Trust me, its a sales failure. Its never been anywhere near the sales its competition, the M, 5 or E series have been. Its been constantly at the bottom of the luxury sedan class with the RL and A6 when it comes to sales and I've never seen it at or near the top of any comparison tests in the luxury sedan class either. You could blame some of it on sales incentive to a point I guess but the LS is priced even higher and does very well in the flagship luxury sedan class against BMW and MB so there is no reason the GS shouldn't for the luxury sedan class. Some of it has to do with the car itself.

 

Well Lexus are funny in comparisons, they tend to get the best rankings on Ergonomics/interior quality and styling, but not so good in the handling etc.....Its a give or take. RL absolutley no ones buys that thing and it has been drab for all generations..... While on the subject of comparisons the Max has not been in one since 06 (one with more than 1 of its so called competitors present), when it was compared to the Avalon, Lacrosse, 300, Ford five hundred etc at C/D where it managed 3rd.

 

Oh there are definitely some things the GS does nicely, I just don't think its a well rounded car overall. I think the ES and LS are better in those regards but Lexus has never really been about sport performance or abilities so its not surprising, though that is suppose to change, so they say

In regards to the Maxima, I too would love to see it in a comparison test with the premium flagship sedans to see how it fairs. Personally, I think it is the best of them all, sales seem to prove that, but vehicles like the Avalon and Lacrosse have a completely different drivability and characteristics then the Maxima does.

 

from my driving experience, the lexus ES feels mushy and soft. feels like a econo car with a lot of leather and chrome trim. It does not have that solid, strong feel of a a35 maxima. It doesn't have any composure when making turns, it just feels wobbly.

not sure of the GS because I've never driven one.

I'm sure the LS460 is a different feel.

 

ES, Avalon, and LaCrosse all have that kind of driving experience. I can see how its appealing for a long/grind commuting five days a week so its peaceful as possible, but then when you want to have some fun on the weekends, etc they don't deliver, like the Maxima can.

 

I don't picture the ES, Avalon or Lacrosse as direct competition. Those cars are so soft in appearance and performance.

I see it more as CTS, V6 Accord & TL competitor.

People keep calling is luxury, while the 7th gen has luxurious features it has always been the driver's(meaning it's a little more sporty) car in comparisons.

 

You are correct in everything except suggesting the V6 Accord is a competitor with the Maxima. That is not the case. The V6 Accord competes DIRECTLY AND EXACTLY with the V6 Altima and the V6 Camry. All three are very close in performance, HP, torque, price, and target audience.

By contrast, depending on options, Maxima MSRPs can be north of $40K. Maxima is a near-luxury vehicle, but with very sporty driving characteristics.

Do not be misled by the price of the base 'S' entry level Maxima. Comparing the base 'S' Maxima with the top-of-the-line V6 Accords, Camrys and Altimas is like comparing any entry level product with any premium version of another product; rather meaningless.

Had you listed the G37 instead of the V6 Accord, then your view of things would be in aggreement with most auto fans.

 

Yeah but that would be cannibalism for Nissan so I left it off.

 

The Max/G debaggle has been goin on since 02 when the 03G and upgraded 3.5 Max was introduced........Between the two its just a matter of preference.

 

Gimmie the Max looks with the G's powertrain. I think I am so obsessed with 7th gen's looks.

 

.Uh HUH

 

+1

 

Given that we are all pretty much smitten by the 7th gen's looks and performance, I present this question, and it's mainly for those of us who've owned numerous incarnations of Maxima's....


Which generation do you think had the best balance of everything??

 

Well I have own every model of MAXIMA fr 89 up...and I think this 7Gen tops it..because of the agressive body and comfort...which I like, also I had never had a bad experience with them..

Well here in Queens, NY, lots of 7Gen...and I think there no other city in this country have more Maxima than the 5boro's/LI here in NY..just my observation fr driving around..

 

To me the 7th Gen Maxima is most directly comparable to an Acura TL. Both are front wheel drive, four door, luxury "sports cars"....of course the TL is a little more luxurious with a hefty price tag to boot. It would be nice if Nissan fallowed Acura's lead and offered an AWD Maxima.

It's comparable to the G25/37 but you get M size for G money if you know what I mean.

In my mind the Maxima fits into the nitch market of a sporty car with respectable performance that can still carry the kids and the groceries. If you want a somewhat affordable sedan that won't make you feel like your ***** have been clipped then the Maxima is for you. I should coin that and sell it to Nissan...

 

Difficult question, because earlier Maxima generations should be judged against the competition of their period. We should also keep in mind Nissan has changed the role of the Maxima with each of the last two generations.

I have been driving since around 1946, and began my serious road driving around 1949. After around thirty years of driving American cars, I decided in 1978 that there had to be something better somewhere. I found a Datsun 200SX 5 speed manual that I immediately loved, and drove until the 1985 Maximas arrived in October of 1984.

Those 1985 Maximas were the best vehicle available for the price at that time. I bought one for my wife and one for myself in October of '84, and fell totally in love with that car. Later generations of Maximas were of course more advanced, with more features. But I drove my '85 for 206,000 wonderful miles, and had an emotional attachment to that car that I have never had with any other vehicle.

But, as each new Maxima generation arrived, I moved to that generation, and was always very happy with performance, looks and reliability.

If we ignore the fact features we have today were not available in the past, then we must accept that the 7th generation is the most advanced and best equipped Maxima ever. I love the way it performs, have never been more comfortable driving a car, and have goodies and features I haven't yet discovered in over two years of driving.

I have yet to have any significant problem of any kind with my 7th gen, and love the aggressive styling. It is going to be very difficult to part with this car when the 8th generation Maxima arrives.

My vote: The 7th generation Maxima.

 

Holy crap...your father time of Maximas...lol. Seriously though....I appreciated the insightful breakdown by someone who has seen every rendition of the Maxima.

I think Nissan upped the ante on the 7th generation. I personally think they dropped the ball on the 8th gen but have gotten back to their 4DSC roots on the latest edition.

 

Maxims Gens:
1st - 1981-1984
2nd -1985-1988
3rd - 1990-1994
4th - 1995-1999
5th - 2000-2003
6th - 2004-2008
7th - 2009-present

I think you meant to say Nissan dropped the ball on the 6th gen, but picked the ball up again with the 7th gen. I loved my 6th gen, which was the roomiest Maxima ever built, and was as smooth as silk. But you are correct in that it strayed from the 4DSC concept.

Nissan told us in 2002 that the 6th gen Maxima would be moved to an upscale-near-luxury flagship, and it was. But by 2006, Ghosn and the Nissan hierarchy rethought things, and moved the 7th gen back toward the true roots of the Maxima, although at a higher, more richly equipped level.

I did not own the 1st generation Maxima, which was the only RWD Maxima generation, but carpooled with a friend who did. The Maxima was actually a redesign and replacement of the Datsun 810, which was a very excellent car that I almost bought in 1978, but chose the sporty 5 speed manual Datsun 200SX instead.

Some here may not remember that the first generation Maxima had a diesel option, and my friend had a diesel Maxima. I loved the styling of that 1st gen Maxima, and was already anticipating the release of the FWD 2nd generation when it arrived in October of 1984, and had money saved to buy two; one for my wife and one for me.

That 1985 2nd generation Maxima had the 3.0 engine from the Z, but Nissan had to turn the engine sideways to fit it into the engine compartment, and that put the oil filter up against the firewall, where it was very difficult to change.

But I ramble . . .

 

saw a dark blue a35 on the road today, dang it looked menacing!!! the stout shoulders with the slanted headlights looked sinister!

 

Actually the upscaling started with the 02 and it was announced in 01 that production was going way down and features up that year and it got some what softer that yr as the Alti SE was starting its reign as Nissans "4DSC". Upscale features including HIDS, available memory seats, heated steering wheel etc etc, none of that was previously offered in the Max. The 04 brought some add'l optional features, things as available 4 seating etc, but the quality of materials used went way down that year for the Max and it was criticisized for it, 09+ is back on par. Production also dropped to well under 100k units for the 1st time in 02 in anticipation of the 02 SE/SL 3.5 Altima.

 

I agree the 2nd gen were great it was my 1st car (87) and I loved it, I remember when I got it lots of people were how did you get that etc etc (wish I had 1 now still as a spare car). One thing though, I'm talking about the base GL/GXE vs the 3rd gen GXE 89 and 4th gen GXE 95 base. The 2nd gen actually had more features standard than those 2 gens, here are a few things dropped as standrard equipment: 2 way power front seats, multi adjustable passenger seat, Equalizer, volt/ oil pressure guages, dashboard guages that let you know headlight/tailight was out, low coolant etc. For the 1st time with the 4th gen was the base Max offered with Hubcaps and a non power attenna.......I was like what back then!

 

well lexus and nissan models are flip sides of a coin..nissan beats lexus anyday.

 

Nissan always did inject a little more 'sport' character into the Maxima than Toyota ever put into their upper-line sedans or Lexus, at least up until recently. If you were conscious of that and it meant much to you, you were more inclined to shop 'Nissan'. Otherwise - and this is sort of a backhanded compliment - you chose 'inoffensive' and got a Toyota.

That may even be part of why Toyota and Honda have held the top spots among the Asian imports. Enthusiasts are always going to be the minority group, and the things that mean more to us mean nothing to those who buy their cars with about the same approach as they take toward buying a new range or refrigerator.

It's hard to compare across generations, as the automotive landscape is in a constant state of change. The 2nd Gen (1987) that we owned tested toward the top of what was available in 1986 with respect to most measures of performance, but wouldn't be there today. Even the 2001 20AE is overmatched by the 7th gen, though it was also toward the top of the sedan heap in its day. Both were a lot of car for the money.

I'm looking at the cars mostly from a vehicle dynamics point of view, because that's what I am most aware of about them when I'm driving. As long as the climate control is at least halfway decent, the seats are liveable for extended periods of time, and there's a radio with tape or CD capability I'm good to go.


Norm

 

I live in NM and part of the reason we got a Maxima is because they are VERY rare out here. The Altima on the other hand, damn, that car is everywhere.

We have never been on to follow everyone else. We wanted a car that stands out and has some personality. Can't do that with a boring or over populated car. So sucks for Nissan but good for us hahaha.

 

 

Here in Cypress, TX, a suburb of Houston, and I don't see any 7th Gen Maximas rolling around. That makes our purchase even more valuable.

This is our first foreign car purchase and I'm glad we went with Nissan. I found this website after our purchase and based on all the helpful info, it looks like we got the cream of the Maxima crop.

I'm sure we'll start seeing more Maximas or maybe I'm just partial to mine and blind to all others.

 

the a35 max as a design is one of a kind and breathtaking sexy...but I think it gets bad reputation because it's a nissan. let's face it, nissan has worst rep among japanese cars.

 

Funny, yeah. But maybe not in the way Ob intended.

Ob is missing the point of what a sports car is. It ISN'T really about the hard performance measurements, and it certainly isn't about luxury and utility. That's up in the "Grand Touring" or GT class. Not being able to separate what a sports car is from what the GT's are is a little like asking about Harley-Davidson motorcycles (if you have to ask, you wouldn't understand).


Norm

 

Two simple paragraphs. Yet they completely explain why Toyota and Honda are great sellers, and why Maxima drivers don't understand why the Maxima isn't selling like hotcakes.