Chris Alexander

I wanted the 2015 Maxima to have this front end

george__

iTrader: (1)

So Maxima will be CVT only?

Chris Alexander

george__ yeah and the sad part about it is Acura's new TLX which is replacing the TL has a 9speed AT coming they are so far ahead its crazy. The Nissan CVT thing in my opinion is a huge set back. I dont have a problem with the CVT but it's not the best takes the ***** out of the car.

george__

iTrader: (1)

^
I just want something manual that I can afford ><

Chris Alexander

7SPD AT with manual option would be perfect that would take the Maxima and move it two steps up and ahead! but the 8th gen is nice man we'll have to wait and see that car is mindblowing!

stix_clgi

An auto-tranny would be cool...I just really like the feeling of "no gear shifts" when I drive. Perhaps they'll get the kinks worked out of the new CVT. I'll wait until next year either way, so better for me lol.

Chris Alexander

stix_clgi I hear you something fly right for the next gen Maxima!

jontyrees

4sp AT was really old, 5sp AT was old, 6sp AT is better, now people are raving about Acura having a 9sp AT - but aren't they just getting closer to a CVT - which is effectiviely an infinite sp AT? OK, the executions of CVT haven't been perfect yet, but that's what the discrete ratio ATs are trending toward. It makes sense in theory, I think people are just not used to one continuous infinitely variable gear ratio. Humans are just very resistant to change.

Chris Alexander

jontyrees A 9 speed transmission is quite a bit what do you need with that is what i'm thinking. And if something goes wrong can you imagine how much that's gonna be to repair. Just from being a 6th gen owner I learned how to build my own transmission. The 8th gen with the CVT may have some improvements. As I told my boy stix_clgi with his 7th gen the CVT in it actually seems smooth and refined as it is maybe the 8th will only be better!

maxgtr2000

iTrader: (29)

I think we as true enthusiasts have high hopes for the car, but at the end of the day they cater to the average driver. I think they want the majority of us that hold these opinions to purchase spec or nismo branding that would fit us more. Thing is we don't want to pay the arm and leg that they charge for it at times.

Just a shot in the dark but I am guessing they go with fwd because it is simple, less expensive and they may consider winter and rough weather driving conditions in the U.S. Maybe one reason Japan gets to "keep all the toys". BMW pretty much built for performance and luxury crowd, said suck it up, no fwd for you, we are about performance, however here is a awd bone with the XI model sedans and coupes. Subaru=awd and upgradeable boost, one reason I'm glad I have one.

lightonthehill

Yeah, a nine speed auto tranny sounds great. But, like Chris says, there are considerations. Consider that the only advantage of a CVT over an auto tranny is that we don't have that instant where the shift takes place, because, just for that instant, the engine is running and using fuel, but no accelleration is taking place.

When we look at that specific difference between an auto tranny and a CVT, then a NINE speed automatic tranny may optimize engine response and accelleration over a SEVEN or SIX speed auto tranny, but hurts itself by having NINE points at which, for a very brief instant, the engine is running but no accelleration is taking place.

And, with a NINE speed auto tranny, we are actually reaching the point where, as jontyrees suggested, we are approaching having a CVT, but still calling it an auto tranny.

i8acobra

Not in a dual clutch trans. The next gear is already engaged. As one clutch disengages, the other engages at the same time. This is why the GTR shifts so quickly.

Chris Alexander

For 8th gen Maxima would yall prefer to have a conventional CVT or a 9 speed transmission? What would the new Maxima be like with a 9 speed AT matching pedal shifters and a good estimate of 355HP I think that alone would take the 8th and put it way ahead of its time as were the 3rd gens. When you have a car designed way ahead of its time as years pass you have proper planning to create your next generation as the competition gets more fierce with time.

When you don't build a car ahead of its time then you put it on the market and the competition out does you as I believe was the case with the 7th generations. 290HP quickly became sort of out dated.

lightonthehill

Thanks for that explanation. I am very familiar with tube type tires and drum brakes and bias ply tires and most automotive things of the 1940s through 1980s, but am behind on modern things. I have heard of 'dual clutch', but, until you explained it, I didn't know exactly how it worked. Sounds rather good.

lightonthehill

I have grown to love the CVT. I know, that seems strange for a kid that grew up on manuals, which were standard on everything when I learned to drive in the 1940s. I still preferred manuals until the early 1980s, when traffic around me finally ground to a miserable halt. I honestly think we will eventually have a refined CVT that will be simpler and cheaper to build, smaller, lighter, and less trouble-prone than say a nine speed automatic.

Fleet fuel efficiency requirements are rapidly rising, and manufacturers are struggling to meet them. Because of that, I would be very surprised to see 355 HP in the 8th gen Maxima. In fact, I have felt for several years that we will be lucky to get much more than 305 HP. I would think 355 HP might be overkill on a FWD vehicle. Once the tires are spinning, spinning them even faster accomplishes very little.

As for the future, I see things moving gradually away from gasoline internal combustion engines and toward hybrids, electric, biofuels, solar, natural gas, and even diesels. Anything to get fleet average fuel efficiency up to government requirements.

I think we have all known for some time that we will eventually have vehicles with solar panels molded into the shape of hoods, roofs, trunklids, etc, and batteries will be charging as hybrids with electric supplementary motors sit in the sun. Just makes so much sense, especially in sunny climates.

There will always be a few muscle cars available, but I don't see low-volume, sporty, upscale family sedans such as the Maxima going that route.

As for a manual, talk is cheap. I see so many posters here craving a manual. BUT, Nissan made a manual available on Maximas from the first generation in 1981 right up through 2006. By 1998, manuals had dropped to less than 10% of Maxima purchases. By 2004, manuals were less than 5% of Maxima purchases. Dealers would not accept manuals from Nissan because they invariably sat on the lot occupying valuable space until dealers would let them go at a loss just to get the space back.

Yes, everybody here would 'love' a manual. When the Maxima was a somewhat high-volume production vehicle, and traffic nationwide was fairly reasonable, a manual was an option. But Nissan would be very foolish to make a manual available on the now low-volume (less than 70K) production Maxima. They tried their very best, but that dog bit them in the hind end very hard for years, and Nissan will be very shy about going near that dog's yard again with the Maxima.

Going forward, the only way I see a manual in the Maxima would be in a higher cost special NISMO version, and, based on several 'veiled' remarks from Nissan these last few months, I actually consider that to be a distinct possibility with the 8th gen.

deezo

iTrader: (3)

...and how many generations of this car have we hoped and dreamed that Nissan would get back to the 4DSC roots? I agree with you.

Nissan doesn't care what we want and that's the end of it. GM and Chrysler have taken over the 4DSC with the Charger, 300, CTS and SS and now American cars will give us the excitement we want. You gotta pay to play though.

Chris Alexander

lightonthehill yeah you are right about 355 being alot for the 8th gen Maxima on a FWD platform. They make Front wheel drives to cut on maintenance costs and such. For the next generation Maxima let's say Nissan gives it 305hp it's gonna be adequate but then a year from now auto manufacturers up the HP on it's Rivals and that puts the Maxima behind again 325HP might be a little more appropriate.

po8pimp

Can't get over the tooth they put in there looking like Acura. I hate the TL's because of that stupid V grill, then Nissan follows suit. The 6th gen was bad enough, but this is hideous. The rest of the car is amazing, just can't get past that grill. If it was guaranteed that you could change it out, that would be the only way I would get this car.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Appearing more and more a 2016.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...-years-feature

Nissan isn’t referring to the Sport Sedan concept as the next Maxima—with such a generic name, the company is barely referring to it as anything at all—but that’s exactly what it is. Nissan insiders and executives tell us that the door handles, mirrors, and lights will change and also that the Sport Sedan concept’s styling will directly inform the new Maxima. (Our take: Look for it to have the same lines but be fairly toned down.) The show car’s interior exhibits a high level of craftsmanship and design and goes heavy on screen-based electronics, with an iDrive-like controller. In contrast to the aggressive styling, the powertrain could have come out of today’s Maxima, with a 300-plus-hp, 3.5-liter V-6, a CVT, and front-wheel drive. Just how close is this to the real thing? We’ll know for sure once the production Maxima appears early next year, as well as if the model can finally return to its “four-door sports car” roots.

Chris Alexander

Nissan has alot of work to do it's not just the Maxima that's in trouble. The Armada and Xterra haven't been redesigned for 10 years. The current Sentra has more trunk capacity then the current Maxima. It's a decline in the Nissan lineup. Before 2000 Nissan was one of the best car companies in the world now these vehicles are becoming point A to point B appliances rather than refined solid machines. For the next generation Maxima while everything looks good on the outside we have to wait to see what's on the inside and under the hood before we can really pop bottles. Alot of us guys have high hopes for the 8th gen and I don't want to see you guys dissapointed with the next gen Max.

george__

iTrader: (1)

^
The Armada and Xterra weren't even in the showroom when I went to dealership ><

Chris Alexander

george__ Both are very old but the Armada does have a refined feel its smooth but Nissan has to fix itself before it can put full effort in to making a great Maxima that's just my theory I'm nervous about how the 8th gen is gonna turn out dude!

george__

iTrader: (1)

^
People have to stop screaming and going lunatic about rising fuel costs

Chris Alexander

george__ the MPG numbers between the 6th and the 7th gen are about the same my 6th gen is actually pretty good on gas believe it or not despite all the other issues i've had. Driving on the highway nearly on E and the needle stays in one place for a long time i'm satisfied but not bragging about this car for something else breaks its a love hate relationship.

the 8th gen be at least 30 on highway so everyone is satisified lol.

george__

iTrader: (1)

^
Don't you think mileage is becoming too much of a dominant factor now days?

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

considering the US Government is regulating a minimum fleet-wide MPG number, then yeah, I'd say MPG is a dominant factor

Chris Alexander

george__ Yeah I try not to bring up MPG in many posts it touches up alot of nerves that only implicates money is a concern not to stray too far on gas because sometimes its good to have sometimes its not.

2003MaximaMan

Yeah. This is why a econo-tuning from the factory is good. Leave power hidden from the EPA, so that the owner can open it up when he/she wants it. If you moan about MPG then you probably don't care so much about power. If you want more power you are probably willing to find a ECU programmer and fix your problem.

i8acobra

Armad won't be redesigned until after the '15 Titan comes out since the Armada is based off the Titan. I hope the Titan's Cummins V8 gets used in the Armada too. The Xterra is dead after this generation. They're going to try to push those customers towards either the AWD Rogue or Frontier.

Chris Alexander

i8acobra it's crazy how the Maxima program went downhill I think the Altima grew too large in every direction in 2002 the next Maxima is gonna have more power and be a bit bigger so everything should be back in place.

george__

iTrader: (1)

CVT still going to overtake everything Nissan?

Chris Alexander

george__ In my opinion this is just me Nissan need to do away with the CVT because the majority of yall dont like it. CVT is taking the fun out of everything around here I personally dont have a problem with it.

george__

iTrader: (1)

^
Is a CVT transmission okay for off roading SUVs?

carsnwomen91

i'ma see this thing at the auto show in feb... i loved the look of the 7th gen maaad handsome but the 2015 concept is a bit too flowy for me :/

i still don't like cvt and believe they belong in scooters and econoboxes but i've learned that its going into many cars so i'm just gonna have to deal with it... having said that i absolutely hate the sound of a car with and exhaust with cvt it just sounds soooo stupid, forget the 'taking the fun out of it" and focus on how GAY it will sound... a cvt v6 -______-

i think CVT's are great when it comes to efficiency and yes i understand it will keep rpm at peak power but they should really infuse some sporting thought into it. For example say you don't wanna use your eco friendly and soft CVT today, you wanna be more involved... the CVT should have an option where it has paddle shifters and 'splits' (not actually) or behaves like a 6spd auto. it won't be a manual but at least its something

Chris Alexander

The CVT may suck but with the 7th gen Max it rides extremely well that's one thing I can say the 6th gen and 7th have their flaws but a better ride quality than most vehicles. It's pretty sad when a friend says your Maxima is smoother than my Lexus ES true story. The 8th gen is gonna be a solid car.

HoustonQX3

I like the redesign personally. I love my '11 SV sport, but I will for sure look at this new one when it starts showing up. As for the CVT, as much as everyone doesn't want to like it, the truth is it is the way of the future, sorry for the buzz phrase. Most of the manufactures are extending the gear ratios in their auto's to help improve mileage. At some point they will have so many gears in their autos, why not just have a CVT. The trick is to still be able to get performance out of a CVT as well.

Generally people like to feel shifts especially the enthusiast driver, and there is nothing wrong with that. The CVT trans was a completely foreign idea to me when I went to Nissan. I have always been involved in performance type vehicles, mostly high HP straight line acceleration type performance. Nothing feels like putting 600 plus HP to the ground through a standard, or a solid auto with firm shifts. The negative is time and HP lost through gear changes, and shock to the drive train. My first track cars were equipped with built up 2 speed Hydros (a kinda of early CVT if you think about it) specifically for those reasons.

A solid built well tuned CVT theoretically eliminates or minimizes those issues. What Nissan needs is to build a CVT that can handle 350 plus hp, deliver smooth solid acceleration in regular mode, and have a very detectable solid shift in a sport, or standard mode. The regular folks can drive normally and the enthusiasts can enjoy the vehicle in standard mode. If they can come up with that, then as far as I see it, they will be way ahead of everyone else. whatever platform they put it in is icing on the cake.

stix_clgi

I agree with this. I think the bottom line is, ALL manufacturers build cars that try to cater to their consumer bases, which are determined by the prices of the cars. While most of us '.Org-ers' probably consider ourselves "driving enthusiasts," the reality is that we make up a very small percentage of Nissan's consumer base, along with computer hackers who want more processing power, and iphone jailbreakers/android rooters who squeeze extra functionality out of their phones by breaking the software...

I'd dare say the large majority of the consumer base is happy with their Maxima's....and Altima's, and Sentra's, Vogue's, Versa's, Murano's, and Rouge's...and the CVT in them, hence Nissan's success as an auto manufacturer -i.e. Nissan isn't closing it's doors anytime soon...I have no numbers to back this up, yada, yada, this is my opinion.

Like previous posters have said, perhaps Nissan will make a purpose built Maxima Nismo ed. for the driving enthusiasts...although why you'd buy a Maxima to corner at 90mph and race on a track is beyond me lol. For the money you'll spend on it, you'd be better off buying a BMW or something, I mean the way some people are saying. My Maxima handles well enough, and is plenty powerful enough for me. Perhaps gas mileage could be better, but I knew it wasn't going to be as good as my four banger Camry when I bought it.

Again, my opinion...what do you all think? I think a $30-42k car can and should be a nice vehicle, but with CAFE and other regs in place, the days of those 458hp, RWD everyman's cars are long gone....

Chris Alexander

stix_clgi I agree with what you're saying consumers have higher expectations as the Maxima grows generation per generation. Unfortunately that doesn't always work for all midsized sports sedans and luxury rivals. Honda tried to take the Accord up with the 2008-2012 generation it didn't work because its customer base mostly long loyal Accord buyers did not want it. Like you said at the end of the day it all boils down to the consumers best interest and Maxima buyers have not all high but mostly great expectations for their cars.

stix_clgi

True, and you figure the Accord, and it's rivals, have been marketed more as budget and gas friendly, decently featured family sedans. There's never been much "sport" with those vehicles. That said, I liked my Camry a lot, but I'd like to think I'm a pretty realistic person (like most of us here I believe). I didn't expect to rocket off the line, corner on rails, or stop from 60-0mph in 85 feet...

Same with my Maxima. I expected a lot more power, handling, and comfort than my Camry, and that's what I have. The CVT is way better than the 5sp slushbox, and I have more power and torque, not to mention styling, than a lot of the cars on the highway...seriously.

It's definitely reasonable to have higher expectations for a new model, especially a redesign. I'm expecting upwards of 300hp, upgraded tech, maybe a limited ed model, more trunk space, etc. So far, I think my expectations will be met.

Chris Alexander

stix_clgi You make me wonder why Nissan doesn't just offer a cvt and a 7speed auto option give buyers more flexibility.