Filed under: New York Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, Nissan
Preview: 2007 Nissan Maxima
Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn will be orchestrating the official world premieres of the 2007 Nissan Maxima and the all-new 2007 Nissan Altima at the New York International Auto Show Wednesday, but to whet your appetite, here are pictures of the new Maxima. No tech info yet, but we'll have the complete story tomorrow from our show team. Lots of pictures after the jump - enjoy!
[Source: Nissan] Hot tip from Arnold K!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
David 4:37PM (4/11/2006)
Nissan: What exactly did you change for '07?
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T. 4:42PM (4/11/2006)
"Bucking the trend, the new Altima is smaller and more lightweight than its predessor, and also a bit more economical. Combined with its already renowned v6, this propels the pocket sedan 0-60 in under 7 seconds, and handling has been improved as well."
Oh wait a sec, it's not April 1st anymore. Who wants to take bets on it being bigger, more expensive, and more bloated than its predessor?? *sigh* This trend is really pissing me off.
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Gale 4:42PM (4/11/2006)
From the pictures I'd say:
1) all-new front fascia
2)upgraded center console
3) upgraded woodgrain trim on the SL
4) bigger spoiler on the SE
... and I understand there are a couple of electronic features we'll find out about tomorrow.
The Altima is significantly changed - I think this is considered a "refresh."
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Vinny 4:45PM (4/11/2006)
Ain't it obvious? They got rid of that stupid tooth in the grille. Woo hoo! Now Mitsubishi needs to follow suit.
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AutoFan 4:45PM (4/11/2006)
Still fugly.
Know what's funny? When someone says "Maxima," the first car to appear in my head is the old early-90s 4DSC model. Yeah, they've been faster and bigger and all that, but that's still my favorite Maxima by a pretty wide margin.
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That One Person 4:47PM (4/11/2006)
Looks nice but DAMN do something about that rear end. Something about the bumper and taillights just throws it off.
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AutoFan 4:50PM (4/11/2006)
Oh, and whoever is responsible for the trend of curving the instrument panel AWAY from the driver needs to be beaten with a sack full of doorknobs.
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Gardiner Westbound 4:52PM (4/11/2006)
The big change appears to be an upgraded interior. The current model's super cheapo interior probably cost Nissan a ton of sales.
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Robert Emslie 4:57PM (4/11/2006)
Whoa! Look at that nose, can you say "Honda Accord"? I guess Nissan can. Still ugly in my book. I can't even look at that back end with its mis-matched angles of deck lid and tail lamps.
I do like the Worlds skinniest, non-opening moonroof. I guess the idea is to share a useless extra-cost feature with the folks in the back seat.
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Josh Linder 5:03PM (4/11/2006)
I can't believe all you guys missed the CVT (continuously variable transmission for the 1% of the population unaware of the acronym).
Nissan is honoring their promise of installing CVT's in their automobiles (starting with the Murano and [I'm assuming] also including the 2007 Altima).
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Eric L. 5:20PM (4/11/2006)
Not sure if it was mentioned here, but the the headlights are also pulled back a little for a more swooping look, sort of like the former Lexus ES330. The center stack has a few new touches as well, particularly the new climate control switches.
It is encouraging that Nissan has enough confidence in their CVT to put it into the Maxima (as well as the upcoming Altima). One of the concerns with the Murano was whether a CVT could handle 245hp. Well, it would seem that whatever the new Maxima will have (its a good bet it will top the former 265hp), the Xtronic CVT can handle that as well. Murano owners (i.e. me) rejoice! Three years and 30,000 miles on the MO so far, no issues at all with the CVT. Just smooth smooth acceleration, and always being in the right "gear" when you put the right foot down.
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Aki 5:25PM (4/11/2006)
CVT or no CVT, the Maxima is a sad shadow of its early 90s glory. Yeah it had less power back then, but with the current Maximas you got to deal with horrid torque steering and a hefty price tag.
$27-30k is in the Audi A4 range--and who'd get a Maxima given the choice of getting an Audi? They better announce that it's in 4WD (making compete against the Legacy), otherwise it's still a worthless car.
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Richard Warren 5:47PM (4/11/2006)
Hmmmm Not much new here, nice looking though
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Matt 5:54PM (4/11/2006)
I'm still not convinced that CVT is so great. I am leasing a 2005 Murano, and I feel as if the rumors on the boards that the CVT saps HP maybe true. However, my wife loved the styling of the car, and the dealer was giving us a steal of a deal, so I gave it a shot. I do like the Muranos AWD. Any chance that the new Maxima or Altima will have AWD?
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JB 6:03PM (4/11/2006)
Not big changes for a slow seller. The rear fascia is tweaked with a painted area at the bottom no one will notice. The grille is better, not the old one with the flat shiny area that gets pummeled by rocks - big customer complaint. The headlights are redone, at a high cost, and the hood is new too - an expensive new hood tool for an aluminum hood that no one will notice - can you say "power bulge". Nissan styling can. But, hey, you gotta have something to do instead of working on the Sentra. Not many people realize to change a headlight bulb you have to drop the fascia - at the dealer - no shade tree mechanics here.
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Rob Lowe 6:06PM (4/11/2006)
Once again Nissan North America proves that they can take a winning, attractive design from Japan aka as the Teanna and butcher it. I'm actually beginning to believe that Goshen has outsourced all NNA top management functions to GM
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Michael Karesh 6:11PM (4/11/2006)
Dynamically, the current car is a disappointment. As others have noted, the cool left this car a few years ago. The only thing that might save the CVT in this application is its ability to mimic a six-speed clutchless manual. A conventional CVT makes little sense in a sport sedan. The Maxima is still a sport sedan, right? Are they putting the CVT in all of them, or only the SL?
My review of the 2004: http://www.epinions.com/content_107525803652
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Tom Design 7:04PM (4/11/2006)
Looks like they hired the Buick design team to soften up the edgy look of their last design. C'mon, Nissan, you're Sentra, Maxima, and Altima are just not cutting it in a design sense, floundering for identity it seems.
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Tom Design 7:12PM (4/11/2006)
Aki => No one shopping for a full sized Maxima is going to squeeze into an A4. I drive in an A4, and the passenger rubs elbows with the driver, fighting for the armrest. There is a beautiful, and single cupholder in an A4. It is a compact. The rear leg room is miserable in the A4 for adults, even with the new wheelbase, and the passenger in front always has to move the seat up and ask, "is it okay now?"
This Maxima is a full sized interior. There is a cavern of room in the back seat. There are TWO cupholders in the front, so the driver doesn't have to balance their water bottle in their crotch like on the Audi A4 when the passenger has their coffee in the one gorgeous holder. These are not interchangeable cars. Yes the A4 is a nice car, but no bargain considering it's a Jetta, basically, for $35,000.
Now, compare it to a Buick Lucerne with a V8 engine and hi tech suspension, or an Avalon with great interior, and you have the same niche.
The A4 is sized with the Impreza, the Focus, the M3, Sentra, and other compact cars.
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Lulu 7:40PM (4/11/2006)
Thank god, they got rid of that ugly grill. It looks so much better now.
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