Nealoc and I were invited to the NY Auto Show by Nissan and IB to view the unveiling of the 2009 Nissan Maxima. We were able to meet with the marketing team from Nissan to speak with them regarding the new 2009 Maxima.

We were able to talk to the project management team on the new launch of the 2009 Maxima and were able to give them some feedback from the Maxima.org community since some of you were able to view the pictures prior to the actual release date.

Below are some pictures from the show and I'm sure Neal will post some additional pictures that he took. Once we're able to upload more pics we'll post additional pics on to the forum.


VIDEO LINK TO MEDIA PRESENTATION FOR THE 2009 MAXIMA











Thank you Nissan and IB.
Dan

 

As the original post states, Dan and I were invited to the unveiling of the new 2009 Maxima at the NY Auto Show by both IB and Nissan. Dan is from NYC, but Nissan flew me out from Michigan - all expenses paid - to attend the show. I'll give some more detail on my trip at a later time, but for now I'm going to post a few of the pictures I took at the show, with more to come later - and a video of the unveiling. I of course want to thank Nissan and IB for being so kind as to invite me to this event - I've had an awesome time thus far.

 

Here is my idea for mods for the new Max. Carbon fiber hood and eyelids. Clear side markers, mesh upper and lower grille, and a new lip spoiler. This car will look mean with mods.


Here is an idea with overlays by Bluebat.

 

why post a photoshop in this thread?

we already have pics. you guys know what we want in this thread. Is it solely going to stay VQ35 CVT FWD??? any other specs insider info not on Nissan's site?

 

Sounds like Nissan wants to know what we think??????

 

i like the car. will a manual be offered?

 

lol since when they made a ""4DSC"" with a CVT

 

i wonder if those side mirrors will fit on a 6th gen? and power fold

 

I was definitely one of the people who did not like what I saw in the early spy shots, but I do kind of like it, but I have one MAJOR complaint. If you look at the official nissan site you can see it with a spoiler and it looks HORRIBLE!!! The way the trunk lines curve in does not give the trunk lid any room for the spoiler. They just squeeze it in there and I really think that it ruins the whole rear end. I don't think that an after market spoiler would even help because of the way any spoiler would have to mount on the squeezed trunk lid.

Anyone else feelin me on this?

 

Care to enlighten us on the feedback you provided and their response?

 

Looks beautiful on the showroom floor. Never thought I would consider another FWD.

 

its a sexy car.. what can i say? man oh man.. very mod-able. i wanna hear it run. the 19s are pretty nice. fills out the wheelwells well. hehe paddle shift. nice

got that from autoblog .. the black accents are wayyyy better than wood finish. i wonder if theres brushed aluminum like in the 6.5 gens

 

some feedback...
well you all know Nissan is just like any car company that's in the market to make a profit.

of course they would love to throw down a CF hood, 4/6pot caliper, 6spd manual, twin turbo, AWD, etc etc...but that's not in the plans/budget. It was expressed to us that the car would be at the similar price with the current generation Maxima. If you want the "goodies" then the price is going to go up. Are you guys willing to toss up another 5K-10K for those additional add ons? some might say yes...but many will say they can get something else for that price.

It's great that Nissan is willing to listen to us in the community and this is the first time the OEM is willing to work with a forum. So they are listening...they see what's going on and the trend that's happening.


some random points/thoughts...

- for you 4DSC people...the sticker wasn't on the car at the show but it will have the stickers in the production model.

- 6spd is not offered. CVT trans only. it's enchanced for the Maxima application

- they all assured us that you need to drive it to really appreciate the car. they really wanted to focus the car to be a driver's car. the controls are within reach. the steering was made a little smaller. the added paddle shifter or steering wheel control shift control.

- the car has a nice dual sunroof feature which looks quite nice.

- Nissan looked at the Acura TL as a similar player in the market.

- gone is the 4X4 look from previous generations

- a sport/sporty suspension is available

- they also mentioned that nothing is set in stone. the car might change and some tweaks and enhancements may be made but i appreciate Nissan even spending some time and listening to us. you really can't say that for the other manufacturers.

 

Nissan has done a fantastic job with the car. The CVT will deter some potential buyers but overall I am surprised how wonderful this car looks.

 

thanks for the info Dan. If I could pick one hopeful aesthetic change, it would be the chrome trunk bar. (maybe keep the chrome bar and handles just for the "SL" version... even the same with the grille) but now I might be asking for a bit much.

Man, I may just have to get my Nissan stock back...

 

cvt is a new design in their cars their not gunna NOT offer it. im kinda not feeling the front alot... and for them not to offer a 6sp for the "DRIVERS" out there... ooooo maybe the sports models... hopefully... maybe... probably...

 

the front reminds me of a scion tc.... booooooo

 

Agreed!.. especially the photoshopped up there.. the curvez on the body reminds me of the lexus is250's .. the back g37s + altima.. 290hp iz waz gooood tho!! i'll stick with my o8 though..

 

Man if they dont have a 6spd I think I am gunna Die.

 

steering wheel just looks odd...
headlight design that second edge on the bottom just ruins what would be a very clean front end. I also saw that design on a concept 370Z I hoped Nissan wouldnt do something like that but they did... oh well
The Bangleized rear end is just bungled. the attempt to make a clean muscular rear end falls short because the proportions in the back are just not right. too short and heavy for such a scalloped rear end

 

The more I look, the more I like. The body sculpting is going to be more impressive in real life than it is in pictutes. Those who think the only change in the 3.5 engine is a little horsepower are not reading the long list of internal changes Nissan made.

But the really great thing about this car is that mag tests will show:

1 - The steering system is upgraded big time, with quicker ratio, smaller steering wheel, virtually no torque, tighter turning radius and no shimmy. The braking system has been upgraded and tested at high speed in Nuremburg. This eliminates some of the problematic areas of some 6th gen Maximas.

2 - The suspension system has been upgraded with stronger components and reduction in body twist.

3 - VDC and TCS are standard on every '09 Maxima.

4 - The CVT has been upgraded considerably for the '09, with four driving type settings available.

5 - In reading every detail in the list of changes outlined by Nissan, I am convinced this car will out-perform all Maximas to date in all-around handling. I can't wait to see the mag reviews for this car. They will be very good.

 

The more I see the car, the more I like it. Also, I think it is very awesome that Nissan is listening to us. You really cant say the same for other auto makers. Thumbs up for Nissan. Ive also noticed some of the mods that we have normally done to our cars they have finally implemented into the car. LED lighting, turn signal side view mirrors, in the 6th gen body kits we redid the front end and got back foglights. And of course some other things. I think Nissan was paying attention.

 

Im starting to fall in love with this car.

 

Here's a short video of the press release presentation given at the NYAS

Let me know if there's a problem with the video link
Also please do not share the link outside of the forum.
Thanks,
Dan

 

Call me crazy or just an absolute Maxima fanatic, but the intro in that video was rather emotional for me and actually brought tears (of joy) to my eyes.

I agree, i believe Nissan did listen to their audience. That's a commendable feat. Sure it doesn't have a 6spd, RWD or AWD, but they those are just drops in the bucket.

 

Hey thanks guys for the pics and review! Keep up the good work you two. I think the new Maxima looks good. It is gearing toward the luxury market but still retaining the sportiness. Most other companies are doing the same. This is the future market that they are catering to. Great to hear that they are listening to some of our opinions from this forum. Looks like Nissan saved some room for the aftermarket companies to enhance the new Maxima.

 

OK OK that video made me like it more. I guess the pics didnt do it justice. It seems to look more agressive and I actually think this may turn out to be one of the best looking modded maximas ever. I need to see it in person now.

 

got to agree with you that intro brought me back to my first car and now all i can think that my baby is back and like its says below my next car will be this one. this is the maxima we all thought of minus the 6spd and AWD but come on LED tails ( everybody on the board pretty much want a set for our current maxima) they moded the current 3.5 to out put more power. and it got smaller and wider and meaner. the headlights give you that mean look if you take away the bottom then it takes away from the agressive look in my opion. i still think there is going to be another version to come out when the deisl engine hits, maybe then we will see the AWD and 6sp. nissan is giving us just part of the story. maybe they are testing it now with the spec-v Gt-r would be cool if it did. but if it did this car going to look good with the navy blue and frost leather fully loaded with the dual panel moonroof

 

and is it just me or do i see a lil 3rd gen in the square front

 

I think the squarish front has to do with pedestrian laws or something of the sort.


Thanks guys for the pictures.

I think this new maxima looks absolutely amazing. With or without a spoiler. It surely captures your attention. I love have a manual tranny but I think this may be my next car.

 

yes...they were repping the 3rd gen.

also a few 4th gen shots in there.

 

Did you guys get any more pics of the interior? One of the changes implemented in this maxima is the addition of audio and climate controls on the rear fold down thingy between the seats. (Cant remember what it is called. Console??). I would love to see a pic of that.

 

So if nissan is really going to be perusing these posts for feedback than I hope they pick up on this:

new steering wheel = not good

On the right track with having the paddles mounted to the column instead of the wheel. Lex IS-F has the paddles on the wheel and it can be annoying to shift while turning. So keep the paddles as is and go back to 6th gen style steering wheel.

Work out the new generation bugs and I will see you in 2011. IMO it is always better to wait out the first year or two of a new generation. On the other hand, my "first of the generation" 4th gen went 250K with nothing but regular maintenance, however, the Maxima of today (6th+7th gen) cannot really be compared with the 4th gen.

On a side note, about the whole 4DSC thing... Don't you think these days you need MORE POWER to be considered a 4DSC? The Lex IS-F has a V-8 pushing about 418. Its also 58,000. The is-f is a true 4DSC, which coincidently does NOT offer a manual tranny.

 

Steering wheel is personal pref... I really wish they had gone back to 4-spoke like 5Gs... My 2000 had best Max steering wheel - 2003 not bad except for chrome Nissan emblem in center. 6G wheel doesnt feel bad in the hands but I don't find it attractive at all.

C'mon now, comparing to ISF??? - STARTS at $56k!!!

 

IMHO, To be a sports sedan is more than just having more power.

 

It will be a while before we know they are really listening but I participated in several conference calls with IB and Nissan and their interest in feedback from the maxima.org community seems genuine. The fact they even asked for feedback is encouraging. Another thing I find encouraging, both IB and Nissan said they wanted honest feedback. They are aware of how the 6th generation was received around here so sending maxima.org to the debut was a bit of a gamble.

 

infiniti is the competition for lexus, not nissans. $58K? I'd rather get another car for that much. Maxima is supposed to be affordable to middle class.

 

I can't believe they're trying to market this as a "driver's car" and are only offering it in CVT. Those two things are mutually exclusive. simply for that reason alone, I won't consider one. I don't care if they have 4 modes and one of them is "sport" there's no sport involved in not shifting your own damn gears.

I want a clutch pedal and a real shifter, dammit! it's just part of the game!

And yes, Nissan, I'm in the market for a $35k car right now. In the last ten years, I've owned four Nissans including two Maximas. I'm President of one of the oldest and most active Z clubs in the country. I'm searching for a 4 door sport sedan that'll soak up highway miles with ease but also make the trips to the grocery store (and my 60mile daily commute) more fun. I make $100k a year and even sell aftermarket parts for Maximas. I couldn't be more in the crosshairs of your marketing group than that! But you missed me with the CVT. Give me stick, or give me death!!!

Guess I'll just get me a G35 6MT. the RWD speaks more to me as well.

 

Nissan site says normal moonroof/sunroof is standard (not dual panel version). Please find out if that's true. I can't fit in 6th gen with moonroof and I hope the new one doesn't eat up as much headroom as 6th gen.

 

LOL..yeah my Ferrari have nice paddle shifters too.

seriously you HAVE to compare apples to apples...not another car that's 25K more than the Maxima.