did anyone happen to notice the articles in the latest car magazines about the new Q45 and how it is a disappointment overall performance-wise, with having 345 hp and barely running with the lexus that has considerably less hp? ya know what it reminded me of? when the 5th gen max came out and everyone was excited about its 222hp and then seeing the numbers and it wasnt really a big improvement at all. Nissan had better fix something because if this trend continues with the new altima and updated max, instead of being known for a performance first carmaker, they will be known as the car maker that has to make high HP output numbers to compensate for the rest of the car (i.e. trans, ecu, etc) that cant keep up. has anyone else thought about this, or am i totally off base?

 

That is what I have been thinking about the Maxima since they made the 5th Gen more beefier. They had to compensate making the car bigger so they gave it more hp to try to make up for it.

The bigger it gets the more other cars look more appealing.

 

I read that the engine and performance were good, it was the numb steering they didn't like, too much like a Lincoln town car I presume...It seems steering feel is something Nissan should work on a little, it was/is a criticism of the Maxima...(so get a RSB and FSTB!!)

 

Weight is a big factor in slowing down the 5th gen and the Q45. Considering that the 5.1 gen and the Altima are both roughly the same weight as the 5th gen, they should both be faster. They "quote" a 0-60 time of 6.3 s for the Altima, which is a definite improvement if correct.

 

that is not totally true. in fact they addressed this in road and track. they said that the Q45 is actually lighter than the Ls430 and has 50! more hp and is Slower to 60 and thru the 1/4 mile and its trap speed is nowhere close, 94.6 mph to 96.6 mph. therefore it has a much, much better power to weight than the lexus, but is just flat out slow for its specs. same with the max. in a recent test they compared the max, along with others, to a grand prix gt(not supercharged)the maxima has 22 more hp and weighs 100 pounds less and still gets beat by the grand prix. so thats why i say it cant be weight. its gotta be something else.

 

The Bland Prix has more displacement and torque. It beat the Maxima by a tenth in the 1/4. HP isn't everything. You have torque and gearing as well.

 

hope the new Max has both!

Mark

 

i understand that and normally i'd agree with you. however that is partly true in the max's case, but the fact that the Q45 has such good numbers spec-wise, including weight, HP, torque, and displacement leads me to be a little skeptikal about just how much the new max and altima will improve upon performance numbers. it just seems other manufacturers do much more with their cars with less.

 

In Road & Track they still chose the new Q over the Lex because of value and overall performance. They said the 0-60 and 1/4 mile time was due to a less agressive lanch that the Q's gearing required.

 

Hp is almost nothing without gearing and torque... look at this.. the MB CLK320 does 0-60 in 6.8 while the CLK430 only gets there in 6.5... all from motortrend... with a whole 1.1liter the diff is only .3?
and then look at BMWs, the 540 makes only 282 hp, but it smokes everything in its class... auto or stick... i think what they said about the Q45 that they tested was that it was a preproduction model and that the acceleration should improve a coupla tenths... the new max's were heavier, and 32hp out of a high end engine doesnt go far... my friend used to drive a euro spec BMW M3 E36 with 321hp out of the 3.2l, and he said he could only beat a 240hp US M3 by a coupla tenthes... (this was in Asia, too bad we didnt get euro spec M3s =) ) I have more hope with the new VQs because with the extra .5 liters, the low end torque should really improve and if the gearings right, it will be alot quicker than the 5th gen 3.0ls

 

that it has to do with the gearing chosen for the Q, that it's geared more for luxury than sport. Somewhere I read that the Q shifts before reaching the 1/4 trap which results in lowere speeds, whereas the LS didn't shift before the trap...at any rate I don't see how a division such as Infiniti can be touting themselves as performance luxury and then make what appears to be a bad engineering decision to make the car shift like a boat.

 

I read the Infiniti and the Lexus quotes and the Q-45 is faster(0-60 in 5.9 seconds)whereas the Ls430(0-60 in 6.3)I got these quotes from the web-sites. If I knew how to post it I would. Im not trying to be mean or treat anyone like their stupid, but sometimes the guys at magizines(sp?) don't really know what there doing (EX: they said in one magizine that the 5-speed maxima did 0-60 in 7.8 seconds) I mean I could understand like a even 7.0 seconds but a whole second off? My guess either the weather was really bad, they broke the tires completely lose or they just didn't know how to drive. My point is that you cant really go by what you read because your going by somebody else's opinion.