Options
Nissan Maxima 2004 Redesign
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Still glad I have my '03 SE. Thanks for the info.
I agree Nissan Girl I love my 03 SE and I get many compliments on it!
I got the same color I don't think I have ever seen a better color on a Max ever. My stereo is good but the subwoofer vibrates alot when I play rap music. Does yours do the same? There is info on the 04' Maxima in March's edition of Motor Trend. They give it good praise except of course for the front grille.
IMHO, the 04 Max is a bit out-classed by the Audi V6. The Audi is a German car with a higher price tag, a better looking and more refined interior. The Max is not bad and received high marks for its honey sweet engine (which is basically the same engine as the 03 Max). The new Max's bold and highly non-traditional style got mixed reviews -- hate it or love it. Overall, MT gave the new Max a pretty good review and rating.
Whoever is the first person on this Board to test drive the 04 Max must promptly report his or her views afterwards or else be barred from this Board :-) Scout's honor!! I think the folks on the East coast will probably get first dips.
The Edmunds review offers routine praise for the car but says little beyond bland generalities. A genuine road test with auto transmission is needed.
At around $25K, the old Max was a unique animal that gave you all of the utility of a family sedan and a fun driving experience. I don't know what this new model gives you. I'm sure it's a fine vehicle, but it just doesn't stand out from the crowd anymore.
When I floor my 98 Maxima in first gear, I get torque steer and the tires dance all over the road; when I shift to second, the tires chirp. This is cool and fun because I look at my car as a $20,000 fun sedan. I can't say the same traits would be considered attractive on a $30K upscale vehicle.
Finally, anyone notice how BMW's seem so under-powered on paper (225HP) but are in reality equal performers to the 260HP FWD cars?
Clearly this engine is making more power than BMW claims.
I'll wait to decide what I think of this new Max until I can drive one, and until we can get some indicitive test cases.
Thanks for reading my rant,
~alpha
As for the Maxima test, while they did suggest that the touchy electronic throttle and ABS brake performance may improve in production, their biggest complaints, the pronounced torque steer and the too-firm ride, probably will not. So personally, I think it was a useful introduction to the new Maxima.
~alpha
2003 GXE: $37500 all inclusive (taxes,PDI etc...)
and 36 months @ 1.8%
What do you guys get?
Nissan's trying to introduce too many new models too fast and a lot of them are not too well thought out. Slow down, think things out. Keep things balanced. Don't just drop ever-more-powerful engines into cars that then suffer torque steer. Camrys and Accords aren't flashy, but they're balanced, integrated, harmonious. Everything works together and contributes to a unified whole. Too much boy racer appeal in the new Maximas. Who do they want to sell these things to, teenagers?
""So many strange features on the new Maxima. A glass roof standard? Who needs it? Bucket seats in the back? Who needs it? Why longer? Why wider? Just to distinguish it from the Altima? Not a good reason. A 5-speed auto transmission in the SE, but a 4-speed in the GLE? Why is that?""
A glass roof standard? Why not have the opportunity to bring some extra light into the interior. If you don't like it just close the cover.
Bucket seats in the back? It is an option, and is a feature that hasn't been offered in any other "luxury" sedan, and with Americans desire for excess and consumption, Nissan is just offering an option to make your car unique. Unless the elite package it is in is unreasonably priced or you have kids needing car seats, it seems like a cool option.
Nissan needs to make the Maxima a little bigger/wider and offer unique features to differentiate it from the Altima. I think the Max is taking the place of the soon to be cancelled I35. The maxima has a purpose because the G35 is RWD and if they didn't do something dramatic with the Max, it would be redundant because of the Altima. Hopefully this will give Nissan the opportunity to improve the NVH and interior of the Altima.
But I do agree that it makes no sense that the SE gets a 5 speed auto, and the SL only has the 4 speed auto. Just because the SL is the luxury oriented model, doesn't mean those people don't want the performance of an SE.
In a sports sedan comparo, R&T placed G35 1st, C&D fourth, behind the TLs and IS300. Come on, when you're talking sports in sports sedans, there are only 2 real contenders: G & 3! C&D thought the FX45 design weird, every other mag thought it was fabulous. Nissan fans shouldnt care what C&D thinks!
Thanks largely to Toyota to Honda, the Japanese have the reputation of producing visually and dynamically boring cars. Many of us are glad Nissan strikes out in its direction and is not following in Toyonda's footsteps. Interesting to see the smaller Japanese companies produce some the most exciting cars around: 6, WRX and especially the incredible Lancer Evo, which puts most of the expensive prestigious sports cars to shame!
That's a total rationalization just because you don't like their results. C&D liked almost everything about the new Maxima, even the styling (well, even they aren't right about everything... ;^) ). Their only big complaint is the fact that Nissan has been unable to engineer a FWD suspension that can handle a powerful engine without lots of torque steer. Audi and Acura have done it, why can't Nissan? And they have expectations that at a fairly premium price point, such as the Maxima's, management of torque steer should have been a priority, but Nissan neglected it. Every article that I've read about the Altima has criticized it for its torque steer, so if it is indeed there in the Maxima, these other mags should make the same criticism. And rightfully so... a technology driven company like Nissan should be able to keep up with the competition in such a fundamental quality.
Read the summary paragraph to find out their overall comments about the Maxima.
"Thus with more power, more style, more colors and more variation, Nissan clearly hopes the Maxima will not only pick up where its worthy predecessor left off but also bring more believers into the fold. Without the torque steer, it would have been a pushover."
Aside from the very valid torque steer criticism, I challenge you to find anywhere in that review where they've been unfair to the Maxima.
"Come on, when you're talking sports in sports sedans, there are only 2 real contenders: G & 3!"
And they find the 3 every single time, so they realize that... maybe they just think that the G isn't the big deal that other mags do. To me, it's refreshing to see that some magazines aren't having a Pavlovian response to everything Nissan introduces lately. It's good that we can get some incisive views of the cars, rather than what sounds like the gushing tributes of breathless fanboys from some of the other magazines.
"Thanks largely to Toyota to Honda, the Japanese have the reputation of producing visually and dynamically boring cars."
Both companies have dominated the sales charts in the highest volume categories for years (mid-sized and compact cars) with the Camry, Accord, Civic and Corolla. They've found the formula for success, and they'd be fools to abandon it to match a handful of "boutique" cars from their less successful competitors. On the other hand, Nissan and Mazda have shown that they've been unable to compete head-to-head with these market leading cars for years. The irony is, until the 2002 Altima, Nissan offered a product to compete with the Camry and Accord that is among the most visually and dynamically boring cars ever to come out of Japan. Mazda did the same with the 626, a car that became so anonymous that many people were under the impression that it was no longer made for years while it was still available. So both companies have absolutely nothing to lose by being more daring. They have to do something to make people notice their cars, and conservative was a dismal failure for them. I can just about guarantee you that if Nissan or Mazda were as successful as Toyota and Honda in these mainstream categories, they wouldn't be anywhere near as daring with their designs as they are now.
~alpha
However Nissan arrives at this point, it's about time a Japanese maker produce a Z (BTW, it marginally bests the M3 at the Willow Springs track, in the latest R&T) and a FX (which compares favorably with X5 and Cayenne). Can't let the German makers have all the style and performance, which apparently Toyota and Honda were either willing to do or unable to do anything about!
As was Nissan, until it became apparent that they couldn't compete except by becoming more extreme, both styling and performance-wise. Don't give them more credit than is due... if conservative cars from Japan is the big flipping deal that you say it is, don't skirt the fact that Nissan and Mazda certainly had a hand in establishing that trend. Those two companies were cranking out many sedans that were as bland and undistinguished as anything Toyota and Honda brought out... probably even more so. But now that they've decided to go all stylish with their sedans (for a WHOLE 2 model years so far in Nissan's case), suddenly all of their sins of the past are forgiven, and they're like the saviors of the automotive world. Well, some of us don't forget cars like the late '90s Altima and 626 and the last 3 gens of Sentras quite so easily. Don't try to shovel all the blame on Honda and Toyota when Nissan and Mazda were right on the same track to shape that market. Especially since their newfound enlightenment is more an attempt to salvage their floundering US market than it is to be true innovators.
BTW, did you even READ the C&D article on the Maxima? If you did, you'd realize how completely inappropriate your Avalon comments are. Expecting that Nissan do the job they should have done in the first place with the torque steer in their "prestige" sedan is nothing like asking them to make another Avalon.
"On the other hand, the 3.5SE demonstrated carefully controlled ride motions and was able to to attach Mulholland Drive's twisty route through the Santa Monica mountains with obvious relish."
Does that description of a mountain road carver sound like they're describing an Avalon?
So my point still remains that they didn't unfairly criticize the new Maxima. So whether or not it's alright with you, you're being unfair to them by implying that they somehow trashed the Maxima. Or is excessive torque steer something that Maxima customers should be expected to put up with, when the competition has managed to turn it into a non-issue?
"Camrys and Accords aren't flashy, but they're balanced, integrated, harmonious. Everything works together and contributes to a unified whole. Too much boy racer appeal in the new Maximas..."
Yuck! Traditionally Maxima has always been much more of a driver's car than Accord and Camry, and should remain that way. No Nissan fan wants to see it move toward Accord/Camry side of things. Thank you very much!
In case you don't know, the average age of an Accord owner is a 10 full years above that of a Passat owner, either 59/49 or 49/39, I don't remember. I bet the Altima owner average age is much closer to Passat than Accord. Without a doubt the Camry owner age is above Accord. So why should Nissan want the Maxima to be an old people's car like Accord/Camry?
Well, if you want a driver's car, you'd best hope that Nissan does a better job with the Maxima than it did with the Altima, given their shared platform. The 3.5SE, which is the high performance sporty version of the Altima, got bottom rated for steering, handling AND ride in the recent Road and Track comparison. Guess which "old people's car" was second in those "driver's car" categories right after the much-heralded Mazda 6? That would be the Accord, which is also the car that won the comparison.
Guess there's more to being a driver's car than a flashy exterior and marketing hype, at least in R&T's opinion.
And remember, you said you liked Road and Track before, so don't go saying that R&T has it in for the Altima to explain this one.
Regardless of where R&T ranked the Accord, it's still an old people's car, as shown by irrefutable demographics! You think the R&T ranking will bring the average age down?
Oh, so in other words, when it comes to a driver's car, the demographics and marketing perception matter more to you than the actual performance. I'll have to remember that the next time you're crowing about how Nissans are such "driver's cars". R&T clearly shows that as a "real" sports sedan, the Altima is more hype than substance.
You selectively chose the R&T ranking to say the Altima is hype rather than substance. What about the NY Times article a few months ago that compared the Camry to wet noodles, and was impressed with the Altima's performance? How about the edmunds review of the Accord when it came out that said it didn't match the performance of the 6 or Altima? And I quote edmunds:
"Actually, the Accord keeps pace with the segment's fastest sedans in terms of straight-line acceleration, but when it comes to outright handling prowess, the Passat, Altima and new Mazda 6 have it beat..."
There are plenty of other reviews that put the Altima's performance at or above the Accord.
How many exciting models have Honda and Toyota combined introduced over the last year? That's right, zip! Accord/RX/GX, while very competent, can never be considered exciting!
And Honda/Toyota fans start preaching as though the Honda/Toyota way is the only way to build cars!
First, while I do agree that Toyota and Honda have made exceptionally engineered yet boring cars, I feel this is only because of our market. If you venture overseas, maybe to a European or Asian country, you'll notice that they seem to get all the "juiced" up models--the performance models. And while we Americans indulge in excess and consumption, the Europeans love luxury even more than we do. And as such, thery require higher quality materials--thus, VW, BMW, MB.
I for one applaud Nissan for being able to (at the risk of critism) stepping out of the "paradigm" to create bold new cars that not only serve as functional, but are highly fashionable. While I'm no complete fan of the Maxima redesign, I understand the rationale behind it.
Traditional Japanese automakers seem to short us on "the goodstuff" (Euro-R Accord anyone?) and when we finally get a piece of "the goodstuff", its commonly in response to increased competition and/or consumer demand. Maybe this Nissan will force your favorite automaker to flex their "automotive prowess".
Happy Driving!!