DanNY

iTrader: (14)

I was able to attend the plant visit and the first drive of the 7th gen Maxima with the contenstant winners last week.

I have to say it was one of a kind experience hosted by Nissan. Thank you to Nissan, IB, and Tequlia for hosting such a great event for the members of Maxima.org.

We were able to speak with the designers, marketing team, and even a few of the supervisors that work on the assembly line to give them feedback of the car and some Q&A on other Nissan stuff.

Everyone was able to take a tour of the actual plant at Symra TN. I have to say it's pretty amazing how they take a roll of steel and make it into a car. We saw a few 7th gens rolling off the line so they should be arriving to your local Nissan dealers shortly.

Next was some seat time behind the wheels of the 7th gen.
Some first impressions...
when you sit down on the leather it's not what you expect from a typical Nissan. The leather was soft and it's on par with Infiniti quality.
Nissan didn't skimp on the quality of this car. Paddle shifters are a nice touch on the wheel and even the feel and the size of the wheel is different. gone is that big skinny steering wheel...it's a fatter grip and it's smaller in overall diameter in comparison to the previous gen.

on the road...in D mode the car drives like a luxury sedan. the shifts are smooth (can't really feel them) and the car soaks up the bumps well. put the stick in the Ds (sport) mode and it screams to near redline with firm shifts. the shifts are fast. it doesn't feel like it's shifting an auto. once you're in the Ds mode you can go up or down and manually row through the gears. passing on the highway is effortless. the VQ just pulls you and keep wanting more. another plus is zero torque steer. you can floor the car is Ds and you're not fighting the steering wheel.

the engine tone and exhaust sound is a healthy rumble. it's mild mannered and quiet in the low RPM but you'll hear it when you punch it. cruising on the hwy in 6th the car hangs around 2K RPM...easy on the fuel consumption and it's quiet.

the styling of the 7th gen is way different. from the buldges from the front fenders to the flares that comes out from the quarter panel the car is really a looker.

handling was decent...but as you all know there's going to be a mix of sporty and comfort with handling. the car does handle well but it's no sports car. you can push it to the limits and the tires will howl telling you to you're pushing it...but it doesn't do anything that's unpredicatable on the hard turns.

One thing i would like Nissan to add is doing a sports model. I think there was some talk of a SR model...i hope they do go with it. some blacked out chrome and some body add ons the car would look even better.

not sure what the sticker price of the car will be but if you're in the market for a sedan i would give the Maxima a look.

Big thanks goes out to the contest winners for coming out and spending a day with Nissan.

Thanks again to Nissan, IB, and Tequlia for hosting such a great event for the Maxima.org community. Hope to see other ones in the near future.

Dan

carnal_c30

iTrader: (38)

Here are my impressions:

Initially, I wasnt too enthused about the 7th gen, the pictures don't speak the whole story and a few of the styling details like the headlights weren't my cup of tea. All I can say the car in person looks much better once you see all the angles and the muscular fenders etc.

I suppose my favorite exterior styling detail are the fenders, broad shoulders and how it blends into the c-pillar into the trunk, its really quite nicely done and not something I expected from a 4door mid range sedan. I cant say too much about the exterior beyond that, its all up to personal opinion and I did come away more satisfied than I initially expected.

Interior- I echo Dan's sentiments, the interior on the uplevel SV was exactly the leather quality and fit and finish as the G37 (better than my sis's '06 G35). The styling layout is more uplevel than the Altima and the quality of materials is much improved over Maximas of the past. It wasn't a bad place to spend an afternoon. The details such as the red stitched leather lends a sporty feel to the comfortable seats and adds a sporting air to the Maxima. My only complaint really with the interior is the terminally fake looking Nissan wood... I suppose the Maxima is merely continuing a tradition I do applaud the Piano black trim, and maybe the hammered aluminum trim of the Infiniti M could trickle down.

Driving Experience- the smaller tighter car definitely improves the feel over the 6th gen, and the revised suspension and isolation gives decent handling without the harshness of the Altima (personal experience with the 07 3.5 6spd Alty and big bumps)

*Engine- the new 3.5 feels peppy, has a nice note, passing was quick. I did feel some torque steer, but not nearly as bad as the 5.5 gen 3.5 6spd (torque steer is FUN! hahaha)

*Transmission- mixed bag really, for regular driving, the CVT is great (takes some getting used to, I have already with a month in an '07 Murano) I do miss a manual option, I really really would love to see an SR with a 6spd manual. The paddle shift on the CVT does help my manual cravings, and although it offers decently quick 'shifts' in comparison with conventional autos, I would like an option of a sports shift for DSG like 'shifts'
*Handling- Handling was good as it was safe secure and I felt comfortable powering in & out of turns. I never felt uneasy with the car even though I would have liked a chance to push the car more on a closed track The steering feel was a nice improvement, I really like the fact that Nissan didnt go to electric steering to save an mpg.

Now, I really would like to see a 6spd manual Maxima, real wood (or atleast real-er wood ). The headlight scallop miiight grow on me, but for now I would prefer the car without it even though after seeing the car in person, I do understand the effort behind the scallop and its function as a design element. Once you come down to the reality of the Maxima, its target market, and the economic realities of producing a MT car for a <5% share of the market, the Maxima really does stand out and is an improvement over the 6th gen.

I really have to say I enjoyed the experience, the people at Nissan took us seriously and treated us like family. I was initially worried about making the trip there, getting shuttled around, baby sat and not getting the chance to ask questions. All I can say is my fears were unfounded and everyone at Nissan was really cool and it surprised me how much they actually wanted to hear what we said.
Another feeling I sensed was the pride the product line, production, and marketing guys had in the new Maxima as a return in the right direction.
The factory tour was amazing, and I really thank Nissan, IB and Tequila for their efforts in bringing us out there. Everything was first class, and for the first time I felt appreciation from Nissan for our dedication to making their products better

sicivic89

iTrader: (58)

Here are my impressions:

The 7th Gen was better than I was expecting. The car looks way better in person than the pictures. The coke bottle shape body is very sexy. While driving the car, you can see the front fenders flow into the hood and if you look in the side view mirror, you can see the rear fenders bulge into view. The exterior definitely has an Infiniti look to it, especially when following another 7th gen with the LED tail lights. The headlights are still taking some getting use to. The car has an Infiniti look when looking at it in the rear view mirror behind you with the HIDs on. The wheel well gap seemed better compared to the 6th and 5th Gens.

Nissan has definitely paid attention to detail with the new 7th Gen. Like the others have said, the leather is a nicer feeling leather. More like a Infiniti feel. I believe they said the seats were the same or very similar to the seats in the Infiniti M's. The stitching on the leather was an accent color too. The black leather had red stitching which was nice. Nissan has added features like driver's seat heating and cooling, heated steering wheel, and power rear window shade. They made the right side of the driver's seat smaller to put the driver closer to the center console and converted the parking brake to a pedal giving the center console a cleaner, non-clustered look. I liked the steering wheel. It seems smaller and had more of a sport feel.

Driving impressions: The car feels very solid. The powertrain was definitely more powerful over the 6th Gen. The car just wanted to keep on pulling thru the powerband. The car feels stable in the turns and gives the driver confidence that the car would pull you through the turns. I thought the suspension was just enough mix of sport and smooth ride for a luxury 4 door sports car. I will say the CVT takes some getting use to. The paddles do make the car more fun, but I would still want a 6-spd. Maybe Nissan will offer one in a year or two. We mentioned it multiple times about offering a manual. They already make a 6-spd V6 Altima so the parts are there to fit in the Maxima.

I ended up driving to the event in a rented 2008 Maxima so I had a good comparison. I would definitely say the 7th Gen is a big improvement over the 6th Gen. The 7th Gen is a good mix of luxury and sport. You need to go drive the car and see it in person to really get a feel for the new Maxima.

I would also like to thank Nissan, IB and Tequila for this opportunity. I really felt like they wanted out feedback on the car, the Maxima ads, and slogans, etc. and they were excited that we were there. All of the people I talked with seems very proud of the Nissan product and I enjoyed chatting with them.

Also, everyone should be aware that Nissan now does know about maxima.org. And a few of them will probably be surfing the site more often to read our input about the new Maxima.

Zack342

iTrader: (89)

The Car:

Styling/ Exterior:
Initially I was very enamored with the new 09 Nissan Maxima. Based on the initial released pictures of the car I thought the styling was fantastic. Now having had an opportunity to see the car in person, all I can say is the pictures don’t do this car justice. In person it is, simply remarkable. The design in my opinion stands out as being “organically muscular” yet very elegant overall. From the first glance it was apparent that Nissan did not spare the details. The fit and finish was immaculate and the design elements striking without being overdone. The front end is gorgeous from any angle and the headlights really bring it together. I can only speculate the intent the Nissan designers had when designing the headlights but my guess is the designers were trying to boast its tighter assembly tolerances. The headlights and front grill are the prominent features (no more mistaking the Maxima and Altima, sorry Altima owners) allowing for Nissan’s flagship to make its presence know. The rest of the car is equally impressive, the flared body echo the “muscular elegance” that is the new Maxima. One other pleasant surprise was the fact that the fog lights were moved in so that functional cooling ducks for the brakes could be incorporated into the front fascia and the overwhelming 4x4 wheel gap that we have all come to know and love has been greatly diminished.

Interior:
My highest expectations were surpassed when I had the opportunity to spend sometime inside the New Maxima. The Material quality is exceptional (Far superior to my 06 Infiniti G35 coupe and more on par with my brothers 07 Infiniti M45). Everything has an exceptional feel of “Quality” from the dash to the switch gear. It was evident that this car is driver focused but by no means will the passengers be discontented. The bolstering on the seat is exceptional and helps to complete the cockpit feel for the driver. Gauges were crisp and clear electroluminescent with there being a lot of information available to the driver. One slightly disappointing item to me was the fact that Nissan has ceased the “SE Gauges” (white by day black at night) and I was hoping since they were reviving the “4DSC” they may also bring back the gauges. Some really impressive elements were the thigh extension for the driver seat, the stitching on the steering and seats and the drivers heated/cooled seat. I was also pleased to see they kept the heated steering wheel as well. Overall I feel that this interior is on par if not superior to anything from the likes of Lexus, Audi and Acura.

Drive/ Performance:
This turned out to be the most astounding part of the entire experience. The car comes to life with a nice little growl. Steering is weighted very nicely and felt accurate at low speeds requiring adequate effort. The test route was varying mixture of windy back roads and some time on the freeway. I started our leaving the CVT in normal mode just trying to get a feel for the engine, suspension and braking. In regular CVT mode the car offers extremely smooth acceleration and a firm yet supple ride that I would classify more on the side of sporty luxury. Standing starts aren’t what they used to be and the car doesn’t seem to snap off the line like its predecessors however midrange acceleration is instantaneous as the engine climbs to peak power and just continues to accelerate. Based on my own estimates I would think this to be a mid-low 14 second car. Once we hit the back roads and I felt familiar enough with the car to try some more spirited driving . In Ds mode the car mimics having 6 “gears” and snaps off some lightening quick “shifts”. Body roll is no longer an issue the car is very planted in quick transitions and the suspension felt very settled. There is a real confidence inspring quality that made me want to push it more . I was not able to get close to its limit (keep in mind the car also has VDC). The steering seems to be of the “point and shoot” variety putting the car just where I wanted it to be, there was no perceivable torque steer at all even at full throttle and while turning (seems a little unnatural for a Nissan maxima not to have torque steer).

The braking was very progressive and confidence inspiring allowing for later braking into the corner I am sure with some more aggressive pads they can be even better. I was very impressed overall with how far the Maxima have come in the handling department. Keep in mind this entire occurrence taking place with the maxima signing a very sporty exhaust note. The car I drove was a SV model but I didn’t have the sport package which will have summer tires on 19s instead of the all seasons 18s that were on the car I drove. For the remainder of my time behind the wheel I had the opportunity to test the car out at freeway cruising speed. I opted to leave the car in manual and Ds modes for this part of the drive, triple digit speeds are easily accomplished if it is your desire. Panic braking is also not a problem and the car remains very stable. Shifts in manual mode and Ds mode are both quick and crisp. I was nonetheless dissatisfied with how the car would upshift when in manual mode at redline; it would not let me hold the “gear”.

Depending on your driving style this may or may not be a problem. At freeway speeds road noise, wind noise and tire noise is muted, the cabin is very pleasant and allows for conversation. There were no creeks or rattles that could be felt or hear. Suspension was very compliant giving a very pleasant blend of sporty/comfort. I think the new maxima hits its target dead on and I would like to welcome back Nissans “4 Door Sports Car”.

My thoughts:
Overall I am extremely pleased and impressed with the new Maxima and recommend taking a drive to anyone in the market. The previous 6th gen maxima was never a favorite of mine having considered it prior to purchasing my G35 but I can honestly say the new maxima is light years ahead of all previous generations (I still love my 4th and 5.5th gen) in terms of performance and sophistication . I am not sure what Nissan’s plans for the new maxima are, my one desire for this car would be a 6mt and limited slip and possibly some AL trim for the interior. Power is more than sufficient (not that more isn’t better) and handling excellent for a 4 door sedan so if Nissan does decide to do a Nismo edition or some sort of sport edition with a manual this car would be spot on for drivers like me.

The Experience:
I am overwhelmingly grateful that I was able to participate in this event. I was a little skeptical at first since we weren’t originally schedule to drive the car and I was also very confused by the fact that Nissan had chosen to schedule an event like this at all (to my knowledge no other manufacture has done something like this) prior to the vehicle launch. We had opportunity to spend time with marketing, product planning development, product quality engineering, Nissan communications and Nissan manufacturing plant management to name a few. It was very surprising to see that Nissan was willing to dedicate that many of its resources to us. They were very candid in answering our questions and sharing information. The Nissan group also was exceptionally interested in hearing what we had to say as Nissan Enthusiast and Maxima owners. I can’t begin to describe how impressive the manufacturing facility is and its cleanliness. It is obvious that there is a commitment to building exceptional quality vehicles from Nissan since it seems there was no expense spared in their manufacturing facility.
Nissan has clearly taken an interest in what their consumers and enthusiast have to say and from this experience it is obvious. Everyone was very cordial making for a very enjoyable and memorable experience. It is very nice to see Nissan has taken an interest in its dedicated enthusiast and I hope this trend continues. I would like to thank everyone who made this happen for us especially Tequila, Nissan USA and IB.


Regards,
Zack

one_fast_max

iTrader: (4)

I'm not as detailed as the above posts. But i would basically say the same things they are saying.

I wasn't feeling the car at all when i saw the pictures at first. I know alot of people thought this way also. but wow! The pictures don't do justice. The New Maxima's styling is very detailed and very elegant. Sitting inside the hood and front fenders have a dodge-viper style double bubble going on. This was one of my favorite things about the car, was the front from inside the car. Make the car feel very sporty. Other features like the 4 inch exhaust tips, or LED "wavey" brake lights, Dual moon roof, turn signal in the side mirrers. Wow, this car was very well thought out and in my opinion was a hit. The interior is immaculate. All dash and panels were soft to the touch. no cheap plastics. The steering wheel had smaller diameter, but thicker. There are nice big tach and speedo right in front of you. The rear seats were very comfortable and even had temp controle from the center pull down console in the back seat. The cars we test drove weren't ready to go rock crawling! haha. The stock suspension was lowered a little to decrease wheel gap. Speaker system is very nice also! Brooke and I found that out! haha

The car handle very well also. I was pretty impressed that the car kept pulling and pulling. I actually liked the CVT. There is a sport mode and it acts just like a manual. whatever "gear" you select it will stay there until you change it. I thought it seemed just like a manaul in sport mode just with paddle shifters and no stick. The CVT had very quick shifts and for the most part pretty firm. I talked with one Nissan guy about a possible tranny program option to shift harder and faster. anyway..The car hauls. haha. i don't know how else to put it. I didn't get to crazy with the car as three people were with me but i did take some turns pretty hard and i didn't notice much body role. The VQ sounds very nice also. For what its worth i thought the car was very well thought out and was pretty impressive. I can't really think of anything that i didn't like about the car. Maybe the only thing that isn't my style is the rims. but there are plenty of aftermarket wheels.

Now as for the trip itself it was pretty awesome also. I was a little nervous about meeting a bunch of people i don't know and hanging out two days especially since i was the youngest of the group. But it was very fun. I actually had the same flight as Neal( didnt know it at the time) so i had the pleasure of getting to talk with him and learn alot as we waited for everyone else to show up. Everyone else was very cool. I made some new friends and we all just kinda clicked like we had known eachother for a long time. I got plenty of arkansas jokes and redneck jokes(i'm no redneck) but it was fun hanging out with the org members! Some of the people i met can do very impressive stuff with cars. So it was a great time of learning! Nissan was very awesome also. The guys there wanted our thoughts and opinions and were sincere about it. They were fun to hang out with and seemed to enjoy having us there. To the org members i met yall are awesome and im hope to meet again!

Thank you Nissan!

Maxima Girl

Hey guys, it was nice to meet you. My offer is still good for that discount code so e-mail me if you're interested. Take care!

one_fast_max

iTrader: (4)

here are some pictures i took of the trip. sorry...i'm no photographer! but enjoy!
















enjoy!

DandyMax

iTrader: (7)

Thanks for the reviews guys, it has seemed like the consensus on this car is that you have to see it in person, pictures aren't quite adequate.

Having said that I'm still very annoyed/frustrated that this contest was not open to Canadians, I would have jumped at the chance. Big thumbs down to the organizers on that! Don't tell me I'm not a Nissan enthusiast (or that we as Canadians aren't - tell me, where are some of the fastest, most highly modified Maximas around located?!).

one_fast_max

iTrader: (4)

yeah...that stinks DandyMax. it would have been cool for you to come and to meet you. it was really cool to meet other .org members....too bad there aren't any here in arkansas! haha. yeah i think i'm going to have to make a trip up north to hang out with Neal and Jeremy and come meet you. we'll have to hit the track or something.


Kevin