I like the looks.

So what are we thinking, FWD, 290hp VQ35, CVT?

*yawn*

 

For sure they're not going for more HP with a FWD/CVT. So yeah, probably same old.

 

I was at the Nissan dealer today picking up a part for my 5.5 gen Maxima and I saw some photos from the tv ad. I also saw the brand new Murano on the lot listed at 42 grand. I'm not a fan of crossovers but it did look great with the new fresh look sitting next to a 2015 Pathfinder made the PF look old, bloated and outdated. If the new Murano is any indication of what's to come I believe the 2016 Max is going to look great live. I need to replace my Maxima soon but I am holding off until I can see this one in person.

I really wish Nissan would get their act together and offer us a "Drivers Car"!!!! Nissan has the experience/research/engineering to do this. Nissan should make a 6 Speed Manual Transmission available as an option. There is a market for this!!! Can anyone say Mustang, Camaro, Challenger - guess who buys those cars? Men that want a car they can drive - they don't want the car to drive them.

Giving us a 6 Speed MT would put this car in a league of it's own - In the Asian car group nothing would touch it - Not Honda, Mazda, or Toyota - I believe now is the time to set them apart just like they did with the 5.5 gen 6 speed MT. That was a bad car - remember the tv commercials - Cars Like it - 0!!!!

I am a long time Nissan owner purchasing 9 of them brand new since 1988. I would love nothing more than to get a new Max but I don't want an old grandpa car that looks fast. Nissan - Give us a drivers man car - at least as an option!!
So much potential - Do it....

 

BTW - You're driving the Nissan flagship.. Basically it (e.g. Nissan Fuga) replaced the Nissan President. The Nissan President was a car built for Japanese royalty and heads of Japanese corporations.. The President and Skyline were initially designed and built by the Prince Motor Company. Nissan and Prince Motor Company merged in 1966. It is not a commodity vehicle.

 

Credit to CHIBLACKMAX09!! These are some exclusive pics here:

 

Nice! It looks like a drivers car.. Thank you for sharing the pictures.

 

Wow, thanks for the pics! I officially like the new Maxima and will pick one up, though still need the options list, colors, specs, etc. Liking that flat bottom steering wheel!

 

Love love love love it!!

 

WELL Well well it didn't take long for these pictures to be published.. Now we know who is watching this thread.

http://www.carscoops.com/2015/02/201...r-exposed.html

 

hmmm nice from the rear it looks like a Pelican


Well hell it looks better than it did in that super bowl commercial I'm kind of suprised its sharp from this angle those concepts were
disgraceful owning a 6th gen will make you mental health candidate but I like it!

now lets see if this thing is gonna be $48000.

 

LOL, I don't see the correlation whatsoever but it did make me laugh. Yeah, the specs of the car, the price, and seeing it in person are just around the corner but if Nissan goes with a bold strategy of close to $50k out the door I don't think it will bode well for them.

SO much to still be determined here, but you'll see in the other cars section here on the org the new Lexus RC-350 that I saw up close & personal at the mall last night and posted a bunch of pictures of ... that car was impressive in person and had a sticker of around $49k out the door, so, should be interesting to say the least!

 

The center dash offset towards the driver... Big Yes from me on that.

The rest of the car so far... Yawn.

 

I like the steering wheel..



I see Benz is also using the design.

 

Not sure if this bodes well for whether the new Max has a CVT or a conventional Auto trans, but the shifter seems to have more in common with the Infiniti Q50 rather than the current Max or even the all new Murano. What do you guys think?

2016 Maxima:



2015 Infiniti Q50:



2014 Maxima:



2015 Murano:

 

The Mazda has features of the 7th Gen though and a cross of the TL rear. I think the redesign is gorgeous. Very unique and the flowing lines are on many vehicles now especially since Infiniti has been pioneering that look prominently. As @lightonthehill causually mentions in almost every point, we should just wait until we see it in person.

 

I agree.. Whether it has more in common with the Q50 AT remains to be seen. One thing to note is the Q50 7AT is getting some good reviews.

 

Notice in the two pics we can see the wheel design...the wheels are the same for right/left...which is sorta weird imo. I would get different wheels.

 

Are the interior photos of the black car (or crimson black-like color)? If so...that makes sense since it doesn't appear to be the top trim level (the covered label to the right on the trunk lid is a 1-2 letter designation verses a Platinum label). The interior lacks steering wheel paddle shifters. Also...notice the seat heater buttons in the center console...instead of the climate controlled seat ****. If that's the case...bodes well for higher trims as this even looks good!

 

I like the front end of 8th gen better than my 7th gen or any previous Infiniti G model (undecided about the Q50 though)... don't like the wheels, would get new ones... jury still out on the sides and back of the car; so far I'm like "eh" but can't really tell without seeing in person which could make/break it for me aesthetically.

Also interesting points some of you make about it appearing to be a driver's car with a conventional transmission, to which I agree. It does seem that way. To someone's point earlier (maybe on a different thread): if true, what does that say about Nissan walking away/giving up on the CVT, their "baby" for 10+ years?? Hmmm...

As stated before, very curious about the out-the-door price and what the specs of the car will be. As lightonthehill says, these are some exciting times.

 

Some how, these camouflaged photos give me a much better idea of overall length and proportions. The Super Bowl commercial pics made me think the car wasn't any bigger than the 7th gen. This pic makes the car look Avalon/Impala size, especially with the 20's (or are these 19's?). I really like how these rims fill the wheel wells, although the car does ride a little high.

http://www.carscoops.com/2015/01/u-s...ima-sedan.html

 

Wow, looks like there will be a strong market for Grilles. That ridiculously huge symbol gone reminds me of how much better my 6th gen looked with its tooth removed.

 

I see a bit of Tesla in there, it looks really good inside.

 

Ah, the tooth. Yeah, the tooth was an eyesore. So is this giant burger.

Over-sized branding on cars has been a trend for over a decade now. About time for it to die, IMO.

 

Waiting on light's opinion of the pics, I always enjoy reading his coments...☺

 

That interior is FANTASTIC! I'm in LOVE with that flat-bottomed wheel! Everything is so upscale and SPORTY!

Maybe the 4DSC is officially back?

 

lol It didn't take much time at all!

 

I do see a bit of Tesla "inspiration" on it as well. Which of course can be a good thing as long as people still think of Maxima and not Tesla.

Another thing, do the windows look a tad bit shorter or is that just my eyes?

 

I will be shocked if it does not have a CVT. Overall I like and appreciate these shots.

 

I'll be equally as shocked. I see no reason for them adding the AT. I like the CVT. Maybe they'll have it as an option.

 

I wouldn't see the gain by not having CVT in this model to be honest. Furthermore, aren't all of Nissan's line's with maybe the Versa being the exception equipped at standard with CVT?

 

Love the front,looks like the spawn character from the movie(sinister looking),the back not so much,looks like your generic nissan...just my 2 cents

 

I'm keeping an open mind about CVT for the next gen. I believe Nissan (read JATCO) has more CVT experience than most other manufacturers. This new gen may show some enhancements that are derived from CVT engineering and market maturity.

 

Nice catch!

...Staying optimistic for a non-CVT version

PS- that interior looks great!

 

Actually - there isn't. My 2010 is my first non-MT Maxima, so I would be tempted. But time has proven over and over again, the demand for a MT is so narrow that it's just not worth the money and time to even get them through EPA certification.

My dealer is one of the largest in the midwest, and I asked him once - close to the end, how many people besides myself came in and actually wanted one. He said me, and one other person.

It was getting to the point where dealers didn't even want them in their "allotment" from the factory, because they sat on the lot forever and were finally sold at a loss.

 

Same here. My Infiniti dealership is familiar with two 6MT G37S Sedans... mine and one other, and the other guy recently moved away. If the public doesn't want a 6MT in a proper high-HP, RWD sport sedan, they sure wouldn't want one in a full-sized, FWD family sedan.

These days, you have to go up-market for that. It's the reason why lots of Nissan enthusiasts move over to BMW.

 

Yes, based on the Q50 shifter and the steering wheel, they are practically identical. The trans itself, hard to say until NYC Javits on 4/3/2015. I'd be shocked if Nissan equipped the V6 here with the 370 7-speed and AWD. Nissan did shock us a bit so far with SB XLIX sneak-peak. These interior shots won't be any different. I'll try to see if I can snap a few at the show when it's released.

 

This may just be the car to pull me back to the Maxima. I've been driving Infinitis since 2012 just waiting for the new Maxima to come out. I like what I'm seeing so far.

 

Dash looks identical to my gfs 13 Altima, however I do like the shifter with the leather and push to start down there as well. Also love the idea of the steering wheel with the bottom being flat

 

Waiting on MY opinion? Everyone knows I am a senile old coot that will never be happy until the Maxima is a close cousin of the 1950s Cadillac.

I am LOVING the fact we are getting very nice pictures of the 8th gen. I appreciate the work several folks have done here to get us these quality photos.

I still have a long way to go in determining exactly what I like and dislike with this 8th gen. I spend lots of time studying the photos. I will say up front that I like most everything about the 8th gen, and will absolutely be buying a 2016 Maxima this year.

I agree with many that the front end might need a tad of aftermarket help. I like changing the truncated 'V' in the grill to body color. I agree with 04BlackMaxx and Rochester that the giant burger is a bit much. I may trying something like painting it black.

I also agree with grizzdad, Propa Teknique, mr2cool80, CS_AR and Rochester that we should not expect anything but a CVT; I would think that the only way we might see a manual would be if a NISMO version (at a higher price) became an option. As for an automatic, they are heavier, larger, more expensive, and I think Nissan will not be going back there.

I have been a CVT fan in theory for decades, but have always been concerned with the difficulties involved in building one that functions to the satisfaction of the driver. The CVT in the latter years of the 6th gen came close, but was not quite ready. The CVT of the 7th gen was just a dampened takeoff from being satisfactory. Rumors are that the CVT of the 8th gen eliminated that dampened start off the line. If that is true, and the new CVT proves dependable, I will be happy with the CVT.

I love the flat-bottomed steering wheel, as I keep my wheel fairly low, and it sometimes touches my thighs. Like Rochester, I like the instrumentation portion of the dash turned slightly toward the driver. So far, I like the interior, but I really like to see that in person before trying to make any judgement.

I like the view from the rear, and find it to be a tad conservative in appearance. I like the side sculpting, although the photos exaggerate it to the point of excess. Again, I want to see the side in person. I like that the double panel roof will again be available on the 8th gen. I have come to really appreciate that feature, as have my granddaughters.

I suspect the weight will be no more than 3700 lbs, possibly even less. I think the size will be very comparable to the 7th gen. I think the HP will be bumped slightly - maybe 306 HP? This isn't a race car, and 306 is more than ample for a FWD 'family sedan.'

I can pretty well guess the colors, as those don't change very much on the Maxima. The bright new red did give me hope that Nissan is trending a bit toward more 'sporty' colors for the Maxima. I hope the 'Strad Amber' (burnt copper) of the concept car is available. That would draw me away from my traditional silver or white.

Like others here, I will probably find other things to like and dislike as we get more photos. I enjoy reading others opinions, and certainly inderstand that this will not be the car some have been hoping for. But I am excited! Such is life.

 

Nicely written, LOTH. Lots of shared opinions with most people here.

IIRC, you've been buying 1st model year Maximas for a number of Gens, right? I might have gone a similar route, buying the last model year 4th and 5th Gens, but the CVT in the 6th Gen made me give up on the Maxima. The beautifully designed 7th Gen almost pulled me back into the family, but I just couldn't stomach the transmission, particularly in consideration of the Infiniti.