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Comments
I am a VW lover though. The Jetta I have now is my first one, and I like it the best of the 5 cars I owned and dozens of cars I have driven in 5 years of driving.
The Passat was my second choice, but as far as I'm concerned, the Max offered more for the money. Also, I am still not sold on VW quality. People seem to equate a car that is pleasant to drive with one that will prove to be durable. There is no doubt that the Passat offers excellent fit and finish, but how will it look 5years from now. I am confident that the Max will age gracefully.
I went into the test drive perferring the Passat after having read up on both and having sat in both, but the test drive changed my mind. I'll be buying my Max before the end of the month.
I think both the exterior and the interior of the Max were better looking than the Passat, but that's just IMHO. For me the Max was by far the way to go. I've had mine for almost two years now and love it.
By the way, whether it's cheaper or not depends on trim line. I have the GLE which was very comparable to the Passat in price - I don't even remember now which was higher.
Yes, Passat does come with a V6 also. But when you compare the overall performance between the cars, the Maxima comes out better.
Maxima is bigger, stronger engine, better handling, and best of all "THE HONOR OF BEING SELECTED 7 YEARS IN THE ROLE AS THE BEST V6 ENGINE IN AMERICA" by Wards Auto Magazine, "REGARDLESS OF THE PRICE".
In 2002 the VQ engine from Altima takes the award. Since the VQ enginer came to the world market, it has been regarded as one of the best engines around.
one time. Apparently, alot. Edmunds already has one if you look for it.
They are both fine cars ! You say 'Potato', I say 'Potahdo'. Can we get
back to the "Max".
Passat would be ~9, Maxima ~8). Nissan's VQ engines
rev very easily and don't burn oil. Passat V6,
if I'm not mistaken, can be an oil consumer. Plus,
Maximas are lighter (excellent weight management).
Passat's interior space utilization is exceptional,
but it remains a smaller car (by about 7 inches).
Passat's rear suspension is better than Maxima's
rigid beam, tho. Over the long haul, Maximas will
have less of the finicky Euro car problems.
Bose audio - Generally a typical Bose system, sounds great at above average volumes, but at mid to low volumes, all you get is tinny highs, and a subtle garbled bass rumble, NO MID, no basic meat to the sound. I am a musician, and do a bit of producing and I can hear missing frequencies. They gave you Bass / Treble but you have no MID control????? What?? For $900?? I don't need slider EQs, but at least they should have provided it in the Audio settings. I have a Harmon Kardon system in my Rover, and it was std. out performs the Bose at all levels, and about the same power. So, I would listen to the stock system before going with the Bose, you're paying for the name sorry to say. Any thoughts?
Torque Steer - This is very manageable, it is like anything, you get used to handeling it, since I have the 6spd, I can one-hand steer while aggressively shifting just fine, and wheels are not spinning out on me (if they are, you need NOT dump the clutch, we're not drag racing here)and I don't have the LSD option either, not sure it would have been worth it.
Engine - well, I havn't driven the Passat W8, but this 3500 rocks! Great torque in all gears, at all RPM levels, a Turbo 4, will not plant you in the seat just by matting it, the Max can in many conditions. (engine was a big thing with me, cause you can add MODs later in it's life to improve handling etc...) btw, drop in a K&N panel filter, adds a few HP and torque #s and souds cool too!
Also, what are your thoughts on the current, end of model run, Maximas vs the new 3.5 Altimas?
Jolar (Larry)
I intend to go one step further and replace the accordian looking tube from the air box to the intake with a smooth tube, they don't have this part available yet, but also improves airflow speed. (think of the accordian ribs as speed bumps)
Yes, they can last longer if you take care of them. But they are also expensive and have to be properly maintained. But no conclusive proof they increase HP in a statistically significant way. Even the claimed HP increase is pretty miniscule. Also, and potentally problematic, some people complain that the actual filtration is reduced, in that these filters will allow bigger particles into the engine than other more restrictive filters. If true, that is not good. Means bigger particles are being let in along with more air. But does make sense. One way to let in more air is to make the filters trap less material in first place. (Of course, taken to the extreme, you could just remove the air cleaner entirely. I wouldn't recommend that.)
K&N proponents remind me an awful lot of Amsoil proponents or hyper-synthetic oil proponents (e.g., the ones who say you can go 25,000 miles without an oil change).
A couple years ago Car & Driver did a test with K&N filter. Believe it was in conjunction with their long-term test wrap up of a Cadillac Catera. Probably in a '98 or '99 edition. They found no statistically significant benefit. Not in HP or fuel economy. All they could say is maybe they were OK if you don't mind cleaning & maintaining them as required & reusing versus buying new air filters over life of your car.
I prefer to just change the filter more often. Both air and oil filters. With new filters.
For K&N, read p. 123 of the July 1998 issue. Is their wrap-up of long-term '97 Catera. They tested it new and at 10,000 miles with stock versus K&N. NO performance gains. Excerpt: "Less successful was our experiment with a K&N air filter.... Judging by those [test] figures, we would consider thise famous oiled-foam air cleaners for their long life rather than any performance improvement."
Also see p. 165 of the November 1998 issue. Their long-term wrap-up of '97 Honda Prelude SH. They tested an HKS Super Mega Flow air-cleaner kit, which replaced the stock air-cleaner box. For $200, they saw minimal performance gains. Added 2 mph to top speed. Improved street start 5-60 mph time by 0.1 sec. and street start 5-100 mph time by 0.3 seconds. But here is the kicker: "The performance increase comes hand in hand with seven extra decibels of honking intake noise at full throttle, which C/D staffers found either amusing or annyong, depending upon their age."
has anyone changed their headlites? any info would be great...thanks
the G35 also has 260ft.lb of torque.
When you tried both mid grade and premium gas, did you notice much difference? I have a 2002 GLE Maxima with 1,500 miles on it so far. I have been using regular grade, 87 octane. Mid grade, 89 octane costs about 10 cents per gallon more and premium, 93 octane, costs 20 cents per gallon more. I have not noticed any problems with regular grade. Is it worth the extra cost for buying premium grade???
Thanks.
Here in O.C. So. Cal, I am paying $1.89 per gallon for high test, and yeah I pump it myself.
We can only get 91 octane in So. Cal. [No Sunoco here]. Also more and more stations only have one hose for all three grades, 87, 89, and 91, push the button for the grade you want.....Any conspiracy theorists out there, are we really getting what we pay for???? Nissan says use premium, so use it, and you won't have Oxygen sensor problems down the line, and get the full performance from the motor. Last note right around the new year Chevron high test was $ 1.10 per gallon, makes me wonder, how about you???
Duke
By nature, if you let more air through in a smoother manner, there will be advantages at some RPM level, this is slight, not extreme and not expensive. This why racing folks port/polish/match intake parts so precisely, to improve air flow efficiency. Sure, it is minimal, and likely at high RPMs, just depends on what it means to you, if it nudges you a few tenths faster, well there ya go. Anyway, preachin' to the choir huh?
I'm sure if you thru any manufactured air filter in there, I'll bet you could never discover engine damage caused by it, by "letting too large a particle thru to the intake" especially in the time frame you'll own the car.
As far as Premium GAS, I cannot notice a difference from mid to high. The Maxima manual says, Preimium recomended for best performace. Not Premium Unleaded Required - there is a differece ya know.
P.S. For those singing the praises of the Passat, go hangout on the Passat board. From what I remember, this all started from someone who was trying to decide between the Max and Passat, and then did nothing but cite how the Passat was superior in everyway? Don't convince me, convince yourself and buy the Passat then. Most posters here are Maxima owners and are going to be biased towards the Max anyway.
2. How much does it cost to buy a new Maxima air filter? From Nissan? From any quality aftermarket filter manufacturer? Why not just replace it with a brand new, clean filter every 8-12 thousand or so miles? That way you are getting a lot of miles with a very clean and efficient filter.
Think how much you spend on premium fuel over 10,000 miles. Isn't it worth it to just replace the air filter with a brand new, clean one???
and put cheap gas in it when the manufacturer recommends premium.
If you want to buy cheap gas go buy a " Hyundai " :-) Also, there
are dozens of posts where someone used the cheap gas and got
fewer miles per gallon. Where's the savings ?
I'd like to take a poll !! How many people use 87 octane in their
" Max " and purchased a K&N Filter for increased HP ???????
the car has 212000kms and its trouble free...
also a 01 QX4 with about 40000kms and has the 3.5VQ running on 87 as well.
however, now that we purchased the G35 and also planning to keep it for as long as the maxima if not longer, i think i'll start giving it what its asking for.
by not using premium in a vehicle whose manufacturer specifically
recommends it. I believe Nissan is saying " Use Premium" BUT,
if not available then use 89 octane. If 93 and 89 are not available
then use 87. You will not damage the engine if the computer and
knock sensor are working properly. The " knock sensor" retards
the timing of the engine which KILLS performance and fuel economy.
The poll was, how many people use 87 octane AND installed a
K&N filter ??
Never again ! I have VERY good hearing and I detected ONE ping.
That's all it took . How good is your hearing??????????
Catch my drift !
Also, towing will cause stress to the transmission and other drive-train components. If you're going to tow, I would get the transmission serviced (fluid changes, etc) more often.
head" re your last comments about premium gas.
Why spend the money to purchase a car with the
capabilities of the Maxima and then "retard" those
attributes by not following the manufacturer's
recommendations to achieve the Max's abilities???
To me at least, that flies in the face of common
sense!
blanef: I have not heard nor have I seen posted here anything like you describe. You say you had
the wheels and tires changed out? Should I presume
that the alignment and balance were checked/rechecked?
Max Tires------Potenza RE 92's are an all season
tire. Theoretically, they are a "compromise" be-
tween a performance tire and a snow tire. They
do not, however, do either job well nor do most
tires like them. There is an alternative worth
thinking about.....strictly "summer tires" which
do both jobs equally well. They give excellent
"grip" on dry roads and wet roads as well. The
only "drawback" is that you have to change them
out for "snow tires" (e.g., Blizzaks) during the
winter months. A lot of people follow this scenario
every year in order to retain good handling
characteristics regardless of the season. Just my
2 cents.
berbel
ridge to which the outer weights are attached. There is an inner
ridge to attach weights, but you need inner and outer weights to
properly balance the tire, so the accepted method is to use
stick-on weights placed as close to the outside of the wheel as
possible and hammer-on weights on the inner wheel.
Here's the rub. Just because you get your wheels balanced, you
can't assume it was done right. The tire balancing machines are
very hi-tech but chances are 9 out of 10 that the mechanic is low
tech and doesn't have the experience and/or knowledge to do it
properly. It has literally taken me years to find a mechanic who
can do it right but boy, when it's right, it rides smooth as glass.
The place where I go costs $$$ but they do what is called a
" performance balance" which also involves breaking the tire
down and "rim matching" the tire/wheel combo.
You may very possibly have something else wrong, but I'd bet
you $50.00 it's the balance. Unfortunately, this system of mine
is trial and error and everyone needs to find their own
shop / mechanic.
2 years ago I experienced this with my new Trooper. I took it to an Isuzu dealership; when I got it back, it wasn't improved much, if not at all! So I took it to Discount Tires. Men, I could see the difference right away!
I have a tip for you guys. Next visit to Discount Tires, ask them about life-time balance and rotation. It costs less than 2 visits. $30 or $40, I don't remember.
However, as I was reading about concerns over the 02 Maximas, I read about the cold start, hood vibration and easy paint chipping. I expect a car that is 20K> should start normally instead of tweaking around.
Are these problems for all Maximas or just few? Cold start is a problems for Pathfinders and Altimas as well? Please share your experience. Thanks.