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]
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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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BigMcLargeHuge 1:40PM (6/16/2008)
This wouldn't bother me, but I'm sure it will bother most of the potential market.
If they want to release the manual a few months ahead of the automatics/CVTs I'm sure they'd be fine. You often have to wait for the exact options you want on a new release.
I doubt any manufacturer would sell a mainstream vehicle in manual-only for a full model-year.
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Brent 1:45PM (6/16/2008)
ummm... They aren't just going to offer a diesel. If someone wants an auto, they can buy one. (gasoline)
BigMcLargeHuge 2:00PM (6/16/2008)
Uhhh... nobody implied they were.
But for any other engine with a manual, there is also the auto/CVT option in the Maxima.
That works, and they should stick with it. Otherwise, this is a mainstream economy car (not a performance car) that is manual-only and its not gonna sell as well as it could.
BigMcLargeHuge 2:21PM (6/16/2008)
OK, that wasn't very clear.
What I meant was, they should mix it up and let people pick/choosewhat engine/tranny combo they want. Not:
package A diesel/manual
package B gas/CVT
Many other brands have options, and it works.
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)