Next Nissan Maxima

[PanMD]

What do you guys think of the Nissan Sports Sedan Concept? They said the next Maxima is going to stay pretty close to this concept.

Nissan Boss Says 2015 Maxima Coming This Fall will Stay Close to Sport Sedan Concept

Sharing the stage with the all-new Murano at the New York Auto Show this week is Nissan's Sport Sedan Concept, which we first laid eyes on at this past January's Detroit Motor Show. In New York, Nissan not only reaffirmed its commitment to bring the study into production, but also confirmed that it will be badged as the next generation 2015 Maxima and will go on sale in North America this fall.

At Nissan's presentation in NY, the brand's North America Chairman Jose Munoz said that the relationship between the Sport Sedan Concept and the next Maxima will be the same as the one among the Resonance Concept and the 2015 Murano.

“The difference between the concept car and the production car will be very small,” Munoz told Automotive Newson the sidelines of the show.

If we take the Murano as an example, then the next Maxima won't look as wild and exotic as the study, but it should be one of the more interesting proposals in...

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[Craigy]

That aluminum/chrome hoop thing is hideous... like a nose ring on a bull.

The rest of the car looks pretty interesting though.

 

[Supra93]

Nissan Boss Says "We Will Build" Sport Sedan Concept

Well folks, if you liked the Nissan Sport Sedan Concept that's on display at the Detroit motor show, we have good news, and we'll get straight to the point by sharing the words of company Executive Vice President, Andy Palmer, who had this to say about the four-door study:

"We will build this car and it won't be that different from the concept car. When we bring a concept car like this we are obviously testing the reaction. Obviously you want to deliver the best that you can," said Palmer.

"We're interestingly on the cusp of a very interesting shift with the so called Gen Z, the 17-year-olds of today. By the time some of those potential concepts come to market, they will be the customers, and they think differently from the previous generation," he added.

Now, we won't blame you for being skeptical as we're often mislead by carmakers when it comes to concept and production cars, but let us remind you that Nissan is the same company that dared with the Juke and even more so with the GT-R-powered Juke R, so we're not going to be judgmental, at least not just yet.

Fred Diaz, Senior Vice President of Nissan, said that sport sedans are deeply ingrained in Nissan's heritage and that prospective buyers will appreciate the concept's aggressive design.

"When you look at how gorgeous that vehicle is, the lines, the styling of that vehicle inside and out, the interior and exterior, I think it's definitely a halo and a huge kudos for our brand and our brand image and our relevance in the marketplace," said Diaz.

Unless Nissan surprises us with a different model, the concept should transform into the next Maxima.

http://www.carscoops.com/2014/01/nissan-boss-says-will-build-sport-sedan.html

 

[PanMD]

That aluminum/chrome hoop thing is hideous... like a nose ring on a bull.

The rest of the car looks pretty interesting though.

Yea totally agree. Nissan puts that on all of its N.American cars for some reason, I hate it. The japanese versions are usually better looking in the front.

 

[AZ Wildcat]

Seems nice enough but it's just concept. I like what Nissan designers been doing with the C pillar on this concept and the IDX concepts. Very different.

But this front end is way too busy - too many lines/angles/colors/materials.

 

[sunFire]

Way too many lines all over the place! Prefer their other recent concept the IDX small coupe.

Wonder when the next 370z will be out. Much more interesting than a Maxima.

 

[Supra93]

2016 Nissan Maxima spotted for first time

Click here to view photo gallery​

Nissan teased the look of the next-generation Maxima at the 2014 Detroit auto show with the Sport Sedan concept, and it was quite a looker with an aggressive front end and cool floating roof. Now, we're getting out very first glimpse at the production version in some new spy shots. Although, It's plastered with camouflage, underneath you can still see the concept's design inspiration.

Starting from the front, the biggest influence from the concept is the V-shaped grille with smaller inlets on each side and jagged headlights. Running back from there, on one side the Maxima mule has a black A-pillar, which at least suggests that the floating roof is making it to the production model too.

In profile, it's hard to make out, but the hard creases that run down the side of the Sport Sedan appear to be underneath this camouflage, and there's a ton of masking around the rear pillar seemingly to hide the shape. However in the close-up photo, you can get a better view, and it doesn't look quite as sharp and coupe-like as on the concept.

At this point, the back also lacks the concept's angular rear bumper in favor of something more conventional. All the cladding there makes it hard to tell what is hidden underneath, though.

The Sport Sedan concept has a version of Nissan's 3.5-liter V6 with over 300 horsepower and a CVT powering the front wheels. Though, our spies think it's possible the production version could offer a hybrid 2.5-liter supercharged four-cylinder to give V6-like power, like the Pathfinder Hybrid.

From these early spy shots, it certainly looks like Nissan is trying to bring the major parts of the concept to the road. We can't wait to see the Maxima without so much being hidden. Until then, check out the gallery for a first look.

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/17/2016-nissan-maxima-spy-shots/

 

[Supra93]

All-New 2016 Nissan Maxima Appears in Super Bowl Ad

Nissan had a big surprise for us today with its 90-second Super Bowl spot titled "With Dad", as it gave us our first official look at the production 2016 Maxima sedan.

Our initial take is that Nissan took the Sports Sedan Concept from the 2013 Detroit Auto Show and turned it into a more realistic and family-friendly (taller, more bloated with practical instead of fancy details like the door handles) sedan with a sporty aura. Okay, it’s probably the other way around (the production design preceded the study), but you get what we mean.

The cameo appearance was not accompanied by any details whatsoever, but it's believed that, like the concept, the production 2016 Maxima will get a revised 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine with over 300hp and possibly offer a similar version of the Pathfinder's hybrid unit that pairs Pathfinder's 2.5-liter supercharged four to an electric motor.

"Details on the upcoming Nissan sports sedan, which appears briefly in the spot, will be announced in the near future," said the automaker in a statement.

Also shown for the first time ever in the TV spot was Nissan's new GT-R LM NISMO that will contest the LM P1 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship. It's powered by a 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo gasoline engine and a kinetic energy recovery system with a combined output of around 1,250 horsepower under race conditions.

http://www.carscoops.com/2015/02/all-new-2016-nissan-maxima-appears-in.html

 

[Supra93]

Nissan Drops First 2016 Maxima Sedan Photos, Confirms NY Show Debut

Click here to view more photos​

The cameo appearance of the 2016 Maxima at the end of Nissan's "With Dad" Super Bowl spot this past Sunday was only the beginning, with the carmaker now releasing the first official photos of the sedan.

Nissan also confirmed that its "signature 4-Door Sports Car" (their words, not ours) will make its official world premiere at the New York International Auto Show at the beginning of April.

No other details have been released yet about the punchy sedan that is the more streamlined and realistic production version of Nissan's Sports Sedan Concept from the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, but you can bet that it will be offered with a V6 engine.

We should know more in the weeks leading to the NY Show.

http://www.carscoops.com/2015/02/nissan-drops-first-2016-maxima-sedan.html

 

[Supra93]

First Drive: New 2016 Nissan Maxima Searches For Sport, Finds Class

Click here to view more photos​

“Is that some experimental car or something?”

Near Malibu, California, yesterday, a man in a parking lot came up to us and the 2016 Nissan Maxima to get a good look around the new car. He was intrigued and had to go around the back to see what kind of car it was.

“Wow, the Maxima’s come a long way.”

The Maxima nameplate, despite being overshadowed in sales by the smaller Altima and playing in the incredible shrinking segment of large mainstream sedans, still evokes warm memories for a lot of people. That’s one reason Nissan is so obviously playing up the car’s heritage as the “four-door sports car,” or 4DSC. It’s strategically placed in the lights on the new car and the Nissan marketing team has already been hitting us over the head with the acronym. Get used to it again.

“Four-door sports car,” though, has come to mean something different since the Maxima popularized the term in 1988 – cars like the Porsche Panamera, the Maserati sedans and a host of BMW Ms, Mercedes AMGs and Audi RS cars would rise to attention now.

So what does “4DSC” mean when applied to a 300-horsepower, front-drive V6 sedan in 2015?

Four-Door Show Car

Nissan understands the large mainstream sedan market is flooded with the conservative shapes of cars like the Toyota Avalon and Ford Taurus, as well as cars that try to liven things up like the Chrysler 300, Chevy Impala and Kia Cadenza.

So to stand out, they’ve thrown out all the stops to make it stand out. They’ve undoubtedly succeeded here. In practice, the 2016 Maxima is extremely faithful to the Nissan Sports Sedan Concept from the 2014 Detroit Auto Show.

I was a little unsure of it in brighter colors at the production car’s reveal in April at the New York Auto Show, but on the street and in blue and black, the shape works pretty well. Best of all, the more I look at it the less it looks like a squashed Nissan Murano. I’m still not sold on that black plastic trim at the back to make the “floating roof,” in design-speak.

It’s absolutely not to everyone’s tastes, but at least it’s different, so Nissan gets lots of points for trying.

Four-Door Soft Car

Having already determined at the New York Auto Show that the new Maxima’s looks take a toll on passenger space in the rear, I was surprised to be really comfortable in the front. Headroom is plentiful and the seats have enormous range of fore-and-aft travel. Despite what Nissan’s research says about many Maxima owners having kids, this car feels like it was designed exactly for people without children or with children who refuse to be seen with them.

The Maxima’s interior design also feels much more like a two-person place. But it doesn't feel confining, which is a neat trick that perhaps should be expected in a car this large. Nissan says the design was born from fighter jets, but it feels a bit like a BMW 6-series Gran Coupe. A 6-series on a tight budget, anyway.

While everything looks good, not all of it makes the luxury grade. Trim made to look like metal is so obviously plastic and had sharp edges to it. The center console lid squirms around when you open and close it. And the leather/Alcantara steering wheel on the sport-tuned SR trim had a squishy property to it, as if it were a built-in stress ball.

That aside, the Maxima is on par with the large sedan class for interior quality. The standard navigation system is presented on a fine 8-inch touchscreen that quickly responds to your prodding and dragging – some might say it’s like a smartphone! It’s accompanied by a 7-inch color display between the gauges that allows for a really big compass in the dash.

Perhaps the most welcoming part of the Maxima just how comfortable the front seats were. That “NASA-inspired Zero Gravity” marketing might not be a gimmick and the wide cushion and great range of adjustment means you can get comfortable in them without sinking into them.

The Dad Jokes about being an astronaut will be endless.

Four-Door Stealth Car

Nissan says it’s saved 82 pounds of weight in this redesign compared to the outgoing model, which still puts the 2016 Maxima right around 3,500 lbs. to start. That’s good for a full-size sedan, less encouraging for something that wants to rival a true sports sedan.

So it’s again surprising that the Maxima didn’t feel ponderous or severely hampered by its front-drive or heavy V6 sitting up front. Considering how long and imposing the car looks on the outside, it does a commendable job of concealing its size when tackling corners.

But even in the sportiest SR trim, the Maxima never felt eager on the roads above Malibu. While the engine pulls smoothly, it never feels like you’re going very fast and you wonder how many of the 300 horses showed up for work today. There was an effervescence notable by its absence.

Put it in Sport mode, the CVT’s love of revs doesn’t mean you’re hearing much from the engine. The enormous paddles on the steering column don’t add any more engagement. If anything, putting it back into Normal mode makes the engine a touch more coarse.

Where it did excel, however, was in horrible Pacific Coast Highway stop-and-go traffic. In addition to the extremely comfortable seats, the Maxima is a quiet car. Visibility is adequate considering the adventurous style outside. Even on the SR, with its 19-inch wheels and stiffened suspension, the ride was pretty plush. The best thing to do with this Maxima is put in drive, push the Sport button and watch the needle on the speedometer rise.

Four-Door Social Climber

“I’ve got to tell my sister about this. She likes the Acura TLX and that Infiniti Q… 50?”

That man from the parking lot may not remember Infiniti’s nomenclature either, but Nissan execs probably want to find him and hug him right now.

Nissan says it sells more Maximas to retail buyers than any of its large sedan competitors, but that still means the company sells 50-60,000 of the cars per year. It’s hoping to be between 50,000 and 75,000 a year with this generation, and that’s harder to do as more full-size buyers find midsize crossovers like Nissan’s own Murano attractive.

Which is why the company is making a serious play for buyers who would normally get a basic-to-middling BMW 3-series, Audi A4 or, chiefly, the front-drive Acura TLX. As I’ve said before, if you have any common sense you’ll buy one of these large mainstream sedans over a badly equipped entry-luxury model.

On sale June 3, Nissan expects about half of sales to go for either the SR or Platinum models, which push right up against the $40,000 mark. The $37,715 SL comes with heated steering wheel, panoramic roof and full suite of safety tech, but even the base S model gets navigation at its roughly $33,000 starting price.

And to my eyes, the Maxima wins over the TLX because someone remembered to style it, rather than just add LEDs.

While the sports car aspect didn’t jump out at me, the 2016 Maxima is a promising reboot for the car that has built up a resilient reputation over 35 years. It would’ve been a crime for Nissan to relegate it to history, but they deserve credit for realizing the big, old front-drive sedan playbook isn’t working.

Now, can I get a box of those old “4DSC” window stickers from the dealer?

Nissan invited me to drive down to the Bel Air Bay Club in Pacific Palisades to have a go in the 2016 Maxima and eat their food and drink their beverages to, "wait out the afternoon PCH traffic."

http://www.carscoops.com/2015/06/first-drive-new-2016-nissan-maxima.html

 

[Supra93]

Nissan wants you to believe the 2016 Maxima is a better sports sedan than the BMW 328

Is the 2016 Nissan Maxima a better sports sedan than the Acura TLX, Audi A4 and BMW 3-Series? That's up for debate, but that's not what Nissan wants you to believe after seeing this video.

In the clip, AMCI Testing acts as an "objective, independent third-party testing organization" to compare the performance between the Maxima and the aforementioned models on the 1.8-mile (2.8 km) long Buttonwillow Raceway Park West Loop. In the end, the Maxima was "clearly the fastest" as it finished 0.98 seconds ahead of the BMW, 2.08 seconds ahead of the Acura and 2.71 seconds ahead of the Audi.

According to Nissan North America Vice President of Product Planning Pierre Loing, "We expected the all-new 2016 Maxima, with its re-engineered engine, transmission and chassis to do well, but frankly even we were surprised by the head-to-head test results against some very well-established luxury sports sedans." He went on to say "Following the adage that ‘seeing is believing', the video highlights that the 2016 Maxima's drivetrain and powertrain combination is well optimized for performance, meeting the challenge offered by the well-regarded rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive competitors."

http://www.worldcarfans.com/115051893963/nissan-wants-you-to-believe-the-2016-maxima-is-a-better

 

[Supra93]

2016 Nissan Maxima Video, First Look

The next-generation Nissan Maxima made its official debut in New York.

After offering a sneak peek at the new sedan during the Japanese automaker’s Super Bowl commercial this year, the new Maxima is about 82 lbs lighter than its predecessor but has roughly 25 percent more torsional rigidity. It takes the same design cues as other new Nissan products with the company’s “V-motion” front end. Power continues to come from a V6 engine found in numerous other models across Nissan’s lineup. Paired to a CVT, Nissan did specify that the engine has been revamped with over 60 percent of its parts replaced, providing 300 hp and an estimated 30-MPG highway rating.

Heading to dealerships this summer, Nissan also announced pricing on the 2016 Maxima, which will start from $33,325.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2015/04/2016-nissan-maxima-video-first-look.html

 

[Supra93]

Nissan Begins Producing All-New 2016 Maxima in Tennessee [w/Videos]

Nissan has started manufacturing the all-new 2016 Maxima sedan at its Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant in Tennessee and marked the moment with a celebration.

The Japanese automaker has built nearly 800,000 Maxima sedans in Smyrna since the first U.S.-assembled Maxima rolled off the assembly line in January 2003. More than 60,000 of these were shipped to markets worldwide.

The new Maxima is one of six models currently built at the Smyrna plant and shares the assembly line with the Altima midsize sedan and the all-electric Nissan Leaf. The plant also builds the Rogue crossover, Pathfinder SUV and Infiniti QX60 luxury crossover.

Maxima’s new 300hp 3.5-liter, VQ-series V6 engine is also assembled in Tennessee, at Nissan’s Decherd Powertrain Plant.

The eighth generation Maxima features a bold exterior design, redesigned interior and a range of safety, security and driving aids, including Predictive Forward Collision Warning, Forward Emergency Braking, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Blind Spot Warning.

It is also equipped with Nissan’s new Driver Attention Alert system, which alerts the driver when drowsy or inattentive driving is detected. The 2016 Maxima will be available at U.S. Nissan dealerships this summer, with prices starting from $32,410.

The Nissan Smyrna Plant became active in 1983 and now employs more than 8,400 people. Last year, the facility assembled more than 648,000 vehicles, making it the highest-producing automotive assembly plant in North America.

http://www.carscoops.com/2015/04/nissan-begins-producing-all-new-2016.html

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