It's a cold and slow day, so I figured I'd stir it up a bit....

To those people wishing for the Max to have RWD, AWD or other high end features...you're really wishing for an Infiniti. In my opinion, currently, the M/Q70 is Nissan's flagship model as far as sedans are concerned. You can argue that the GT-R is the flagship model, but it is not considered a volume sales model, so it depends on how you define "flagship". If it's based on technology, then yes, the GT-R hands down.

The Max is simply a hopped up (albeit nicely dressed and refined) Altima. There is only so much Nissan can do with a max MSRP of 40k (obviously, I am not privvy to their cost structure) and the desire not to cannibalize their Infiniti line.

If we were talking Hyundai, the Equus is the flagship model as there is no extension of the product line to a luxury nameplate.

 

You can say the Altima is their flagship model but saying an Infiniti is their flagship model is... _________

 

Altima is our bread and butter. Max is our more top of the line sedan. Max really suppose to appeal to an older crowd while sentra and versa to a younger crowd while altima pulls drivers from every segment. Bolder looks and styling starting to reel in younger drivers to the max. Not my company speaking, just my opinion.

 

Infinity is our luxury class. We don't build a lot cause we might sell 1500 Armada but we will sell 400 QX56

 

I guess that makes the LFA Toyota's flagship car. No, wait, that's stupid.

Anyone who says the Max is a "hopped up Altima" has never ridden in both cars. The Maxima sources many parts from Infiniti vehicles, not sure if you guys noticed the interior is identical to the G37? We share more than just that styling. The Altima on the other hand feels pretty cheap on the interior, and sources only Nissan parts.

So yeah from a laymen's perspective who doesn't know much about the individual cars, I can see how you'd disregard the Max with the Altima as an option. My girlfriend's Altima doesn't feel as solid or as well-refined as my Maxima, even she agrees. The Alti is definitely the best selling car, and their aftermarket community has so much more support than us from vendors because they aren't scared to mod their cars (even the CVT guys), can't argue with that. But it's cheaper for a reason.

 

Agreed ghost I had a 13 Altima for a rental while my car was in the shop and it wouldn't even stay in the lane and is a wayyyy cheaper car I feel like it was a pos and missed my maxima deeply .

 

an Infiniti M/Q70 is INFINITI's flagship model...not Nissan's...that's like saying the Lexus E350 is Toyota's flagship. Incorrect. Sure, theyr'e *basically* the same company, but they're not.


MAXIMA is NISSAN's flagship. Period.

 

Thanks for your clarification as I had always thought Datsun was Nissan's flagship model.

 

Oh and Nissan and infinity do share parts. Armada and and qx56 had lots of common parts. The same suppliers make similar parts. Just gave it different badge. The altima is made side by side with the max. Maxima go through a different quality check process as does the infinity line up. When we had the QX56, it goes through the same inspection twice.

 

that's fine. go sit in an Altima, open/shut the doors hood and trunk. it feels cheap. then go sit in a Maxima. everything feels sturdy and well made. quality check aside, being built side by side doesn't mean they use the same parts. the Armada sharing Infiniti parts doesn't surprise me, it's their flagship SUV like the Maxima is their flagship sedan.

 

I work in car rental so I'm in and out of altimas and similar cars all day long and at the end of the day I cannot wait to drive the maxima again. Altima is a great car but even redone new model is still no match for maxima which is on its way out. But saying an Infiniti is nissans flagship just doesn't make sense. If you mean nissan corporation's flagship that could be argued, but nissan brand itself as a car manufacturer would need a car branded nissan to be its flagship.

 

^ Correct Ghozt!
Take look at Consumer Reports volume 78 No. 3 (Dec 2013). The Altima is no longer "Recommended" due to horrible reliability scores. This is for both the 4 and 6 cylinder models. Not sure yet if this is a first year model issue or not.
I hope the 8th gen doesn't follow suit for it's initial release.

 

I had an Altima SL for 8 days when they replaced my motor


The Maxima is actually better in some ways than the G37 as it rode smoother.


The Altima is a cheap car and doesn't drive or have an interior close to the Max or G

 

Lmao... I need to clarify this thread some, FLAGSHIP doesn't mean the car has to stand out, be different, have million dollar technology... It means it's been with the company for years, decades and has progressed as time went by... So YES the Maxima is Nissan's Flagship just as Camry is to Toyota and Accord to Honda just as Mazda6 is to Mazda just as Taurus is to Ford just as 3 series is to BMW should I go on?... Really why the hell is this thread still open?

 

I think you should continue. OP obviously has no clue ... Or is trolling

 

Lol I'd be here all day man...

 

Definitely trolling, in my opinion. As soon as I read the "hopped up Altima" bit, the credibility went out the window and I knew the guy had no idea what he was talking about or was most likely trolling.

 

Lol. Yep maxima is the flag ship. And gt-r is our sports flagship. Hope y'all didn't get too mad at me.

 

Hey guys, let's give him a break. He expressed his thoughts. I agree that the Maxima is the flagship sedan, but the Altma is the golden goose right now. I definitely plan to get a GT-R one day. That car is amazing!!

 

That would be nice. We had one at the plant and threatened corrective action if we drove it over 5 miles per hour.

 

THIS, cant agree more!!

 

Uh...

...no!



But they are back.

http://www.datsun.com/

 

Please, dont ever put the Armada and Qx56/Qx80 in the same sentence ever again. They are 98% different vehicles and Infiniti Sells about 15k a year verses Nissan selling about 6k Armadas.



The Maxima is THE FLAG ship Sedan of Nissan. You guys are comparing a 6 year old car to the current market. Almost everyone has launched there update/replacement sedans and we are still 2 models years out.

Nissan and Infiniti only share 1 vehicle in there line up, the Pathfinder/QX60. And even then there is enough differences. Nissan and Infiniti isnt GM, where they take the same car and put 3 different names for it and charge more.

Saying the M/Q70 is Nissans Flag ship is like saying the Lexus LS is Toyotas Flagship and the Cadillac XTS is Chevys Flagship.

 

Sorry to tell you but, I work at the plant and yes I'm afraid we build the armada and use to build the 1st generation qx56. So by me knowing how we built it, not by numbers, I can put the first generation in the same sentence. The latest generation is not being built here so I'm not talking about that one even though some parts are shared.

 

The OP is a troll. I've belonged to enough car / watch / etc forums to recognize the pattern. They say something inflamatory, highly opinionated and sit back and watch us go nuts.

Deny the troll of any more response = goes away.

 

So, in essence, you're putting the Armada and the Qx56/Qx80 in the same sentence??

 

Lol the first generation qx56. Same engine, chasis, some common parts Luke sun visors over head console. Power assist door motor. Only thing different was badge. It's change since qx56 went back to japan

 

I understand, where you are coming from. In your post you didnt mention 1st gen or second, being that we are 4 model years into the 2nd gen, I assumed that you ment 2nd gen.

 

Its cool. We learned from that mistake. Lol. That's why when there was a recall, it included armada titan and qx56. Now we dont build any infinty model at my plant.

 

I'll just take Carlos Gohsn at his word, since he is over the entire Nissan/Infiniti/Renault complex. He said the Maxima was Nissan's flagship, and the Altima was Nissan's 'Everyman's' car. And he has been saying this since 2002.

Nissan hopes to sell at least 250,000 Altimas each model year, and plans on selling no more than around 70,000 Maximas each model year. The intent is that the Maxima will be the upscale near-luxury Nissan flagship, not something like the Altima, seen by the hundreds in every mall parking lot.

As most here know, the 8th generation Maxima intro was postponed because Nissan's latest CVT, which eliminates the slow takeoff we had in the 7th gen Maxima CVT, has been trouble-prone in the new generation Altima, and Nissan does not wish to release their newest Maxima flagship until the new CVT is trouble-free.

 

Its cool. We learned from that mistake. Lol. That's why when there was a recall, it included armada titan and qx56. Now we dont build any infinty model at my plant.

 

Nail on the head

 

Wonder what the complication is with the transmission. I was reading up about CVT's and found out basically all performance snowmobiles use them and some of those monsters have been modded out to 900 HP. Granted its a much smaller vehicle to push, but they were upgrading the belt in their transmission to a stronger belt and using thicker trans fluid to deal with the added heat.

 

Nail on the head

 

I don't know the exact problem the CVT in the new Altima is having, but it is serious enough that, if it happens, the entire tranny has to be replaced.

As you suggested, the modded snowmobiles are not a good comparison, in that they do not weigh 3600 pounds, and are not working with rubber tires gripping against a hard surface, so do not endure the same force we have when a 3600 pound car is accellerated from zero to sixty in six seconds, and are not expected to be able to run at 130 MPH or go for 200,000 miles in everything from 120 degree heat to sub-zero cold. Simply being on a snowmobile means the CVT will be getting lots of cooling because of the cold air rushing around it.

Heat is definitely an important factor with CVTs, and was something that slowed the development of CVTs throughout the 1990s.

By this point, I'm sure Nissan has a pretty good idea of what the problems are with their new CVT, and I hope they can find a good fix fairly soon, or the release of the 8th gen Maxima could eventually need to be slipped again. I don't think that would be a good thing for the Maxima image.

 

Just about everything from violent shuddering, locking up at 3k rpm, not moving etc etc is wrong with that new CVT.http://www.nissanclub.com/forums/201...gens-only.html

 

Wow, Monte. That reads sort of scary. I was counting on this new CVT being fixed early enough that the 8th gen Maxima could be here by spring 2015. But after reading your linked info, we may not see the 8th gen Maxima until late summer of 2015.

 

Yeah its pretty widespread and has so many different issues. I had a 13 Altima rental about 2 months ago while inTuscon on business and I experienced 1st hand the shuddering, my co worker was like WTF. The car vibrated badly then sorta jerked itself back to normal, this happened a couple times. If we weren't only there for the day I would have taken it back

 

^^ I had a '13 Alti as a rental as well, Thanksgiving 2012. Stuttered on me once in slow moving traffic in Branson, MO. Thought nothing of it at the time as it was the only time it did it... good thing it kept working fine when I returned it