Nice to see the Maxima is selling strong for Nissan in the Premium Upscale Sedan Category!!

Impala 20,623 +10.2%
Taurus 6,466 +98.2%
Maxima 6,349 +4.4%
LaCrosse 5,452 +211.9%
Avalon 3,029 -5.7%
Azera 218

I can't believe that piece of **** Impala sells that well. Its a cheap, ugly monstrosity. 70-80% of its sales has to be for fleet to get those kinds of numbers!

 

How in the world can the words Premium or Upscale be used to describe an Impala?

 

Rental car fleets...

 

It has to be.

And yea, premium upscale Piece of poop.

 

Exactly, no way in the hell is the Impala is a premium car. Someones car groupings is screwed up! Avalon is, LaCrosse is, Azera debatable. The Impala and Taurus are just full size cars...........I rent them for work and that is what they are classified as. I can tell you this in recent months it is hard as hell to get a Maxima as a rental with National or Hertz as an upgrade, the lady told me once that everyone ask for the Max and they don't last but a hot sec on the lot....ughhh.

 

 

^^^^^^^

maybe they are referring to the 94-96 Impala?



lol j/k

 

We would hope so lmao

 

Consumer Reports rates the 2010 Impala 18th out of 20 cars tested in the 'Family Sedan' category. CU has the Maxima in a different classification: 'Upscale Sedans.'

The Impala MSRP ranges from $23890 to $29630, while the Maxima MSRP BEGINS at $30,460 and can run up to around $40,000. These two vehicles cannot be considered as being in the same category under any circumstances. I might tolerate comparing the Impala with the Altima, but anyone who knows cars would choose the Altima over the Impala any day of the week.

Excerpts from what CU says of the Impala:

'Sounds Coarse'
'Body lean is noticable'
'Ride is unsettled'
'Wind noise is pronounced'

And the clincher:

'The Impala scores too low to be recommended'

The only explanations I can see for the Impala buying surge would be fleet buying, and a buying public that bought GM products all their life, but held off during the crisis of the past year and a half, afraid GM was going under. Now that same group of GM fans is relieved America did not lose its largest car manufacturer, and is thinking buying GM products will be 'good for the country.' Add to that the fact Chevrolet has been giving very nice discounts and incentives to get folks back in GM products.

Unless Chevy has improved their reliability, many of these Impala buyers will be looking elsewhere for their next ride.

 

Listen, everyone is getting their panties in a bunch about the car grouping. I didn't make this grouping, this is what I've seen car and news mags group them into because not so much of the title "premium" or "upscale" but because they are all considered large sedans or the flagship (top level sedan) for each respective car maker!

I agree with you all though, the Impala is far from premium or upscale! That thing is just a big piece of ****! Remember, almost all of its sales are to rental fleets and gov't/police vehicles, etc so I would suspect the sales to actual consumers to be the lowest in this group!

Just don't get all hang up on the grouping and names (its hard to classify the Maxima into a specific group because of its level and status)! The point is the Maxima is selling really well for Nissan, which is a good thing!

 

Hey , you guys have to admit when they were makin the SS Impalas in 06-08 those were pretty nice, and they had I believe 5.2l V8's linked up to a 5spd auto, that would burn any Maxima, not hating just giving credit where it's due.

 

Here's my "Monstrosity" of a car, lol.

 

Over here there is at least twice as many Lacrosses and Taurus roaming the streets looking for trouble then the 7th Gen Max.

Sidenote: I see ridiculous amounts of S5s driving around town. For every 1 A5 I see at least 10-12 S5s. It has kind of ruined the car seeing it so much.

 

no offense, but yuck!

They are almost as bad as a Camry.

I do like the last real impala's that were built though! (94-96).

 

Its all good man Im just trying to get rid of it so I can get a Maxima.

 

Same here in New York, lots of S5's I never see any S6's or S4's but all these mn S5's I don't even like the car anymore.

 

 

Lol, Thanks smarty, I knew this coming out of my mouth would make you proud, lmao.

 

ManI really love these forums, even If I could afford a G37 coupe, I would still get a Maxima just so I can stick around here and hang out with all the great people we have here.

 

I thought this would be fitting review to go with that original sales list. Sorry no impalla in the review though.


http://www.helium.com/items/1701566-...10-ford-taurus

Also here is a more complete list from club lexus of how the max compares to other lux cars ie tl and g37.

 

That is exactly the kind of classification stuff I'm talking about! Sub-entry level, near-luxury? What the hell does that even mean? Its either entry-level or upscale/premium sedan there is no sub entry level, entry level is entry level!

Others say that entry-level and premium/upscale are the same classifications, who knows, I certainly don't. Because everyone says something different.

If people want to call the Maxima entry-level luxury go right ahead, the premium package gives you features that you normally could only get in a full luxury sedan over 50k so on features alone, the word luxury could be used to describe the Max but the "sub-entry level" or "near luxury" titles are all bull****! It's either a premium (upscale) sedan, like the Taurus, Avalon, etc or a entry-level lux sedan (TL, G37, IS, etc)!

I don't know, call it anything you like, its a bit**in car no matter what it is classified as and from a distance, I've mistaken it for a luxury sedan!

 

I can agree with the classifications themselves while the names are debateable. What's with the 1 Series being in the same category as the Max? Should it not be in Coupe?

 

The problem is that those doing the classification are trying to put cars in 'boxes', and some cars just don't fit in 'boxes.' For instance, How many Maxima-sized FWD sporty family sedans in the $30K to $40K price range are out there? Wherever they put the Maxima, it is invariably compared with vehicles that are different in significant ways.

I consider the Maxima to be the very best in its class because it is the ONLY car in its exact class. All cars differ from the Maxima in some significant aspect.

 

 

1/4 Mile ET: 14.587
1/4 Mile MPH: 95.709

Stock 2008 Impala SS from dragtimes..actual results. If the SS has any advantage it would not be noticeable. More torque but the 4 speed auto negates any advantages.

 

Closest car to the Max is the FWD Acura TL, similiar in size/available features and mission (sporty larger size sedan).

 

After looking around at other possible candidates, I feel you are probably correct. The TL has a shifting tranny, but actually fits in rather well with the Maxima in almost all other details.

Luckily, the Maxima is faster off the line, and has a more attractive front end. Those two details tend to offset the fact the TL has the more upscale Acura name, and what some feel are higher scale interior materials.

 

Correct Light that Acura name is what it has going for it (doesn't mean nothing to me or most of us), and the interior is debatable, exterior no contest Max. Since about 02 the TL has really been the closet competitor to the Max and in the 02/03 Max brochure they have it as a competitor, despite that "Acura" badge! There have been a few comparos with it vs the Max since 02 but most say the Max actually compares well to it but since the inception of the Infiniti G35 in 02 as an 03 model they compare it to the TL mostly do the brand name Acura/vs Infiniti!

 

That makes sense to compare Honda's upscale Acura against Nissan's upscale Infiniti. Toyota's upscale Lexus line does not have a direct competitor to the TL or Maxima. The ES is a four door sedan that is similar in power, size and price, but is a freeway floater with nothing sporty about it.

 

Very true about Lexus! The closest thing they have would be the IS350 but while that is very similar in displacement and HP, size and features are no where near the TL or Maxima so again its a tuff call! The ES certainly will be a good comparison in size and total output but its driving dynamics, etc don't really come close to the TL or Maxima and is now the LaCrosse competitor!

 

avalon compares directly to max, also see saab 9-5 & mitsu diamente. Audi A6 fwd with cvt is a nice comparison.

 

Avalon compares in size and price, but has never been advertised or promoted as a 'sporty' sedan. I have felt for years that when I turn age 90, I will probably switch from decades of Maximas to an Avalon. The Avalon is a fine car. But heed Consumer Reports' words: 'uninspiring', 'far from sporty', 'overly light steering.' And I haven't even mentioned the Toyota 'runaway' problem (DO NOT believe Toyota when they say certain vehicles are not subject to the runaway problem. They have already been wrong four times with that spiel).

Saab 9-5 prices range from $42,000 to $52,000, depending on options, with V6 versions nearer $50,000, so this car does not qualify as an 'affordable family sedan', and is not exactly a sales competitor of the Maxima, which can be driven off the lot for between $22,840 and $34,600, depending on equipment.

Worse, Consumer reports shows the Saab 9-5 to be a rather unreliable vehicle through 2007, and did not even get enough response from Saab 9-5 owners to give the car a reliability rating in '08 or '09. I remember seeing only ONE Saab 9-5 in the last year or so. I had to look closely to even identify it. I don't even know if there is a Saab dealer within an hour's drive of me.

The Mitsubishi Diamante - What am I missing here? Mitsubishi announced six years ago the Diamante was being dropped. Recent years of Consumer Reports never mention the Diamante. Even if it still exists, having NEVER EVEN SEEN a 2010 Diamante, I would hardly consider it to be a competitor of the Maxima.

The Audi A6 price range is from $45,200 to $76,100. Even if the price of the base CVT A6 is near the bottom of that range, it does not qualify as an 'affordable family sedan' that would be in competition with the base Maxima. Neither would a loaded version be in competition with a loaded Maxima.

Even worse, Consumer Reports says the Audi A6 'is beginning to show its age', shows the A6 has never been a very reliable vehicle, did not even have enough subscriber response to give a reliability rating for the '09 model, rates the A6 as 'much worse than average' (black ball) in owner costs, and does not recommend the A6.

In summary, the Avalon could be considered a bland, non-sporty competitor of the Maxima. The Diamante, if it still exists, is not even mentioned in several car mag summaries I just checked. The Saab 9-5 and Audi A6 are for folks who wish to spend nearer $50,000, and are not in direct competition with the Maxima, which can be had absolutely LOADED for $34,600 or less.

 

For us here in Canada with the price being in the $40k fully loaded that does change things around for direct comparisons. While I agree that what the Maxima does offer puts it into a category by itself these simple comparisons posted a few posts above are really loosely based on price point period. I agree with the list above in that the Maxima should be categorized with Taurus, Lacrosse, Avalon, TSX (and very very basic TL), Genesis (4 door only), S40, A4, Regal, and maybe 9-3. I left out the two hatchbacks and the coupe. For me these were all in the same price range, had four doors and most had V6 options and if not had a peppy I4 or I5 each of which I could give you a list of what I like and didn't like which I am sure no one really cares about. If you look at my previous cars that I have owned you will notice that I like a car that can take me on a very spirited drive when I wanted or need it to be. While there were other cars I would have looked at, and probably invested quite a bit more time into, if I had say $10k more to play with for me dollar for dollar the Max was the only car on that list that could do that, looked great doing it, and actually felt like I was driving a car in the 21st century, all of which was important to me. Also I have a thing about driving base models that just doesn't sit right with me so that knocked quite a few off the list as well (if only I had a dollar for every 1.8T I saw driving around).

 

I'm trying to figure out why Blufame mentioned the Diamante as you are correct Light that that car has been out of production for years now! It was never really popular and the earlier ones had a lot of engine probs as did lots of Mitsu's from that era.

 

Wow! I had forgotten that a loaded Maxima costs around $6,000 MORE in Canada than in the U.S., while mostr cars do not differ so radically between Canada and the U.S.

I'm glad you named the A4 instead of the A6, and the 9-3 instead of the 9-5. The A4 and 9-3 are not as nice as the A6 and 9-5, but are more comparable in price to the Maxima. I found your comparisons logical as far as price.

I think some cars tend to be sort of regional. For instance, Maximas are a dime a dozen in the Metro Atlanta area, and I see other 7th gen Maximas every time I leave my driveway. But when touring in the northern Rockies, northern great plains, and a few other areas of the country, I usually see few Maximas of any vintage.

Saab is a car that I almost never see in the Atlanta metro area (I'm sure less than one car in a thousand around Atlanta is a Saab). But last time I was in Connecticutt, I saw Saabs everywhere I went. Go figure.

Subarus tend to be more popular up north, because of needing 4 wheel drive for the long winters. In the south, Subarus are very popular in the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountain areas (snow in winter), but not so much in flat areas.

I certainly agree with you that the Maxima is very tough to beat, dollar-for-dollar.

 

I agree, Maxima's of all generation are very region dependent. You see lots of them in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, NYC area. In Seattle, Portland, Vegas, Denver, Minneapolis, all cities I have been recently for work I hardly see any.

 

ok, i take back the mitsu, 05 was the last year. I thought they still made them and nobody bought it.

dollar for dollar altimaV6 is hard to beat.

 

Dollar for dollar, I can't argue with that. The Altima is Consumer Reports top rated family sedan, and the V6 is very solid in every way.

I think the main reason the Altima V6 is not selling as well as it might is because it looks just like the 4 cylinder Altima that dealers let go for as little as $16,900, and with which all roads and parking lots are filled to overflowing. Many folks try to give their rather mundane lives a tad of individuality by opting for a car that does not have a million similar 'copies' on the road.

 

While that is true light about the V6 Altima, I think Nissan does it to themselves. They don't produce enough of them to sell and have been told my multiple salesman and managers over the years, they don't like having them on the lot because they take away from the Maxima, especially the new and improved 7th Gen Maxima, because they try to push that more expensive car is the way to go if you want a V6 and that the Altima is better for the fuel efficient 4cyl choice! The Altima V6 throws this Altima I4 and Maxima V6 logic into chaos and so the dealerships don't want them.

 

I dont think that's true, dealers will sell whatever they can, problem is altima shoppers are budget oriented and they want the most money for the car, I4 is not too slow for most people so they get that.
I feel sometime in the future nissan will combine altima-maxima and offer maxima as a trim level on the altima.