Spy Shots: 2009 Nissan Maxima in the snow
by Merritt Johnson on Feb 13th 2008 at 7:05AM 
The official unveiling of the 2009 Nissan Maxima will occur at next month's New York Auto Show. Despite Nissan's efforts to hide the car away until then, it just couldn't keep its new 4-Door out of sight. If you hadn't guessed already, a thoroughly covered Maxima was recently caught by spy photographers while out for a romp in the snow. The recent spell of frigid weather has created the perfect conditions for automakers to break out their test mules to collect more cold weather exposure data. Through the snowflakes and camouflage the new Maxima's details are rather difficult to discern. However, with what little there is to observe it appears that the rear end will be less bulbous than its predecessor. The rear fenders also flare out a bit, which makes for a sportier looking stance than the flat lines of the current model. We're told that the new 2009 Nissan Maxima will go a long way in restoring this car's identity, which has been muddled for years in between the hot-selling Altima and decidedly more sporty Infiniti G35 sedan. We'll let you know what we find in New York next month.[Source: TheCarConnection]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mike 8:55AM (2/13/2008)
I can definitely see some family resemblance with the GT-R in the front end, with the near vertical front grill with upper and lower intakes flanked by headlights that taper back up the front fender. That alone should go a long way towards putting the "sport" back in the (look of the) Maxima. The roofline is definitely standard Nissan, which I don't think is a bad thing, and from the c pillar back in the last photo bears a strong resemblance to the current Altima, with the slightly muscular shoulders compared to the flat ones on the 06 Altima and the current Maxima. A diesel option as well as whatever Nissan develops for its own hybrid system would be nice too. I would think they'd have to put some version of the 3.7L V6 in the G35 in this to give it some HP separation from the Altima.
Love the wheels on it.
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Ligor 9:27AM (2/13/2008)
they don't need to give it the 3.7, the 3.5 makes 306 in the G35 adn only 270 in the Altima, so they can differentiate by just tuning, the thing is increasing power and FWD might just not work out too good.
they need to add AWD to this - which might not work out cause of the G35
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MikeW 11:35AM (2/13/2008)
CVT, the 3.5 is basically at the transmission's limit right now.
No long stroke 3.5 [285hp 3.7 V6] unless that is a manual shift transmission only.
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Andrew Tanasescu 11:29AM (2/13/2008)
Looks exciting. Dont really know whats up with the hood in the pictures. Im hoping its just air flowing through whatever they are using to cover the car.
@ligor
I agree with you about the 3.7 in the maxima not being a great idea. I hope they reserve the use of the VQ37HR for cars that are a bit more performance oriented.
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Fooman 12:32PM (2/13/2008)
How do we know this is the Maxima? It looks more like an evolution of the M35/45 to me. I know they are basically the same...
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Val 1:10PM (2/13/2008)
And how exactly are the maxima and M35/45 the same? Please elaborate. As for why is this not an M35, it just got a small redesign and was released less than 2 years ago...
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Xcountryflyer 3:04PM (2/13/2008)
Looks like a big Maxima. Not sure why Nissan thinks there is a lot of room between the Altima and G35 for a similar FWD sedan. I wouldn't drive one, but Nissan needs an Avalon and Azera competitor.
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Xcountryflyer 3:04PM (2/13/2008)
I meant looks like big Altima.
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SoCalObserver 3:07PM (2/13/2008)
Kind of off-topic, but does anyone know how the Altima Coupe is selling? I live in import-land and expected to see tons of them in LA, but I've only seen a handful. I do see tons of Accord coupes and Solaras (*shudder*).
I thought these things were supposed to be the poor-man's G37s and fly off the lots (and yes, I'm aware of the HUGE differences between the Altima coupe and Infiniti, but doubt your average buyer can tell you whether his/her current car is front or rear-wheel drive), but I do believe I've seen more G37s than Altima Coupes on the road.
I have seen a surprising amount of Altima Hyrbids, however.
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Rob Roland 12:32AM (2/14/2008)
I recently bought a fully loaded 2008 Nissan Maxima 3.5SE over the Altima 3.5, the Honda Accord EX-L V6 and the Acura TL.
The seats in the Altima sucked. The TL felt too cramped. The Accord was boring.
Power wise, the 3.5L engine in the Maxima feels great, and the CVT makes for a great, smooth ride. That's everyone's comments when they ride in my car. 300 hp would be fun, but 255 isn't bad either.
Obviously there IS a place for the Maxima in the lineup, as I see tons of them around here in Los Angeles.
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Mario 1:56PM (2/14/2008)
I am expecting a lot from the 09 Maxima ( because I want one and have been waiting for the new body style forever ) these pics aren't a far stretch from the current Maxima or Altima. I think Nissan is trying to pull the wool over our eyes because this looks exactly like the Nissan Teana,even with the camoflauge. There are pics of the Teana in the same black camoflauge on the web from earlier last year and it looks the same as this "supposed" 09 Maxima with the exception of the rims. I am really hoping this is the Teana being used as some type of diversion because I am not impressed Nissan! Excite us like you did years ago. I want to be totally suprised when the New Maxima is reveiled March 19th at the New York Auto Show. Can't wait...
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Renju 12:45PM (2/15/2008)
The look seems to be similar to the 08 maxima nothin exciting except the rims! This look is enough for me! But im more interested about the performance specs! Hope its more quicker than the 02-03 maximas! At least a 0-60 in 6 seconds. I wished there was a SE-R version of the maxima and only limited numbers will be sold! I dont think thats gonna happen! Anywayz hope they dont screw up!
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