realize that they were in such limited production. Is this possibly the reason that they aren't advertised on Nissan commercials very often?

lightonthehill

I think you are somewhat correct on this. When times were fairly good (back in the summer), there were far more Altima ads than for the '09 Maxima. I did see a strong flurry of '09 Maxima ads in late summer and into fall (usually showing a light-colored Premium running side-by-side with a dark colored Sport, emphasizing this could be a 'sports' car or a 'luxury' car). But by November, they had virtually disappeared. I think this disappearence was greatly due to the collapse of auto sales in general. For the last two months, most Nissan ads have been very generic, showing pics of lots of different Nissan products.

With this recession, unless something unexpected pops up, Nissan may have trouble selling 50K '09 Maximas. But Nissan is still doing better than many other makes.

trackstarz04

iTrader: (2)

Yes, I've noticed that in general they advertise the altima much more. This is probably because of the current state of the economy with people wanting to spend less on cars and getting better fuel efficiency.