because i prefer to shift manually, i could care less what the new maxima or any new car looks like. in general, ill have to stick with older models in order to enjoy my ride

 

Manual is done for. Blame CAFE

 

Some of the blame goes to CAFE. But the manual went from being the most efficient tranny to the least efficient tranny several decades ago. I blame three other factors more than I do CAFE:

1 - Most drivers do not know how to drive a manual tranny. If even one driver in a family does not know how to drive a manual, then that family generally opts for an automatic or CVT. Nissan continued to make manual trannie Maximas for EIGHT YEARS after they ceased to make money on them. Dealers refused to accept manual Maximas, and if one was forced on them, they practically gave it away to save lot space.

2 - Traffic is a hundred times as thick these days as it was when I learned to drive back in the 1940s. By the time I traded my 5 speed manual Datsun 200SX in on a 1985 Maxima with automatic, I was shifting around 800 times on the way to work, and 800 times on the way home, yet seldom getting above 20 MPH. Anyone who thinks that is fun has a strange warp in their head. By the time I switched to auto, I was having trouble with my left leg and my right arm from 7000 or so shifts per week, not counting weekends.

3 - Modern cars have far too many gadgets, options, features, screens, switches, etc, and we have far too many phones, navis, stereos, GPSs and other gadgets to have any part of our brain, much less a free hand, available for changing gears. What do we do with our donut and coffee while we change?

The manual trannie is now strictly for fun, not transportation. If I lived out in the Great Plains or Rockies, I would miss the manual (with which I grew up), but, living in middle Georgia, the manual is a lot of labor with very little reward.

 

this thread is 5 billions years only. is Nissan finally gonna kill of the maxima or they finally gonna distance it from the altima, or still no sign of any rumors?

 

I don't know about the oldest. But I may be the only one who has driven ALL of Terraplanes, Pierce-Arrows, Tuckers, Hudsons, Studebakers, Auburns and wagons drawn by horses and by mules, yet still, although an octogenarian, can make three point shots on my backyard basketball court.

At my age, I do feel very lucky to have good vision, good reflexes, and a deep appreciation for vehicles such as the Maxima. I do love to drive, and, as my wife will arrest, I am far from the slowest car on the road. I have not had a chargeable accident in over 65 years of driving. My last ticket was for doing 96 in a 75 zone on my way to Mexico over 25 years ago.

 

I haven't talked much about my 4th gen Maxima, mostly because I had traded it in back in July of 1999 for a 2000 Maxima SE with GLE options added (not a normal combo). I also do not talk much about my two 2nd gen 1985 Maximas or my 1989 3rd gen. I loved the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th gen Maximas. Those four generations were what I consider to be 'true Maximas' from the long Maxima tradition.

I guess the '85 was my all-time favorite, because it represented such a wonderful step up from my previous 36 years of driving. If pressed very hard, I might admit that the 3rd gen may have been the most classic design. But the 4th and 4.5 gens were wonderfully well put together, and may have been the most trouble-free.

I had good luck with all those generations, and found all those Maximas were fun to drive. The ladies seemed to like them too. Those gens through 5.5 were the last Maximas made in Japan.

 

I think Nissan sticks to the mantra they revealed back in 2002, and the Maxima stays as the Nissan flagship. It will increase in sportiness, with 'raised roof' styling and very attractive sculpting on the sides. The grille will be a tad too similar to the Nissan Concept sedan, but can easily be modded should we desire. This 8th gen will have every bell and whistle available, and be more expensive than the current 7th gen.

We have lots of photos of it being tested under camo posted on many sites, including here and on the 7th gen board. Mentally remove the comouflage and you see the 8th gen Maxima.

 

The 8th gen Maxima has been delayed twice, primarily because of unexpected problems with the newest Nissan CVT, which Nissan has been testing in the new gen Altima 3.5s. The 8th gen Maxima design was fairly locked in by 2012, and is quite similar to the Nissan concept sedan, other than some tweaks necessary to make the vehicle more practical for road use.

There are now lots of photos of the 2016 8th gen Maxima being tested which are floating around the web, but under heavy camo. It is not too difficult to mentally remove the camo and see the 2016 Maxima. I think it is beautiful.

 

Quick Maxima manual/auto info from the 1981 1st gen on. Like Light my 2nd gen I loved more than any of them, so feature packed, nice ride etc.

1st gen:
81-84 GL, 5 spd manual standard, automatic optional. No sport/SE version offered.

2nd Gen:
1985/86 All Maxima SE's came with a 5spd manual only, boy were they fun to drive and fast for their time! GL auto only.

1987/88 Maxima offered 5spd manual on SE standard, automatic option became available on SE. GXE auto only.

Manual SE's were popular with this gen.

3rd Gen:
89-94 GXE automatic only, SE 5spd manual standard, automatic optional.

Manual still popular, but most sold as automatic in the SE.

4th gen:
95-99 SE had 5spd manual standard, auto optional.
95-99 GXE's had 5spd manual standard, auto optional.
95-99 GLE's automatic only.

5spd manual still sorta popular with this gen as you could get the cheaper GXE or SE with that tranny.

5th gen:
00-01 SE and GXE manual standard, automatic optional.
00-01 GLE auto standard.

Popularity had diminished a lot by now.

5.5 Gen:
02-03 SE 6spd manual standard, automatic optional. 97% of SE's sold automatic.
02-03 GXE, GLE automatic standard, no 5spd manual option offered on cheaper GXE.
Nissan dropped production to well under 90k units a year vs over 130K per year of prior years to make room for new Altima. Max started its move more upscale in 02 offering features luxury cars had then: heated steering wheel, memory seats, etc etc things not offered on Altima then.

By now popularity/sales was virtually gone, only 2-3% sold with manual.

6th gen:
04-06 SE Automatic standard, 6spd manual optional. Again most sold as automatic.
04-06 SL Automatic only.

popularity of manual still at a low 2-3% sold.

6.5 Gen:
07-08 SE and SL all CVT automatic

Nissan dropped manual after low sales past several years and no profits to be made on the manual, so they dropped it on the popular SE.

7th Gen:
09-14 S,SV,SV Sport all CVT automatic

 

@lightonthehill - I hope you get to own a gen 9 too

 

repost pics please?

 

I think it still has great potential if I look through all the camo! I hope that rumors of a Nismo version will come true! Would be nice if there was one and they were able to use the DCT and AWD from the GT-R just for the Nismo version, though I doubt that would happen!

 

I couldn't get those to work. Does this work:

http://www.autonews.com/article/2014...-back-to-roots

Don't be misled by the camo, which is intentionally designed to hide significant features, leaving the impression this will look sort of like the 6th gen. Nothing could be further from the truth.

e-mags are nasty about blocking their imagery after we read the article one time. After that, registration is required. By far the easiest way to see the 8th gen Maxima being tested is to go to BING and enter '2016 Nissan Maxima.' That lists a long series of illustrated articles.

 

I have only admired the 3rd, 4th and 5th gen models. Didnt care much for the 6th gen as it looked too damn cheap and the design process was not very appealing. The 7th gen grew on me a bit. Ever since they began to insatll CVT trans. in them made me dislike them more and more. I was given an Altima as a rental and i felt like driving that thing over a bridge. A real POS in my opinion.

 

Any idea of what the engine will be in the 8th gen?

 

Initially it will be the same old 3.5 VQ35DE, power output is still unknown but they are claiming 300+ H.P. That will most likely just compensate for the extra weight its likely to gain like most new cars these days!

 

Lol, probably not well without AWD or a really really good traction control. Cadillac was able to muster 300hp out of prior FWD Deville derivatives, although it weighs more than a Max. They were pretty quick, sound niiiiiiice if you put that pedal down and just floated down the road! http://www.edmunds.com/cadillac/devi...s/?style=12563

 

My car has enough traction problems at 222 HP, I'm sure you 5.5 gen guys have more. 300 HP on a fwd is a bad idea in general... I vote for AWD.

 

AWD may become a Maxima option at some point in the future, but I would be very surprised to see it on the 2016 8th gen; Just adds too much weight and initial cost to a vehicle that is already edging into the 'pricey' range, requires more maintenance, more repairs, more tire tread depth equating, and is more of a detriment than an advantage in the warmer half of the country. I would never consider purchasing an AWD.

I don't see any real problem with moving the HP up from 290 to 305 or so on the FWD 8th gen. In six years of driving my FWD 7th gen, I have had very little tire spinning with 290 HP, and I expect the tires on the 8th gen to possibly be even wider (hence more tread in contact with the road surface, giving more grip). It doesn't seem to bother RWD fans that 400 HP spins the rear wheels of those cars.

 

I agree with this statement. The new Maxima looks huge from the spy shots, and I don't think it will change from FWD. I don't have my hopes set high on this one...

 

We all know that the 7th gen has is not the best of a performer in the low end due to the way the CVT is programmed so traction/torque steer really is not that much of an issue with it. If, Big If they keep keep it programmed like the 7th gen CVT but functions more like the new Altimas V6 Cvt overall it may be able to get away with 300/305 hp. If they program it like the Altimas totally it could be an issue as that car does not have the low end issue and it get tricky with its 270hp giving it alot of gas from a stop.

 

Camo works on some folks more than it does others. New vehicles are never as 'fat' as camo makes them look. The key is to ignore the camo and 'see' the car behind the padding. The 8th gen Maxima will be no fatter than the Nissan Sports Concept sedan, and that works for me.

 

^^ If anything, the roofline in the back and the whole rear end looks weird and very bulky to me...

Not gonna be able to comment on that much more until some camo starts coming off.

One thing Im hoping for is that they actually make it a stronger, more powerful car. Not a heavier car with some more power to compensate for the extra weight...resulting in a car that may or may not perform ever so slightly better than a 7th gen..

 

I think George might be the funniest dude on here

If you can imagine the camo off the back part it looks almost like the SSC, although the roof line is less dramatic. But that's only to accommodate for head room. I think the last gen Dodge Charger's C-pillar area is very comparable to what we can expect. Add the little black inserts to make the floating roof appearance and the bulkiness will be less noticeable.

 

I like this picture..



and this one..

 

This guy may not know any more about the 8th Gen availability than we do, but he is saying:
"A full reveal is expected early next year, before it goes on sale in the third or fourth quarter of 2015. ". He places it in the "larger sedan market".

http://www.carscoops.com/2014/11/fut...16-maxima.html

 

Among all the problems Nissan is having an identity crisis we wanted the 8th gen to be sleek and sporty not something that looks like a bighorn sheep with botox injections. I thought they learned from trying to make the 7th gen look like a Masarati

 

Today I was at the Nissan dealer where I have leased my current Maxima.
The sales manager stop by to say hello and mentioned the new 2016 Maxima
won't be available to 3rd Qtr of 2015. She also added that they are hoping it would be available sooner like 2nd Qtr. Also reminded me that the dates have changed so many times over the last year or so that its anyone quess as to the real release date. She is sure its going to be show cased at Auto show early next year.

Randy

 

What has been read, cannot be unread. That's what I'll be seeing when I look at them now

 

We probably should not come to definitive conclusions from this possibly photo-shopped view from just a foot or two above ground. I recall far too many posts on previous releases of new generations of the Maxima where the opinions were very critical, but once the vehicle was seen in person, the opinions changed.

 

At least he admits this image is 'digital', and was created by 'removing the camo, etc', so we know it is not a true photo. I personally love the design, although a 'ground eye view' does not usually give us the same impression we would get by standing near the car.

I hope the author is wrong on one important point - He says the car will arrive at dealers either the third or fourth quarter of 2016. If that is how it has to be, then so be it. But this will greatly reduce sales for the 2016 Maxima. I am so excited about this 8th gen, and am eager to purchase one this coming spring, THE TIME WHEN MOST AMERICANS HAVE THEIR HIGHEST INTEREST IN PURCHASDING A NEW CAR.

But if sales are delayed until the fourth quarter, I will be inclined to delay my purchase until spring 2016. The Reason? I have two long vacation trips planned for this coming summer (June and Sept), Plus I will be attending our very large family reunion in August, as well as both my high school and college reunuions in July. Once those events are over, I have no significant trips again until July 2016.

 

Look at the bright side, at least the test mules are getting a good pre-production workout.

 

And that is one reason I feel we may well see the 2016 Maxima no later than June. The camo test Maximas were fairly widely seen for gens 5, 6 and 7 no earlier than seven months before their arrival at dealers.

We first saw the camo version of the 2016 Maxima in late September. I think we see the 2016 Maxima at dealers in the April/May/June window. But then I have been saying that for over a year, and supposed 'insiders' associated with Nissan keep insisting the arrival will be later. Who knows?

All I can do is have my money ready and hope.

 

The same guy from the link above accurately predicted the Murano before the camp came off. That being said, I really hope the headlights of the new Max aren't too awkward looking. That and those bubbly-looking quarter panels. I already don't like how they're forcing the corporate face to their products buy hey, I'm just a critic.

 

how about going away?

 

Agreed.

George, either contribute to the thread and stay on topic or stay out please. Your last 10 posts or so in here were worthless, so I nuked them.

 

Thank you.

 

Since George suggested considering a Hyundai Genesis, I decided to give him an honest answer.

Consumer Reports' last complete year of reliability ratings for these two vehicles is for the 2013 model year because CU did not receive enough responses for the 2014 Genesis to allow a rating.

For the 2013 model year, the Genesis received a reliability of 'average.' For that same model year, the Maxima received a reliability rating of 'well above average' (their TOP rating).

In road testing, CU and several other writeups seem to favor the handling of the Maxima over that of the Genesis.

The MSRP of a Genesis equipped as I want is between $45 and $50K (the version tested by CU was $52K), while the top of the line loaded Maxima should be just over $40K. Additionally, I have always been able to get around $6K off the MSRP of the Maxima, but I do not know how much I could get off the Genesis. Certainly not enough to bring it anywhere near the price I would pay for the Maxima.

My Maxima dealer is just 4 miles from my home, and there are 23 Nissan dealers within a 1 1/2 hour drive of my home. I'm not sure where the nearest Hyundai dealer is from my home, but it certainly is not closer than my Nissan dealer. Convenience counts.

I have a 15 year relationship with my Nissan dealer, know the owner and the folks working there, and have been treated like royalty every time I visit (I have ALL my service done there, and even buy my tires and batteries there). They not only match prices on things such as tires, but actually beat Tire Rack prices on my latest purchase, and that price included mounting, balancing, checking the alignment, and filling with nitrogen.

They also scour the southeast to find exactly the car I want each time I am in the market for a new Maxima, and when they find it, they truck it in so as to have the odo still showing around four to ten miles.

I have owned nothing but Maximas since October 1984, have driven several Maximas over 200K miles, and have had excellent service from every one of them. Before I began owning Maximas, I owned Datsuns, which were also made by Nissan. My Datsun connection goes back to Tokyo in the late 1950s. I feel it may be a little late in life to begin a relationship with another automobile company.

I lived in South Korea for over a year, and love the folks there. I have no real complaint against Hyundai (or their compatriot Kia). But changing to another car company at my age (I am an octogenarian) would be like changing wifes; not my style. Speaking of which, I have always loved Maxima styling of every generation, even the 6th.

George, you asked an honest question, and I hope I have given you an answer that satisfies you.

 

That's a great write-up lightonthehill. Personally the Nissan dealerships near my home have terrible service and do sketchy things, and I've worked at one of them. The poor service would not keep me from buying another Nissan as I love the product!

I ended up with my 5th gen due to a deal gone bad with my other vehicle, but it's growing on me! I'm patiently waiting for the unvealing of the 8th gen and I will keep chiming in with this thread.

 

^^ I was born in Oct 84. Lol

Great write up btw, and very interesting to hear from a man who's been around so long.

Hyuindai/Kia have come a long way but its still a Hyundai. I put Dodge in same category, they been bad for so long its gonna take a while to built up reputation. They just made that SRT Hellcat thats supposed to be fastest sedan in the world running 11 flat qtr mile BUT I still dont care for Dodge.

And im my book, when it comes to car manufacturers, a while means like 5-10yrs. For example, I would have never bought a Nissan product made from 2004-2012 until the revised 7th gen came out in 2012.

Those are my thoughts. And Im very interested to see how the "floating roof" comes off on this new maxi, as well as the whole rear end.