And I will readily admit that I agree with you that the Sonato and Optima are among the top choices in their class for good looking, economical and reliable transportation that can be reasonably fun to drive.

It is just that the new Altima seems to have mesmerized those testing it, and they are uniformly of the opinion that this car is unusually outstanding for its price, and will be a huge seller.

 

i have to admit, i had fun reading this thread.

 

My Brother-in-Law works for a local Nissan dealer, he said Nissan told them 2 years ago that the 2013 Alti was intended as a Max replacement. They might bring the Max back in a few years.... TIFWIW.

 

would make sense though.

But I've read statements that the next gen Max is in development so who knows

 

I don't know about that one.. It would really depend on the sales. I've recently searched for Maximas and they are not really that many available leading me to believe that they are selling well... I hope it's not true. Either I'm not getting the '14. I wouldn't want to get the 1st yr model.

 

I still see almost ten times as many Altimas on the road than I do Maximas. I always hear the Maxima is Nissan's "flagship" car but they seem to flood the market with Altimas.

 

In this case, "flagship" doesn't mean market leader. It means it's their "highest end" car.

 

Makes sense. Good reason to take the Max over an Alt.

 

Exactly.

'Flagship' means 'high end' or 'top notch'; the vehicle the company feels is symbolic of their very best work.

By contrast, the Altima is their 'mass-produced common car for everyman.'

Nissan plans on selling around 250,000 of their mid-priced, mid-sized Altimas each year, but only around 70,000 of their upscale, up-priced flagship Maximas.

A simple glance at the price structure of these two cars makes it very obvious there is NO MARKET INTERCHANGABILITY between these two vehicles. The Altima is priced roughly between $20K and $30K, while the Maxima is priced roughly between $32K and $42K. These are TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT TARGET AUDIENCES.

'02 Style's brother-in-law must have poor inside contacts. Ghosn himself has already told us some of the things to look for on the 8th gen Maxima. He made it clear the 8th gen would be clearly better than the Altima, and also mentioned that it would have a wider platform.

I never understood where these never-ending rumors regarding the demise of the Maxima originate. Never made a lick of sense.

 

Me either, it has been going on since 02 when they started Upscaling the Max and dropped production from 125k to roughly 80k units a yr that yr.......Which was intentionally done. This car from 02 to current and in the future has been a much less produced car and will continue to be. This car along with the Z series are the oldest names and most Iconic Nissan/Datsuns in North America and both have a strong loyal following.

 

MONTE - Your statement not only is very true, but clearly applies to me. I have owned NO VEHICLES since October of 1984 except Nissan Maximas.

More than that, I fell in love with the Datsun 810 in 1977, and the Datsun 810 had its name changed to Datsum 810 Maxima in 1981, then simplified to Datsun Maxima in 1982. That 1981 Datsun 810 Maxima was the first year of the first gen Maxima, which was the only gen I never owned.

I couldn't afford the Datsun 810 in 1977 (I had two kids headed to college), so bought a Datsun 200SX instead. But the 810 predecessor of the Maxima was the car that I carried in my heart until I was able to afford a 1985 Maxima in October 1984. Actually, I bought TWO 1985 Maximas, one for my wife, and one for me.

Here are four other points I seldom mention -

1 - I rode in a Datsun pickup in Yokohama in 1959. That was my first contact with Datsuns. That truck was extremely small. There is a Datsun pickup very similar to the one in which I rode sitting in the lobby of the Smyrna Nissan assembly plant.

2 - I had a friend who gave me rides in her baby blue Datsun 2000 roadster in the late 1960s, and I loved that car.

3 - When the Z cars arrived in the early 1970s, I drooled over them, but, with two very active children, my rational wife wisely insisted on a 4 door sedan.

4 - Then I came close to buying a Datsun 510, but when the 810 came out, I was totally besmitten with that car.

So I feel I belong to that 'strong loyal following' you mentioned. I already have the money sitting in the bank awaiting the 8th gen Maxima. Ghosn would have to screw up the 8th gen bigtime to keep me out of one.

 

^^damn your old as hell!! Just kidding

 

I just saw the 2013 Altima and I immediately thought, Nissans flagship 4cylinder sedan, if I ever had to replace my Maxima with an Altima it would be a nicely equipped 4cylinder model, but I much prefer the Maxima anyday

 

I'm anxious to see what the next gen Altima coupe looks like.

 

Yeah, my nightmare was a V6/MT/rwd Altima. Then I awoke under the car and finished the Eibach install.

 

You just thought you were kidding. I could talk all day about driving my new 1949 Studebaker Champion Deluxe black four door sedan along the Blue Ridge Parkway before half the Parkway was even built.

 

I don't know how it is in other areas, but in NJ, the Nissan dealers are advertising heavily on low leasing rates across all models. Altima for $159 per month. Likely a teaser rate, but still...159 gets you a lot of car for the money.

On the other hand, it is like a locust swarm of Altimas in these parts.

I do notice the Hyundai copied the glass roof idea lately. But then again, Nissan copied it from Mercedes.

 

Did you know that the Maxima handling was benchmarked against the 911 gt3?

Oh and the Altima's seats are NASA tech?

 

I have only seen 1 roaming in the wild here in the DFW area and none in S.Cal in the wild yet.

 

No I did not, but I also enjoy seeing Altimas on the road cause it means one less Camry

 

Yes, the Altima comes with zero gravity front seats which are based on NASA technology.

 

ok just saw the new 13 alti in person and I'm not at all impressed.

the kia optima and sonata will continue to dominate this segment, in many ways i do wish I got the optima hybrid. They are great looking sedans and look even better when fixed up properly.

 

only reason i wouldnt take the 13 altima over my maxima is looks and handling... my mom just got the 13 altima 3.5 sv a week ago and it is pretty nice... some stuff i hope the next maxima has

 

Problem is, there not dominating this segment, even with the new Camry and some older Altima's out there, the Camry, Altima, and Accord still are dominating this segment. I suspect it to get even worse once the new Altima is out in full forth and the new Accord later this year. Optima and Sonata will be the dated ones, especially when sales numbers are concerned.

 

U may be right, il check the sales figures for last 3 quarters.

But considering where hyundai kia started, they have done a great job.

 

The boring azz Camry continues to dominate, but the Sonata and Optima has some pretty impressive sales numbers combining the 2

June 2012 sales:
Camry-32,107
Malibu-31,402
Accord-28,924 (includes coupes)
Fusion-24,433
Altima-21,812 (includes coupes)
Sonata-20,931
Optima-13,393
Passat-10,252
200-10,871
Avenger-9,404
6-1,410

 

As far as looks, I'd take the Passat over the Alt.

 

VW sales have improved but quality has dropped, when even the car mags say you have an excellent car but its not worth the purchase cause of the drop in quality then that is bad

 

I just want to put my 2 cents in!! The Maxima is one of the best cars in the 40k price range you can drive or own, and I have driven them all! The power, options and driveabilty is far above all the rest in this segment!! The others have to come up a few notches to compare!! My opinion!!! PS this is the 17th new car I have purchased and my first Max! Always wanted one just didn't have the funds!! PSS All my other cars were not civic's or as the such!!

 

Yea I've been hearing that.

 

Wow this is deep rooted discussion about the Altima...don't get me wrong the 13' Altima looks very good IMO, however I don't necessarily believe it a downgrade from a Maxima. It certainly will be a common car that everyone wants or what they are driving just like sea of Accords and Camrys. Maximas are more of a poor man's BMW's. Only real disappointment I have with the current Max is the lack of manual tranny or real auto since they are using cvt. Additionally the price is a bit steep for it when you can move into a Infiniti G37 in the same price range when you can truly feel luxurious and sporty at the same time where I feel the maxima lack in the "sportiness" dept.

 

I think most of us pretty much agree with most of this, except maybe the price comparison with the G37. You are right that the Maxima price is a bit steep, but around where I live, Nissan dealers deal, while Infiniti dealers are not quite as giving.

Depending on the situation, a base G37 will set you back thousands more than a base Maxima in my area. Same thing for a loaded G37 compared to a loaded Maxima. I'm sure there are some areas where Infiniti dealers are more desperate for sales and are willing to deal. For some drivers, that price difference will be worth it. Infinitis are very good vehicles.

For me, a primary difference between the Maxima and the G37 is FWD vs RWD. I am among those who much prefer FWD (I want the power wheels under the heaviest half of the car), while other folks prefer RWD. All a matter of preference.

I'm sure you understand that, whether we like it or not, manual trannies are growingly becoming a nostalgic relic of the past. Manuals are now the least efficient form of tranny. For most driving situations, manuals are now more a fun thing than an effective means of powering a vehicle.

The push to ever higher fuel efficiency means that manuals will eventually become an extra cost option available on either mass produced cars such as the Altima or higher priced luxury sports cars such as the BMW. Also eventually, as the CVT grows ever more capable and more efficient, it will dominate the tranny market. That is because any tranny that shifts will be less fuel efficient and less power efficient than a tranny that never has to shift.

I'm sure you and I agree the release of the 8th gen Maxima will almost assuredly negate this temporary discussion regarding the '13 Altima and the Maxima. There will be no question which will be the most desirable vehicle.

 

One good reason to get the Max over the Alt is that females riding in Altimas are easier to pick up since you're on a higher level than them.

 

I sat in the '13 Altima over the weekend while getting my first free oil change.

I wasn't blown away by any stretch. It is a decent car for the money (about 30k with the usual options), but the cabin was not that impressive, feature-wise. And the exterior was very Camry-wise.

 

saw them lined up at nissan dealer. nice looking but def still an altima. the maxima has more presence to it, no doubt. but nice car.

 

First of all, manufacturers will always play leap frog with models since they can't realistically do multiple revamps in the same model year. Secondly, the front end of the 2013 alt looks like the new, ugly style that Lexus has adopted. The front end of my 2012 max has me staring out my office window at it all day! It looks so f**king cool! The real question to ask is how many 2013 alt owners would rather have a 2012 max if they could afford it? I'm guessing quite a few!

 

Love the max.. The altima looks good, but it is not aggressive. As far as comparing it to the passat, that car is also mainstream (vanilla), i would rather compare it with the CC..

 

Was ready to buy the 2013 V-6 Altima. Took the wife to choose a color, she liked the car, the seats etc. but when she reached for the passanger power seat there was not any. It is a manual seat for a car that list for over $30K. Once she sat in the Maxima she was sold, loved the test drive (way better handling than the Altima) and with the Nissan $4000 reabte the price difference was only $6K. Bought the Maxima and never looked back and can't be any happier.

 

LOL your right





Who copied who???

 

If you ask me, the 13 alt simply looks as if Nissan took a pile of various components and threw them together. If you look at each area/section of the Alt, they all look cool but together there isn't any overall tie in like the Max or for that matter, the 12 alt. try this test, close your eyes and try to picture the 13 alt as if you were standing 30 feet away from it in a parking lot. Can you picture the car in its entirety or do you just see the new tailings, the rear fender line and the new grill? See what I mean, no overall impression, just components.