This is not exaxctly a '6th gen specific' thread, but please bear with me.

The September edition of Consumer Reports tested five luxury sedans. They rated the Infiniti M45 as easily the best, with Audi A6, Caddy STS, Accura RL and Lexus GS300 following, in that order.

By now you are mumbling 'But there is no Maxima involved'.

For two decades, the perception in some circles (correct or not) has been that Toyota and Honda were the only companies building better cars than Nissan. With this test by CU, the upscale Nissan line (Infiniti) finishes first, while the upscale Honda line (Accura) and the upscale Toyota line (Lexus) finished last.

It would be incorrect to read too much into this one test, but, at least, we are finally seeing proof that the Nissan Corporation, despite the unhappy service and support some here have had, has the ability to produce as good a vehicle as any company on earth.

And where does this relate to our Maxima? Because any quality control improvements, engineering progress or technical breakthroughs made by Infiniti will invariably work their way into the Maxima, usually in the near future.

Knowing this, I watch Infiniti fairly closely, and feel this gives some indication of what changes we will be seeing in our Maxima.

As this is not a 6th gen specific post, I will cetainly understand if it is moved to a more general, broader Maxima discussion board.

 

Yeah I'd definately look into the G35C or the M45 after this experience.

 

I'm glad to see Nissan getting some of the recognition it deserves. All car makers have quality issues from time to time. It's just the nature of the beast. I agree with Light that the improvements will work their way down the line. It is only a matter of time.

 

J.D. Power's 2005 Initial Quality Survey (IQS) shows that Nissan climbed quite a bit, more so than most other manufacturers.

http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102414

"Crisis fixes quality

Nissan’s crisis mentality in the wake of last year’s rating of 154 problems per 100 vehicles paid off. The automaker rushed 200 engineers from Japan to its new assembly plant in Canton, Miss., to fix problems with the Quest minivan, Titan pickup and Armada SUV.

The result: Nissan rated at 120 problems per 100 vehicles on the new study, just under the industry average of 118 problems per 100 vehicles and tied with Jeep and Mercury. The 2005 Quest improved its rating by 104 problems per 100 vehicles, J.D. Power said. The company does not release the scores of any individual model."

 

I'm impressed w/ Infiniti as of late. I researched the specs on all of the cars mentioned above way before this thread was posted, and I must say that, by the numbers, Infiniti "walks away" as the BEST BUY...hands down! What impresses me even more is that Nissan leads the crowd in the available powerhouses offered... M45, I believe tops the bunch w/ ~335hp packed away in its 4.5 V8...AWESOME for this class of luxury sedan... Anyway, just my two cents...

 

Infiniti and Nissan have rebounded big time in the last 5 years and i think we have all seen that. The Maxima has always held strong for nissan. Infiniti is what i think has made the big boom. Even though i love nissan a few years ago i wouldnt even consider a infiniti if i was going to spend over $35,000. But things have changed and in about 3 years when i finish playing with my Max im going to step it up and go for Infiniti, either Skyline G35, or more practical the M45.

 

true, infiniti was weak sauce back in the days. i remember all you ever saw on the streets were g20s and i30s

 

The Infinity technology has started to show up in the max. Look at the little things that you get in the max now. The power steering wheel with memory. Some of the things that are in the max were first seen on the first q-45. My buddy who has a 93 q was amazed by the things he saw trickle down to our max cars. This is one of the few cars that has luxury power and performance for the price. My friends wife bought a cheap I mean c class mercedes She paid 36 grand for it. He drove my car and came back and said I would take your max over that 168 horse power wagon. Oh did I mention the max gives me a lot more for my money. Of course if you go up the ladder the mercedes is a mercedes. Dollar for dollar the max will give me more of want I want out of a car than a symbol on the hood. Don't get me wrong I know what they build when you move up. Atleast in that segment I'll take my bad *** max.