Shipwreck

Blah. I reread that article. It's still speculation. *kicks a soda can*

guitarman

That rendering looks like a recycled Olds 98 / pontiac GP to me!

lightonthehill

Too many 'leaps of faith' in that article, as well as 'renderings' that are simply speculation. The 2015 Maxima will be announced this winter, and will be at dealers next spring. This article's suggestion that we will have a major NISMO version in fall a year from now is pie-in-the-sky. I have waited for this for decades, and have seen nothing.

The author is obviously sort of familiar with the situation surrounding many dozens of different cars, and, like most of us, likes to try to visualize what is coming down the pike. But he is clearly not very familiar with the manner in which Nissan has ALWAYS handled the Maxima.

The 2015 Maxima being introduced this winter will be a very polished machine, and I think most folks will love the styling. But it will NOT be mistaken for a GT-R in either styling or performance. It will be an affordable and reasonably roomy 4DR family sedan. Perhaps a tad more sporty than the 7th gen.

Nissan must hold a careful price line with the Maxima, which is upscale, but which is NOT their luxury division, and which is intended to have only around a 70K production run each year. This limits the amount of major upgrading or options that are economically practical. That is why we no longer have a manual or auto tranny option and have never had an AWD option.

But government fuel efficiency regulations are quickly becoming much stiffer, and Nissan will have no choice but to consider power plant options. Diesel? 2 litre turbo? Hybrid? The engine situation is the area I will be watching.

eclypsecl

iTrader: (2)

If Nissan keeps shafting the manual transmission and force feeding CVT garbage, I will definitely not be purchasing one..I need to row my own gears. I've been looking around, the mazda 6 resembles the q50 I think.

Went to the mazda forums and took a look, for the price and options + manual transmission..I don't know it's hard to beat. Check out some of the pictures from their forums:



http://forum.mazda6club.com/mazda-6-...re-thread.html

I'm coming from from 3 maxima generations (manual) -> wrx (manual)-> g35s 08 auto => 2011 elantra manual -_- => and now onto either cx-5 or mazda 6..one of the last of the manual transmission cars that are fun to drive.

Minarets

A friend of mine works in the factory and he thinks the 8 gen will be 2016, not 2015. He said of course, he isn't consulted on these decisions, but they haven't ramped up or been told about a "new" maxima yet and he said they usually know well in advance. He said if they would be coming in 2015 they would be working on pre-production stuff already.

But who knows.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

I'm thinking that they are going to break 4 thru 7th June release and do a typical September launch of the 8th, based on several factors. Thinking Sept '14 or later it will be released, along with a new Z in the same time frame. According to the info below it will not appear in the actual 2015 year itself and offer the 3.7 and a 2.5 supercharged....People other than here seem to real dislike the concept
hybrid.....http://www.motortrend.com/features/c...like_roofline/

Maximam

Mercedes has offered a 7 speed DCT at $29k, Nissan needs to offer us one as well!

Propa Teknique

I'm not sure that will even come to fruition as it's too busy and takes away from the "family" concept of the car. That grille has just got to go. I don't like the grille at all. The wraparound lights I suppose are probably here to stay and I like the fact that they are using their imagination however. The Maxima needs to stand out, but not like a ricey civic!

Ghozt

if they give the 8th gen a Rogue front end, then I'll have to thank Nissan for making my decision to stay with the 7th gen extremely easy.

lightonthehill

If this is true (and I am not questioning it), then the 7th gen will have been the longest running Maxima generation ever. Also, the longer Nissan waits to release the 8th generation Maxima, the more changes and goodies and improvement folks will expect.

The 7th gen will not only have lasted SEVEN years, but received NO significant changes during those seven years. That is very unusual for Nissan. Nissan has to realize that there are folks who replace their cars every five years or so, and who have no interest in replacing a 7th gen with another look-alike 7th gen, so will look around for something different. And those folks may never come back to the Maxima.

Nissan has to realize that EVERY rating system that publishes overviews of cars available on the market has been saying for two years that the 7th gen Maxima is now a 'long-in-the-tooth design that is now behind its newer competition.' Delaying the 8th gen Maxima until the 2016 model arriving in the fall of 2015 may force me to reconsider the importance Nissan places on the Maxima brand.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

You and I usually know and agree on this stuff, but from what I hear it will be a '16 model along (surpassing the 89-94 much loved 3rd gen) with a new Z that year. Nissan has not really invested a lot of money in the 7th gen or with the 370z, they are focusing on their bread and butter Altima and Sentra. Without those Nissan would have died a while ago, look at the Titan and Armada........date back to the 04 model year without much change at all . A new Armada/Titan should have appeared a couple years ago with their Infiniti platform brother the QX. They really need to come to the plate with this car and I hope it is not a technological nightmare like the Q50, which has to be one of the worst launches in Nissan/Infiniti history....bug after bug with its info system!

Propa Teknique

As one poster said, they do look really nice however they just don't it when stacking up with our Maximas in the looks department. It seems they added so much "fluff" to the car with all these lights and external "pieces". I like the simplicity of the Maxima and the aggressiveness of it (of course when properly dropped and fitted with the right shoes). Infiniti is definitely an excellent brand especially since paired with Nissan and I'm look forward to the M series; I've never payed attention to the G or the new Q series.

I've seen some Mazda's around town and the exterior doesn't really excite me though I've heard people say they like the car. I've never payed attention to Mazda but how do they stack up against a Maxima in terms of speed, styling, and price in your opinion?


I LOVE HOW YOU THINK!

So light, I agree with what you are saying in terms of making a vehicle that remains the flagship of one brand (Nissan) but doesn't cross the line in terms of "base luxury" in another brand (Infiniti) but how will this Maxima hold its own against its older self (7th gen) and other competition which, unfortunately, seems to now exist between its own sibling, the Altima?

Furthermore, as you mentioned in another thread, all these other manufacturers are adding 4,5,6, & 7 speed transmissions to simply try to prolong the inevitable fact of the production of more electric and hybrid power cars, thus how will the Maxima be "tuned" to adopt this measure and increase its 19/26 gas mileage without sacrificing power and speed? Also is diesel, as it has been speculated through many generations of the Maxima, SERIOUSLY a consideration for Nissan in ANY of their vehicles?

I concur in the fact that Maxima will not resemble or match the GT-R and will still be a very powerful, respected, and polished machine that is geared to and made for the purpose of family so does that mean NO MORE 4DSC for enthusiasts? Does that mean no more HP increases? Does that mean it will drop to the ranks of Camry, Optima, and Accord who all are providing more efficient and economical vehicles with the sacrificing of looks, speed, and power?

gizzsdad

My dealer was at a dealer's meeting a few weeks ago. The big item was the new Rogue, and he was most impressed by the quality of the interior, which he said was very close to Murano quality.

He saw the new Titan, in which they are working on a V6 Cummins, hoping to get to 30 mpg highway!

He saw the body of the new Max, with no interior and no mechanicals. He thought the dealer crowd was very approving of the overall look, which was similar to some of the concept drawings above. He was most reminded of an Audi A7 as far as side view - and of course no cameras or phones are allowed.

He also anticipates that the 8th gen may be two years away.

lightonthehill

Propa Teknique - You have raised several very good (and difficult to answer) questions here.

To begin, I'm sure Nissan intends the 8th gen Maxima to continue as their upscale flagship, and the price will probably range from an MSRP of around $34K to around $44K. That range will be necessary to turn a profit, as there will be lots more stuff on the 8th gen than we had on the 7th gen. I also feel Nissan will intend to sell less than 70K Maximas annually, which limits the availability of options, especially in the power train area.

I suspect the 8th gen Maxima will have tons of stuff that did not exist when the 7th gen was designed WAY BACK in late 2006 and early 2007 (remember those camouflaged versions of the 7th gen Maxima that were photographed being tested on LA freeways in late fall of 2007?). Much of the addded stuff will be in electronics, especially in the safety area.

The 8th gen will of course have automatic braking to prevent front end collisions, as well as lane departure warnings, with override to prevent the driver changing lanes if another vehicle is alongside. But I won't list these type changes, since somewhere on this board back in August, I listed around ten of these type changes that I'm sure will be on the 8th gen.

I think the CVT, which has now proven itself to be a more reliable and more efficient device than shifting trannies, will remain as the Maxima tranny, and the 8th gen CVT may be even more efficient than the 7th gen, which was a vast improvement over the 6th gen CVT.

I think the 8th gen Maxima will employ the system of engine cutoff while the car is not moving (stopped at lights, etc). I am not sure how Nissan will approach the drive train. There are endless options.

A form of hybridism is possible, with an electric supplementary power source for use only to boost accelleration if the base gasoline engine is a smaller, more fuel-efficient one with less HP than the 7th gen.

A diesel is possible, although, as you suggested, Nissan has never been diesel-prone (although a smokey diesel was an option on the 1st generation Maxima back in the early 1980s). With a diesel, no accompanying electric power source would be needed, as diesels are famous for a high torque at startup. But, like you, I don't see Nissan carting out a diesel for the Maxima, especially since diesel fuel is even more expensive than premium gas in the south. But I would buy one in a heartbeat.

I think Nissan would be reluctant to go hybrid with a low-production model such as the Maxima.

I think a likely path would be for Nissan to go with a 3.5 or 3.7 V6, which, with improving technology, could be retuned to get just over 300 HP and be slightly more fuel-efficient than the 7th gen. Maybe 23 in town and 32 highway. That would be very decent for a heavy near-luxury vehicle that would still get to 60 MPH in 6 seconds or less.

But all this is supposition. All I know for sure is that, with government fuel requirements rising sharply, Nissan is face with some difficult decisions with the Maxima power train.

In the meantime, having driven my beautiful '09 for five trouble-free years, and with no extended warranty, I am ready to move on. I found myself runnning my fingers along the fender lines of a beautiful M37 today. Of course it runs nearly $60K with navi and all the options I want. I have the money, but seriously question whether that would be the best use of my hard-earned cash. I doubt it.

I think I will wait for the 8th gen Maxima.

omario

8th generation maxima...

Has anyone seen this yet?

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/nissan/2016-nissan-maxima-nismo-ar160220.html

dr_2010SV

I'm not seeing this happening but wouldn't it be nice.

Specifications:
make:
Nissan
Model:
Maxima
price:
$41500
Engine:
V6
Transmission:
6-Speed Manual
Horsepower @ RPM:
325
MPG(Cty):
22
MPG(Hwy):
29
Torque @ RPM:
298
Displacement:
3.5 L
0-60 time:
5.5 sec.
Top Speed:
155 mph (Est.)
Layout:
Front-engine, Front-drive

Propa Teknique

Good and valid points.

I simply want the Maxima to reclaim its throne and to shut up all those bad mouthing it. I hope that it can maintain its uniqueness and not follow suit with all the other car makers. Even now the car is still great and people are still buying it. The styling, power, speed, and the culture behind it make not for a great car, but a great automobile.

In regards to the CVT, it is definitely reliable (despite the minor issues which every piece of technology mass produced has) and efficient and I'm an advocate for it being used in the 8th gen but @light why are so many people opposed to it in the Maxima??

All the features to make it efficient like the engine cutoff (I've never heard of) is amazing. Diesel would definitely be amazing with the exception of us in the south due to the prices which are quite expensive but I believe everyone agrees with me when I say they want more horsepower. How can the Maxima have more horsepower, however, if they can't surpass the horsepower of Infiniti? I heard so many say back then when the G sedan was 303HP that the Maxima had to stay below that. Do you really foresee an over 300HP Maxima engine in the 8th gen?

A 3.7L MAXIMA? Awesome. Would they really go down that route however in the 8th gen?

My biggest question lies in the driving. This FWD, RWD, AWD is really getting on my nerves. Can there ever be a RWD Maxima? If RWD is such a good thing and Maxima is about performance and excitement while driving, why have they blessed the Infiniti models with RWD and FWD? Is this because RWD is only dedicated to a luxury vehicle and "near-luxury" is only granted FWD? I have heard so much talk on the forums about RWD that now, even though I have no qualms with FWD, I can't help but question if this will ever be a reality for Maxima that is truly, in my opinion, a car of elite status that is both inexpensive and reliable.

Uniqueness. Power. Speed. Sexy. Aggressive. Bold. Those are the terms in which Nissan needs to birth this new Maxima. After all it is a MAXima.

lightonthehill

Propa Teknique - It is difficult to guess where Nissan is going with this 8th gen Maxima. For years, they were committed to making it an affordable 4DSC. But recent gens have also emphasized the near-luxury roomy family sedan aspect, although the 7th gen sort of went back a little toward the sporty styling and performance, with the wider stance, lower profile, smaller steering wheel, and much sharper turning radius.

If it were not for looming government fuel efficiency rules, I feel I could take a guess on what we would get with the 8th gen with some confidence. But fuel efficiency requirements make prognostication very difficult.

Folks are opposed to the CVT in the Maxima because they remember the fun of shifting through the gears. They even liked the automatic trannies because they could feel the tranny shifting.

But their manual tranny talk is actually misplaced. Nissan had a manual tranny option in the Maxima up until the 2006 model year, and dealers would not accept them because they could not sell them. Dealers usually ended up letting manual tranny Maximas go at well below what the car cost them in order to get back the lot space the manual Maximas were wasting. My dealer has two Nissan dealerships, and absolutely hated trying to sell manual Maximas to buyers who were going to be using them in horrible Atlanta traffic.

Driving a vehicle with a CVT is unlike driving a vehicle with a shifting tranny. Driving the CVT optimally requires careful monitoring of the tach until the process becomes more natural. Those who prefer automatic trannies to CVTs are those who have not been able to make the complete mental transition from driving automatics to driving CVTs. As a result, they do not like the CVTs, even though the CVT gives both better accelleration and better fuel efficiency.

I think the G starts at 325 HP, so I could see the 8th gen Maxima over 300 HP, but not by much. The Maxima is definitely not intended as a track car.

I don't see the Maxima going to RWD. There are many Maxima drivers (such as me), who drove RWD vehicles from the 1940s until October 1984, and will never go back to RWD again. I recall all too well trying to get up the Blue Ridge with RWD Studebakers, Chevys, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, etc, with only a very thin layer of snow on the road. No go.

Also, FWD/RWD is one way Nissan differentiates between the Nissan and Infiniti lines.

And AWD is out, as that adds around $2,000 to the already high sticker, lowers fuel efficiency, adds to repair costs, and often requires replacing two (or even FOUR) tires when only one may be bad. I find that possibility ridiculous.

I think the 8th gen will feature very attractive styling and the latest electronic and safety options, but may still have a re-tuned gasoline 3.5 or 3.7 V6, and be a FWD CVT-powered 305 to 310 HP family sedan that gets around 23 MPG in town and 32 MPG on the highway. If so, I will be right there to buy one.

Propa Teknique

Great points as usual. I'm with you @lightonthehill, I'll be there to buy one if those things come to fruition. Oh, and I would like a bigger LCD screen! Give me 8.5" in HD!

Serpent

To add to the answer about why people dislike cvt's, I want to also throw out that people still think that cvt's are for hybrids. It's shortsighted and unfair to look at it that way, but people do. Lots of people have no idea how cvt's work because they've never had cause to consider one. And if they're anything like me (before my max), they've been told and just accepted that cvt's are for gas sippin' wimp-mobiles. Not until I actually did some research and test drove the maxima did I understand how wrong that was. But I'll admit that before putting much thought into it, I was easily convinced that cvt's aren't for "real" cars.

Propa Teknique

So would you rather an 8th gen Max with a better tuned CVT or an 8th gen Max without one?

Serpent

I've learned to like my cvt. I'd be happy with a new and improved cvt in the next gen.

Max2013

But, hopefully not the CVT they put in the new generation Pathfinders and Altimas! Big problems with those updated versions...

lightonthehill

I know I am probably paranoid, but might those problems with the new Pathfinder and new Altima CVTs possibly be connected to the sliding of the 8th gen Maxima to the '16 model? Nissan would absolutely not want to bring out a long-awaited and very important new generation Maxima when they suddenly feel they don't have the tranny they had counted on.

Propa Teknique

That could very well be why we are waiting 6-7 years for a new Max. I have no issue with it. Keep me waiting until everything is perfect is what I say.

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

That is exactly the CVT that is going into the new Max. There's a reason it got put into the 2013 Alti and Pathy first.

Max2013

That will be a showstopper for me. From what I read they still have not corrected the problems after several iterations and several months of trying. I agree with delaying 8th gen no matter how long it takes to make it right!

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

I wasn't aware of the new CVT problems tbh...I rented a *13 Altima last November, and loved the CVT, aside from going really slow in traffic, like 5mph was sorta rough in Ds mode, other than that it was butter

Propa Teknique

I wasn't aware the Altima and Pathy had issues! That would be horrible and so wrong to put that CVT in the Max. I do hate the lag that the Max has though when first accelerating. I hope they address that. It gets aggravating.

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

On the Alti that I rented, there was ZERO lag when I stomped on it (which was almost all the time - don't be gentle, it's a rental)

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

Its sounds like it will be about 2 years before the new maxima is available. So hopefully by then, they can get the new CVT figured out and have a reliable and efficient transmission by that time.

I test drove the 2013 Altima (and actually made an offer on it, but it was rejected) and was pretty impressed with the response of the 4 cyl. with the new CVT. I ended up buying a 2012 LE maxima, and it sounds like I made a good decision.

Mick7

So, it is generally accepted that the 8th gen Maxima will be released in 2015 and not introduced next summer? Enlightenment is appreciated. Thanks.

Minarets

From what I hear from factory workers here in TN it will be launched in 2015 as a 2016 model.

zoemayne

iTrader: (4)

Thats too long..... it better get 35mpg combined if so.

Mick7

Thank you for that information. Doubt Nissan will sell many 2014 Maximas. We have had two 7th Gen and the lease is up in 2014. Great cars but do not want a 3rd one and was hoping the 8th gen would be available.

lightonthehill

I'm still convinced Nissan had hoped to bring out the 8th gen Maxima as a 2015 model year between six and nine months from now. But the unexpected problems with their new CVT leave them with little choice but to wait until the tranny is right.

This new Nissan CVT is superior to the 7th gen Maxima CVT in that the response is instant, with no discernable lag. But it has encountered problems in the new Altima and new Pathfinder. I'm glad Nissan decided to wait on the 8th gen Maxima. I want my 8th gen to be as perfect as my 7th gen has been. I can wait, as it is going to be tough to let my '09 creampuff go. Wonderfully dependable car with not one ding or hint of a problem of any kind.

T200

Nissan better bring it with the 8th gen because I've already got my eyes on the new Caddy CTS-V.

Propa Teknique

I really tire of the boxiness of the Cadillac CTS and the V. I do like the coupe but I could never do a 2-door car. I think that it will be worth waiting for.

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

Agreed.

The owner of my company has a CTS-V sedan, and it's quite ugly. The lines don't "flow" at all...very boxy and appears to be thrown together haphazardly tbh.

Yes the performance is there but still Not nearly as refined as the 8th gen will be....hell, not nearly as refined as the 7th gen currently is.

Propa Teknique

I agree. I was at the gas station and there was a guy who had a CTS and he complimented my Max but then said he mistook it for a luxury car and he recanted the compliment. I was like you're seriously talking about my Max and your car looks like the big refrigerator boxes I played in as a child?