Just did the test drive in an '07 SE, and I have some impressions:

On the CVT -

1. The CVT is smooth and quiet, and I admit it is almost invisible in normal driving. Note I said "normal".

2. The "tiptronic" function works pretty well, and even without it there are simulated downshift points like a regular AT for little spurts of power in traffic.

3. The CVT is well-integrated, and it doesn't appear to be easy to trip it up. It handled quick transitions of the throttle very well (like slowing, then suddenly accelerating, etc.).

4. On the negative side, the performance of the CVT is quite a bit "softer" IMO than the conventional automatic. I've thought about it, and I think it's because of this: when I take off in my '04 - even at 1/4 throttle - I can hold the trans in 1st gear, so the car seems to me to be accelerating harder. Ditto for 2nd gear, etc. (Yes, you can override it with the tiptronic, but who wants to shift through evety gear ... it's an automatic, for godsakes.)

The CVT, OTOH, starts doing its constant shifting right from the start, and the "lunge" of forward movement doesn't seem as strong. Nor can you "force" it to hold lower ratios with the throttle like a conventional AT. This, to me, makes it feel less powerful overall.

The downshifting function also feels softer to me. I hit "passing gear" several times from about 60mph, and even though I floored the pedal, it didn't accelerate like my '04 does. I don't think this was just my imagination, since I use passing gear a lot in my daily freeway driving and know how it feels.

Now, the brochure states that there are 3 modes to the CVT - sport, normal, and economy, I think it is. The salesguy and I could not find any way to select these modes, so maybe they're part of the "adaptive" transmission program (?) I say this beacuse I guess it's possible the CVT was in economy mode rather than sport mode. Anyone know if it's driver-selectable?

5. Torque steer from a dead stop actually seemed worse to me. The wheel - instead of pulling hard to the right - pulled back and forth. I suspect the TCS was trying to stop wheelspin and switched power to the left when the right wheel was braked, and vice-versa. Not a horrible thing, but different from my '04.

On the interior -

I have no problem with the changes. They are good and no-so-good, so it's a nice balance.

1. The pebble-grained plastic door panels are a bit harsher than the faux suede we have in the '04 - '06's, but a lot of people don't like the suede anyway.

2. The console and center stack changes are nice, I guess, although I don't like that the cupholders are smaller in the '07. I don't see the ojections others have stated about this part of the interior.

3. The hood over the gauges is fine, I guess. It makes the car look more mainsteam, so that's just a matter of personal taste.

4. The intelligent key is nice, of course, although I would have preferred a push-button starter like in my Infiniti M45.

5. The other detail changes are small IMO, and overall the interior looks and feels very familiar to any 6th Gen owner.

On the exterior -

Most people probably won't even notice the small changes ... only us 6th Gen-ers.

1. The Grille and front-end changes are fine, even if plasticky. The black surrounds for the fogs, tailpipes, etc. stick out more on light colors, and look more integrated on the darker ones.

2. The wheels don't look as good to me as the '04 - '06's. Whereas they look more like forged wheels, the '07's look like stamped steel wheels painted silvery. That's a matter of taste, too, I guess, but I like my '04's wheels MUCH better.

3. The pipes and rear valance look good to me, The black area makes the bumper look less chubby and it gives the car a "lighter" look.

4. I personally don't like the new spoiler. Too big for my tastes. Looks too yesterday.

Overall impressions -

These things are all a matter of taste and you may very well not agree. Take my comments for what they're worth, take a test drive and come to your own conclusions. Don't bother to trash me for having my opinions.

1. IMO, the Maxima still offers more value for the money than most anything else in the price range. Things like Bluetooth, heated seats and steering wheel, power folding mirrors, auto-dimming and tilt-down mirrors, memory seats, etc. etc. etc. are nice features for a car in this price range.

2. I personally think the CVT will be fine for most people. Having said that, I still don't care for it myself. It can be driven fairly aggressively, but it requires that you keep your foot in the throttle more than with a traditional AT to do it.

3. The styling changes are minimal IMO, and you either like the wheels and spoiler or not. I happen to "not'.

4. It's still an excellent buy.

I'll still go on to something else rather than get another Maxima, but that's just me. I don't expect everyone else to agree, and I'm just stating my opinion. Let's hear yours.

 

Nice write-up. Thanks

 

Very well laid out there Mike!

Glad to hear the pros and cons for all changes.

Thank you,

No flaming necessary here

 

Mike_TX - Thoughtful writeup, and much appreciated.

I think you are correct in that 'high performance' drivers will not be as happy with the CVT, but that for normal driving by most drivers, it works just fine. Like you, I will be interested in how the three 'modes' of the CVT are activated. I suspect they may be internally controlled, but don't really know.

I also think most of the interior and exterior changes are, on balance, better, but that would depend on the personal taste of each driver.

The only thing in your report that really surprised me was your mention of torque steer; Combining this site with a few others, I have seen around half a dozen reports from test drives, and most said one of the things they especially noted with the '07 was the absence of torque steer. Looks like the 6th gen will go down as the one where side-by-side Maximas equipped exactly alike usually drove differently. And they shouldn't.

Thanks again for the report on your personal experiences with the '07.

 

Light, it's always possible my torque steer experience could have been influenced by road conditions. I had the usual salesperson chaperone with me and didn't want to overdo things, but I performed spirited takeoffs two different times from a stop. The first time, the car "shook its head" a little, so the second time I pushed it a litte harder and got a distinct side-to-side pull. Both were on city streets with the usual worn surfaces.

Have you been able to drive one yet? I know the group would be interested in your take on things from the driver's seat.

 

So far, my experience has been that the torque steer is less than in earlier models but definitely not eliminated. After a bit of break-in, we will really see.

Nice report, Mike. You are absolutely correct that there will never be complete agreement on aesthetic issues, and that's fine. The other point you make that would be hard for anyone to disagree with is that there are damn few cars that offer the whole package of features, comfort, image and performance that the Max does at anywhere near the price. Every time I have shopped for a car I have always looked hard for one, but six times now I have still ended up with the Max.

 

Good write up man.

 

Mike, after my encounter with the '07 I honestly agree with ever single thing you have said. I will keep my current Max until it is time to switch to an Infiniti or maybe 7th gen.

 

i sat in a black/black w/ nav 07 the other day. They were selling it that night and didn't want me to take it out. I like every interior change they made, and come on, the new leather seats are so much nicer than the 04-06.

 

That may well be. I admit I didn't pay that much attention to them since they were under my butt. I DID notice the stitching was different, but they felt about the same to me.

Funny thing - the salesman said, "The seats are much better ... they don't have those high sides on them like they used to." Hahaha! I think he meant the seat bolsters, and "high" bolsters like on the '04 - '06 aren't exactly a bad thing. It continues to amaze me how uninformed salesmen often are.

 

For anyone with a NMAC lease on an '04 - if you haven't noticed, Nissan will "excuse" your last 4 payments and let you trade early for a new Nissan vehicle.

 

Mike_TX - No, I haven't driven an '07 yet. I watched the first '07 to arrive at my dealer being unloaded from the truck back on Wednesday June 21st, then went to see my friend Lisa (the dealer Internet Manager from whom I have bought my last two Maximas) to arrange a short test once the car was cleaned up.

But Lisa was gone, and her replacement said she had left the dealership the previous Friday to open her own business doing something else.

I was greatly disappointed, because, very early on, Lisa found I was always prepared with a pile of quotes and would demand a sharp deal. As a result, she didn't waste her time or mine dragging things out. She was the only person with whom I have ever enjoyed negotiating a vehicle price.

I have been back to closely examine the '07s several times, and have sat in both an SE and an SL. I probably won't test-drive one, as: (1) - I absolutely love my perfect '04 SL, hence will wait on the 7th gen, and (2) - the area around my dealer does not lend itself to actually test-driving a vehicle. Unless stop-and-go driving and playing 'follow-the-leader' with the crawlers in front of you count.

I trust the judgement and impressions of others (such as you) here on the ORG to 'do' my testing for me.

 

thanks for the info .

Bat™

 

When i have looked at the wheels, and i do like the 04-06 wheels much better, although I havent quite seen the 07 wheels up super close.

 

willismooo - I have looked at the '07 SE and SL wheels at great length, from up close and from far away, from standing, squatting, front angle, rear angle, and everything in between.

Why have I spent so much time examining the '07 wheels? Because I am concerned.

I realize wheels are very subjective, and everyone has a slightly different taste. But sometimes one just gets a feeling that a certain wheel is not going to 'click' with the masses.

Nissan had a tough act to follow, as I felt the '06 SE and SL wheels were very very nice. I was hopeful the wheels would stay the same until generation 7. But that was not to be.

At first, I was a little disappointed with the '07 SE wheels. But repeated trips to the dealer and continued looking have somewhat mollified my worries there. But I still feel the '07 SE wheels remind me more of the '06 SL wheels than of the '06 SE wheels.

But my original disappointment with the SL wheels has not wavered. Taking the advice my Mother gave me many years ago, I will say nothing about the '07 SL wheels other than to note that, if I owned an '07 SL, I would probably replace the wheels. That is something I last did on my '78 Datsun 200SX twenty-eight years ago, hence is, for me, a very drastic step.

But then there will be some who like the '07 SL wheels . . .

 

thanks for the write up
but i think the spoiler looks siiiiiick

 

Yeah, Thanks for the Write-Up. You'd think that they'd have a 6-speed auto or at least keep the 5-speed auto. I did read a thing at autoblog about Kerkorkian suggesting a technology alliance between them and GM. If this holds true maybe we'll see that Killer 6-speed Hydromatic tranny adapted for use on the 7th gen, with a next-gen 300hp VQ. Give it some Skyline/GT-R attitude and then we might have a REAL 7th-gen Maxima. this 6.5gen deal has me worried though that they're losing their vision. I mean, if they really have to keep it FWD, that revised VQ and tranny setup on the upcoming 07 Altima sounds like it may be a lucritive cure for the Torque-steer shuffle. on a personal note, i love the idea of the IRS on the 6th-gen, but i couldnt bring myself to suffering the 200lb. weight penalty that came with it.

 

very well spoken

 

I saw an 07 at the dealership yesterday. It wasn't as different as I thought it was. I didn't drive it but I will.


I have an 06 SE 6 spd. I like the stick. I like the clutch. This is my second maxima.

If I can't get a real manual transmission then I need to find a different car.

 

You are who I wanted to be in 20 years.

1999 Maxima SE 5spd. bought new 12/98 218k miles.
2006 Maxima SE 6 spd bought new 2/06 11k miles.

I can't see my self in anything that is auto ot CVT.