Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Plants/Manufacturing, Nissan, Rumormill
Nissan's diesel Maxima may be manual only
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Nissan Maxima
Sales of Nissan's first clean diesel in America could be severely hampered before the car even gets a chance at life. According to Nissan, the diesel engine slated to power the Maxima could come equipped with a manual transmission as its only option. We honestly can't imagine Nissan going through with this idea. Diesels already have a mildly bad reputation in the states due to some of the not-so-great oil-burning products our market has been cursed with in the past, and Americans have a profound penchant for choosing an automatic transmission over a manual. Therefore, endowing the Maxima diesel with a stick as the only option seems like a death knell in terms of sale, although it's probably the gearbox that we'd choose as enthusiasts. Considering how well Nissan has done with its CVT transmission, we wonder if the company could find a way to pair it with the Renault-derived diesel slated for the Maxima.
For what it's worth, the Japanese market has not been properly introduced to the diesel engine, either. Nissan's first product with a new clean diesel for its home turf will be the X-Trail SUV. The assorted powers-that-be at the company have already decided that a manual tranny shall be the only option on that model due to the M9R engine's inherent turbo-lag.
Gallery: 2009 Nissan Maxima
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Brent 1:35PM (6/16/2008)
Everyone here on autoblog likes manuals, but this is a tragic mistake for Nissan.
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Ken 2:21PM (6/16/2008)
Couldn't have said it better myself.
I love cars like this with manuals - but I would guess (out of thin air) that this move will eliminate 4/5 of buyers if not more.
Disgruntled Goat 2:48PM (6/16/2008)
Actually it would eliminate closer to 95% of new cars buyers, especially in this class.
And for those of you thinking a manual saves you money, that's only because manufacturers jack up the price of an automatic because they know 90+% will opt for it and it's like free money. If a manual is the only option you really won't save anything.
Nissan is either doing this because they don't want to sell diesels in the U.S. and this is a way to limit it's appeal, or they do not have any auto they can pair to the Diesel. They're not idiots - they know that no one buys a manual tranny in this class.
Franz 3:12PM (6/16/2008)
If the CVT can't handle the torque, they should put a dual clutch SMT in it instead. It's the only real compromise I think.
Torrent 3:16PM (6/16/2008)
really.
Bert 1:36PM (6/16/2008)
Yeah! Manuals coming back to Maximas! Probably the CVT can't handle the torque of the oil-burner.
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SPG 2:16PM (6/16/2008)
You might be right. I don't think I've herd a positive thing about Nissan CVT's yet.
Great idea to have a CVT, I suppose it was just never the best made though.
Aprime 2:48PM (6/16/2008)
"You might be right. I don't think I've herd a positive thing about Nissan CVT's yet."
You don't listen hard enough.
Chris 3:25PM (6/16/2008)
I owned an 05 Murano, cvt and big six in it. I used to live on the murano.org forums.
you do not want one to break out of warranty, it is a complete replacement. one excuse was there was insufficient training of technicians in dealing with the transmission so nissan adopted total replacement. That is from 4800 to 6500. It was uncommon but still the cost is too high.
The other issue is that cvt are very fluid sensitive and many people reported widely different behavior after the major fluid service change, I believe it occurs 30k
Now, if Nissan will actually fix what breaks in one then I will go back to the brand. The advantages a cvt offered over regular automatics was mostly erased by six speed transmissions. There is loss from the pump.
There are other types of cvt in use, some use planetary gearing like that found in many toyota hybrids
rouse42 1:36PM (6/16/2008)
glad to see that there is going to be a manual avail.
hope that honda offers manuals in their whole up coming diesel lineup
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4agze 1:37PM (6/16/2008)
finally more diesel, now give us a diesel xterra
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akboss302 1:38PM (6/16/2008)
manuals save you a grand off the top, get better fuel economy and are more reliable. Put down your cheeseburger and your cellphone and learn how to drive a real car.
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brandon 1:48PM (6/16/2008)
you realize that some people have knee problems and live in a city, right? i know how to drive a manual, i just prefer not to
Papi L-Gee 1:55PM (6/16/2008)
The manual may save a grand, but all that would do is cut into the extra few grand that one would pay for the diesel engine.
Justin 2:08PM (6/16/2008)
Seriously, live in a hilly, traffic-choked city like Pittsburgh and see how fun it is to drive a manual. It's nothing but a pain in the butt.
Besides, the modern automatic is pretty close to a manual in efficiency/timing. Just deal with it.
Manuals aren't the second coming, but you guys all sure seem to think they are. Way to rate cars/drivers based simply on their transmission choice when way more goes into it.
jb 2:41PM (6/16/2008)
Using traffic for not driving a manual is a lame excuse. I commute on the Garden State Parkway every day, and I still drive a manual. akboss302 is right on target. Cars with sluhboxes exist just because people don't want to be bothered shifting (on top of the fact that most of them would not be able to)
Paul 3:27PM (6/16/2008)
agreed JB - I drive 60 miles a day in philly traffic. There is no reason, other than laziness, that manuals shouldn't make up 40% of the cars on the road.
Kaptain75329 4:38PM (6/16/2008)
Ya'll should just whip it out and get it overwith. Considering myself a purist, I'll take a manual to an auto just about any day of the week, but damn I don't get the pissing and moaning over someone's transmission choice. Good for you if you're OK with a stick in traffic - it's hard on the car, but if it's not so much on you then that's great. But don't kid yourself - no one seriously cares that wish to add an extra layer of hassle to what already sucks about traffic. As it is, I can always tell who's driving a stick on the highway-turned-parking lot by which car is jolting along and rolling back. I'm sure there are plenty of skilled drivers out there who know how to drive a stick correctly so that I couldn't tell, but most of them don't commute in the Washington DC area, which happens to be rated among the absolute wort places to commute in America - right up there with Los Angeles and New York City.
This whole debate annoys me to no end. The fact is that automatics are -- like diesel engines -- significantly better than they ever have been at any time prior to now. The very same people who insist diesels should be given a chance because the technology has caught up as are the very same who describe automatics the way there were ten years ago. (because a double standard never damaged anyone's credibility. whatever.) Drive almost any form of automatic transmission today if for no other reason than to just shut up if praising one makes you feel like some kind of traitor to your manhood. Today's automatics shift smooth, do so quickly, and are very near sticks in the power/efficiency equation. In some cases, they are rated to get equal or better mileage as is the case with the Honda Civic and Mazda3 among others. (But really, MPG mostly in how you drive.) This trend will continue, especially as the advent of DSGs will ultimately relegate the choice of selecting a manual to a matter of preference and not advantage.
I'm not saying you need to switch, nor am I arguing for the superiority of the automatic transmission. But I am saying that for many people, auto transmissions make a much better case than sticks. People vote with their dollars, and manuals have been handed their ass on the sales floor for over two decades now. Talk about power and efficiency all you want, but in traffic a stick adds anything but either to the equation. And yes.. there are lazy people out there to be sure, but then we all are to a degree. Don't talk to me about lazy until you go buy yourself a car without any creature comforts. That means no power anything, including the steering.
My weekend ride, as soon as GM can get a G8 GXP in my hands, will be a stick. Even so, my daily drivers will always be automatics. There's a place for both - right tools for the job and all that. A real man knows when to use which; he doesn't need to hammer a nail with a flat-head screwdriver just to make a statement. Sure, it can be done, you just gotta not be "lazy" about it.
Aprime 4:40PM (6/16/2008)
Everytime I ride in someone with a manual car I realize how they effectively fail.
I have yet to see someone who shifts faster than an auto, or drives his manual to favor fuel economy (4th gear at 80KMPH when you could be in fifth and drop your RPM by 1500 AND save fuel? Where's the logic behind that?).
I think I'll stick with manu-matic 5/6-speeds (no more 4-speeds please) - if I get a manual it's because I'll feel like it, but I don't think it's worth the trouble or savings, especially with my hypermiling ways, although I know I could do much better with a manual... I don't know, I have to think about it.
Kaptain75329 4:40PM (6/16/2008)
Damnit. Spelling monster got me.