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Sedans Nissan Maxima 2009 Nissan Maxima
629 messages, Last post on Jul 03, 2009 at 9:35 AM
You are in the Nissan Maxima Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: habitat1 (Dec 20, 2008 4:07 pm) The 04 TL is a handsome car - it has an almost Italian look to it. I brokered an 05 for one of my clients and she is still driving it - she loves the car. As you are probably aware, those considering a new 2009 TL cannot get one with a manual transmission (at least right now - next year the more expensive SH-AWD version will have the option - and good for Honda for stepping up to the plate with that). Neither do they get a handsome design, IMHO. Had they decided to offer a manual transmission with the front-wheel drive TL, it would have given it a leg up on the 2009 Maxima for some folks. As it is though, and this is a carefully considered, although subjective opinion, I believe Nissan did a better job with the redesign of the Maxima than Honda did with the new TL. I wanted to like the new TL and approached it with a positive outlook, but after driving it found it wasn't at all compelling to me, particularly coming directly off a test drive of the Maxima about an hour before. As my dad used to say, that's what makes horse races.
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Replying to: redbull (Dec 22, 2008 8:20 pm) I've been reasonably happy with my 2004 TL 6-speed, but I would definitely not end up in a 2009 FWD TL automatic and probably not even a 2010 TL SHAWD 6-speed, thanks to a nearly 2-ton curb weight. If an automatic transmisison is the preference, I agree that the 2009 Maxima is a noticable improvement over the outgoing model and the TL is, for many folks, a styling step in the wrong direction. There is more chrome on the 2009 TL than on all the cars I've owned in the past 30 years combined. Happy Holidays.
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Replying to: habitat1 (Dec 23, 2008 6:51 am) I do agree that the 09 TL is a step in the wrong direction, Acura has decided to mimic/imitate the outgoing Maxima that got so much criticism for styling including its front grill too. Although a more edgy type of design, the TL and outgoing Maxima have many similarities. The one place where the TL leaves the old maxima in the dust is the interior, TL wins that hands down. Saw an 09 Max today in Mystic Jade, very interesting color. Light enough to be easy to keep clean and yet dark enough to pick up a good shine with a nice coat of wax. It resembles Precision Grey but with a hint of green, certainly different and one I will consider. To all a Merry Christmas..Be safe..
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Replying to: out4cat (Dec 23, 2008 5:57 pm) Fortunately, I don't think the wind direction caused any inconsistency in my position. Which is, that for someone looking for a "sport" sedan, distaste for the styling of the TL would unlikely push them to buy a CVT Maxima. Unfortunately, I can now safely conclude that neither car offers the substance that a serious enthusiast would seek and even the addition of a 6-speed manual to the AWD TL may not overtake the obese curb weight negative. I would bend a little under the breezes to say that the styling miscue of the TL might benefit the Maxima for those looking for less of a sports sedan and more of an entry level near luxury sedan. But that's not the type of buyer I was addressing in post 300. And a Merry Christmas back to you... |
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Spirit, yes, I agree with your analysis that the Max doesn't compete with the 3 series. But you leave out the part about the G37, which many feel is the closest Japanes competitor to the 3 series as many people cross shop those 2. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The Max has its own strong points, such as space and value, that the 3 series cannot match. I feel there are more choices for the consumer now than 15 years ago; it's a great time to be a car enthusiast, whether one favors luxury over sport or vice versa... 
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Replying to: carnut35 (Dec 24, 2008 2:39 am)
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Replying to: flightnurse (Dec 24, 2008 10:23 am) Maybe you should be asking a different question - to Nissan. As in, why are they using a 13+ year old label that clearly no longer applies to the Maxima? It seems that Nissan is the one that is "stuck" here, not those that call the company to the carpet for not delivering the goods. I am a very satisfied owner of a 2003 BMW M5 that runs like new, so I'm not likely to be trading to a Nissan Maxima or Infinity anything anytime soon. But that does not preclude me from giving credit where it was due to Nissan. The former (1995 vintage) Maxima might not have really been a 4-door sports car, but it was clearly superior to its Japanese competition at the time and set itself apart enough to develop a loyal following among enthusiasts. Notwithstanding FWD, it did better against the BMW 3 series back then than the G35 does today. In both sale volumes and road test comparisons. In many ways for 90% of the people who buy the new Max it is a sports sedan.... it took me a month to see the benefits of the CVT in my Altima Coupe, as it takes a while how to figure out how to drive one. I sure as hell hope you are wrong on both counts. I would suspect/hope 90% of current Maxima buyers DON"T consider it a sport sedan. And if it took you a month to "figure out" how to drive a CVT, maybe it's a good thing that Nissan didn't really challenge your physical and/or mental capacities with a three pedal manual transmission.
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Replying to: spiritinthesky (Dec 26, 2008 12:00 pm) The CVT is a different bird, and it take a while to get used to it, I wouldn't expect someone who drives a M5 to understand what I'm getting at.
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Replying to: flightnurse (Dec 26, 2008 8:39 pm) Excuse me? What "worked" back in 1995 was Nissan delivering a superior product. That had real "substance" relative to its competition. Attempting to resurect that marketplace success with a marketing slogan instead of substance is why the current (or at least immediately prior) Maxima models sell a small percentage of the volume of the former one. You might fool a couple of naive consumers with a catchy slogan, but sooner or later you have to deliver substance or you simply embarass yourself. If I was Nissan, I'd market the 2009 Maxima for what it is - a very nice entry level/near luxury family sedan - and avoid embarassing myself by having a sales person try to expalin why a "4DSC" doesn't have anything but a CVT transmission option. As for a CVT taking a while to get used to - more so than an M5 6-speed manual? You lost me on that one as well. I'm successfully (mostly) teaching 4th-5th grade girls to do a crossover dribble between their legs. Please explain the challenge you had in putting the transmission into D and depressing the accelerator? Maybe I can make some beer money on the side. 
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Just a suggestion for those of you who own the 09 Maxima, Motor Trend January 09 issue identifies the reasons for which the car did not win Car of the Year and why it is not considered a good value. Those of you who have been criticizing the CVT and the designation as a "4DSC" will find validation in the article. I would pay close attention to the last sentence in the article, Nissan would need to drop such a power plant and match it with the right transmission into the "Sport Package" version to really back up its claim, until then the $2,300.00 option should be called the "Sport Appearance Package." Enjoy and to all a Happy New Year!!!! |
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