I drvie the flagship of Nissan which is the Maxima. Tell me this! If the Altima isn't the flagship for Nissan then why does it have more juice than the Max?

 

Because it is newer and it probably will be the flagship soon, since all the attention is getting transferred towards the Altima. And considering that the 3.5 coupe can run 13's all day, well that just speaks for itself...

 

Because the new Altima is ALL NEW, where 6th gen Maxima is on it's 5th year; and the new VQ35HR won't fit the engine bay.

 

Altimas are b-a. I actually was shopping for an Altima when I got stupid and got "pushed" into buying the Max. But alas, im making the best out of what I have.

 

just wait for the SE-R version but second its an not so pretty car in the front, I am going to wait to see what kind of kits with be offere to fix that front end, i mean come on nissan knock it off and bring back some good designs in your car, look at the honda accord coupe concept that thing is very nice.

 

I actually test drove this car today... The only one they had was with the CVT. It felt fairly peppy, but the inside materials were not as nice as my Max... and the steering wheel felt a little flimsy and light. Plus, it didn't have many of the nice electronic gadgets that the Max has and that I've grown accustomed too. Also, I didn't feel that there was as much visibility as I have in my Max, although I didn't spend a lot of time finding the 'sweet' spot.

It may be funny, but I think one of the most important features of a car is the steering wheel. I've gotten used to the Max's slightly thicker wheel and now driving anything with a thinner one seems so foreign.

 

RHMax is correct as usual.

A few other posters have their fruits mixed. Specifically, apples and oranges.

Those who compare a BRAND NEW '08 Altima coupe with a car that was designed in 2002, has been rolling off the assembly line since January 2003, and will be phased out in less than a year, are comparing apples to oranges.

And to the person who suggested the Altima will be the new flagship for Nissan - you are obviously imbibing while on the ORG. That breaks the site rules. Put down the glass. The 7th generation Maxima WILL continue the 'Nissan flagship' status of the Maxima, per the person in charge of Nissan Motors. I believe him.

There are going to be a few red-faced posters here when the 7th gen Maxima relegates the Altima to 'also ran' status. RHMax, Monotaur and I will not be amongst those red faces.

 

i agree with you on the flismy plastic, lately nissan has got it in there heads to cheapen materials with flismy plastic but what are you going to do?

 

but i will hold out for an 2009 cause if sources are correct your looking at competition against the mercedes CLS with looks to match i can't wait to see some concepts please nissan don't try to mimic the 350z lights anymore on your cars

 

I like the 07 Max nose, and I like the 03 nose, and I like the R34 look the 4th gen had. if they injected some 09 GTR DNA into it, I would have to wait and see. the one thing that i just want them to fix FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST is the 6th gen rear-end. it looks like a freakin' Saturn ION. a $30k Sports/Near Luxury sedan should NOT resemble an econobox. gimme the VQ35HR and a 6speed DSG

 

I also have driven one, they are nice, but i felt it didnt have much room... i am a tall guy so i like to be able to feel comfortable in my car...

Nice car... just not for me...

+1 on the new 7th gens being the REAL flagship car..

 

Honestly, I like them a lot. Ive thought about trading in for one but going from a Maxima to and Altima just doesnt sound right.

 

I test drove an Altima SE-R the night before I bought my Maxima. Even though the dealer wanted the same price, the Maxima was clearly a superior product from every aspect. I believe Nissan will continue the trend and keep the Maxima as the flagship of Nissan and be a superior car. Reserve judgment on the Maxima until the 7th gen comes out. Then you can compare apples to apples.

 

Yup, what he said. ^^^ Rumor has it that the new 09 Max will be pushing 300 HP to compete with the Avalon and others. The Max may not roll off of the assembly line as a 4DSC anymore but there are a few ingenious folks around here to mod it enough so that it will be.

OT, I wonder who won that race with the modded "NISMO Max" versus the 240 SX. Ahhhh, that was a great thread.......... not.

 

Isn't the new Max being equipped with the VQ37? If so, that's the answer to your question.

 

no just the vq35hr, and if you mention the q45 engine, they can't put a v8 in a fwd car cause it would be just total chaos, awd would be nice though

 

How? .

 

chaos would be defined as no response to steering input after 60% throttle angle

Who cares? Nissan kinda did this last time the 3G Alty came out, where it was faster than the current-at-the-time max. It is how they roll.

It is just a number. It is all about power to weight ratio. From what I have read, the 4G altima is slower than the 3G. (CVT vs. 5sp auto anyway, not sure on manual vs. manual).

 

Why not? If General Motors does it, why can't Nissan? GM has a V8 in their Impala SS, Monte Carlo, and Cadillac cars have had the Northstar V8 in them for a while. They are all front wheel drive. Sure, there is a lot of torque steer, but it isn't total chaos.

I personally like the styling of the Maxima a lot better. I had the choice between an Altima and a Maxima when I got my car, and I just like the Maxima better. Different strokes for different fokes.

 

9 put of 10 Altimas are 4bangers, when I spot a V6 for a brief moment Im like sweet then Im back to reality

 

altima coupe is fukin ugly , and ill still smoke that ugly thing

 

torque steer galore and understeer would be insane with a v8 not unless they did an awd then it would be fine, for 340hp and steering to be controled by just the front wheels is just what they call the chaos theory

although if they push all four wheels to all four corners and lower the engine deep into the car and balance the weight distribution perfectly and with the right suspension tuning and braking setup it could be possible, as long as they bring back an actual transmission to the next maxima thats all that really matters, i'll work out the rest later if it isn't perfect

 

DBW throttle, ECU, and suspension can reduce torquesteer. A V8 in the next gen Max is a stretch, but AWD isn't.

 

I've thought about the SE-R and the 07 altima that way too.

 

Nissan already got the new Sentra SE-R going http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...cleId=117734#1 . Now that car is butt ugly. If the Sentra gets any bigger it will be a midsize vehicle and the new Versa will be the new compact vehicle. Maybe Nissan wants to do away with the Maxima like Pontiac did with the Bonneville. Its not like the Altima's price will stay the same being the new flagship. To be honest I don't care what Nissan does to the Altima or Maxima. There are plenty other cars out there.

 

Blasphemy! i would think with a community this large just for their flagship model, and Carlos Ghosn's declaration that he is going to return the maxima to the forefront of flagship cars, that retiring the max would be the last thing on your mind. Frankly, Nissan could axe all but 4 cars in their primary US lineup and still be profitable. Sentra, Altima, Maxima, Z. that's IT

 

No they will probably just make it the size of the CLS and the Q45 and altima will take the maxima range

the only car i would trade this maxima in for is a 2002-06 Q45, ecu upgrade and throttle body upgrade FTW

 

The Altima is just like a kid-brother or the little sissy. A lady at work likes my '04SE so much, she managed to get a loaded '07AltSE for ~$40K our the door (don't know how that's possible, but don't want to add insult by asking). Parking side by side, the Altima looks flashier. But my '04SE ('07Max even looks better) still have much more substance/maturity/pimpyness to be the big brother even at a quick look. I knew that the moment I saw them side-by-side at the Anaheim autoshow. Everybody at work agrees with me. They were amazed when I told them I paid ~$32K out the door for my Max (loaded w/o the journey seats). I took my wife&daughters shopping for the Altima but they they turned it down without getting into one. We're looking for something "better" than my Max and that turned out to be very difficult (under a <$35K budget). Then came the '07MuranoSL, they love that thing.

 

I am the proud owner of a 2003 Nissan Altima a 2000 Nissan Maxima and also a 93 Nissan Maxima and to me each car feels different to drive and I never find myself comparing the characteristics of my driving experience ,it is obvious why I keep these cars ,I love them and I am a Nissan loyalist ,we all know Nissan gives a lot of car for the money ,or at least that is how it used to be ,cause you know when you go onto any lot to spend 30g`s we drive away having spent 35g`s and we justify it because as long as their is something better on the lot we want it, so we see how that 5g`s play out we go from Altima to Maxima and we enjoy our purchase ,not to compare the purchase but we always wonder if I had got the fully loaded Altima ,this was my dilema and why I wound up with the 2003 Nissan Altima ,but I love my cars and I drive a different car everyday and enjoy.

 

I would like to drive the new Altima to see how it performance and all.

 

I couldn't care less about the horsepower. I just bought a 2007 Maxima and I looked at the Altimas. IMHO they were not nearly as nice both inside and out.

Besides, if HP and azz-haulin' is what I want to do, I'll use my C5 Corvette.

 

Good for you :troll: :jealous:

 

it's such a good design but i feel sorry that the it's eventually going to become the flagship :| it's almost as if nissan is calling it quits on good cars :[

BRING BACK THE STANZA! WOOT!

 

Large community sure, but mostly 5th gens. A declaration to "return the Maxima to the forefront of flagship cars" would be nice but going from 265hp to 255hp is not how its done! That's not how "Flagship" cars roll. It doesn't have to be the fastest but should at least have bragging rights. I don't care what Nissan profits in another country because I drive in this one. Oh and by the way I really do like my 6th gen Maxima for the moment.

 

the Maxima did NOT lose any Horsepower. I HATE that misnomer. the Society of Automotive Engineers(SAE) came out with a new standard of rating HP. Practically all cars across the board lost around 10hp unless the engineers working on the cars tweaked a few extra ponies out of the engine. This has been known for what, a year now? Come on, the only reason currently why the Altima is exceeding the Maxima in HP is because the engineers were coming out with the new altima on a completely new platform, and working on the 7th-gen. the maxima (at least the 6th gen) has been around since 04, and has been widely known, at least on here, to be replaced in mid-08 as an 09. They MIGHT do one last hurrah for the 6th gen and pop some extra ponies to 270-275, but that's a bit of a stretch as it would cannibalize sales from the new Altima. They'll more likely cut some crazy incentives to clear the lots in Feb-April and you're going to see a)A new, if not NEWER platform, b)VQ35HR poppin' somewhere between 280-295hp(they're either going to cut short of 300 or if they hit it in the max, they're going to boost the HP on the G35; sales cannibalization and all that) c)Carlos Promised us swoopy coupe-like styling a la CLS, and the Max's return to prestige as Nissan's Flagship. If he delivers on all fronts, we're either in for one heck of a car starting under 30k, or a price move on the G35 again. If you're scared, grab a G35 sport before March `08 and don't look back. If you're a Max die-hard, swarm the dealers in July `08 wondering where the heck their batch of new Maxes are.

 

I had an altima,then a passat vr6 now the maxima. I couldn't see myself going backward. It's about moving forward!! The altima is a step backward in my opinion and i couldn't see myself going back. And the rear-end of that coupe is disgusting!!!

 

I guess you haven't read anything on the '09 Maxima. And the Stanza didn't sell that well so Nissan CHANGED the NAME to Altima.

 

I read something like that too on the Internet.

 

I read an article that the new maxima will be diesel and have 300-330hp with higher torque than current max's. Best of all it will also be fuel efficent without the loud diesel noise. The 08 altima may have more hp but let's see you put 4 people and a baby seat in it! My max is still quick as sssh*t!

 

absolutely. Its what I do too I always look at altima's and to my disappointment see the 2.5S on the back..