09 Maxima leaked out before NY autoshow, doesn't look too bad IMHO.









http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2009-...maxima/704494/

 

headlights are a little hideous. not too bad for a maxima though. i like the previous gen better.

 

Agree on headlights, it could be tweaked a bit more. The flat grille looks odd too. Overall though, good stuff.
My biggest complaint goes to the interior. Same old boring button layout below the screen. Did their entire interior designers go on vacation last year?

 

Quite an odd design. Nothing seems to flow. It is musclar, which I like, but it just doesn't do it for me.

I guess the 350Z might get the headlights below after all...or at least a variation of it.

 

oh jesus. i feel so sorry for that Z--looks like a puppy that's never going to find a home.

 

agreed.... looks good except the headlight design....

 

Eh..... that looks more like a front wheel drive Infiniti G35 than anything else. Why is Nissan making their Nissan models looking so similar to Infiniti!? I think it's way better than the last Maxima, but Infiniti interior, Infiniti grill, Infiniti 'wave' hood, Infiniti-esque headlamp!? I think Nissan is cannabalizing the prestige (whatever it had) of the Infiniti brand for their mass market sedan. Now Infiniti will look dime a dozen and people will easily mistaken it for a cheaper FWD Nissan.

 

Headlights are a little funky and the front bumper is a little squarish...but other than that, looks pretty good!

 

As much as I loathe the thought of another FWD Infiniti, the I was a moneymaker for Infiniti and there's still a large demand for it if you go by what some of our older customers tell us they want. Oftentimes you have older folks coming out of an I who look at a G but feel it's too sporty so they look to the larger and more comfortable M instead only to be shocked by a $45k-$60k sticker. I hate to admit it, but an Infiniti version of this new Maxima would make perfect sense for the brand not in terms of image, but definitely in terms of sales. Lexus practically has this market all to itself with the ES as the only direct competition comes from America. Not to mention the ES is their best selling car in the US second only to the RX crossover.

As for the look of the new Maxima, I like it. The headlights will take some getting used to no doubt, but I like the overall shape of the body much more than the previous gen car which came off as a bit bubbly. Getting back to the headlamps, Nissan seems to have a thing for funky headlights as of late with some extreme designs showing up first on the '09 Murano, then the '09 FX and now the '09 Maxima. The grille reminds me of the last generation JDM Stagea before it was discontinued. Very square and chunky. The double wave hood is definitely an Infiniti touch as is the G35esque center stack layout. The tailights are reminiscent of the units on the current Civic Coupe and Toyota Camry but I like them here. One crazy design cue that I noticed are the heavily flared and almost squared off fender flares. Pretty extreme for a FWD car.

I think Nissan has succeeded for the most part in terms of trying to send the Maxima back to its 4DSC roots while at the same time distancing itself from the previous gen's Avalonness. My only question is how does this car fit into the Nissan lineup with the Altima getting sportier and more powerful with each new iteration while the Maxima itself continues to grow and get heavier with each new model? Either way...me likey.

 

The interior (particularly the center console) looks similar to the G's and it looks like they took the steering wheel from the new FX. I don't know why they didn't design a new interior for the Maxima. Wouldn't you want more distinction between the two brands??

I think that companies like Acura are taking the right steps to avoid this. Acura is moving their design studio to LA. I think that Infiniti should follow suit and move their design studio away from Nissan’s (if they haven’t already).

 

I don't get it. What's the big trip about the similarities between the interior of the Maxima versus the rest of Infiniti's lineup? If anything this is good news for Infiniti as they are now forced to step up their interior designs to keep ahead of Nissan. Additionally, it seems that only the Murano and the Maxima really have interior designs that come anywhere close to that of current Infinitis (not counting the Armada of course which the QX56 is basically a carbon copy of). You can definitely tell where the extra money goes. To me, if someone is spending the extra cash for a Maxima or a Murano, they should get a classy interior. For Nissan it makes sense as they save money on having to come up with a completely new design for the insides of these two cars. They're a big step up from the chintzy looking insides of the original Murano and the somewhat dated look of the previous gen Maxima which is what most buyers will notice.

As for Infiniti interiors, the M has its own unique center stack which I love. The layout is very sleek and functional. I just wish they offered the black lacquered wood trim they offer in the JDM Fuga that's standard in the EX and the '09 FX. The G, EX and FX also have a very attractive center stack, but I just wish they'd do something about the somewhat cheap looking gauge cluster. If they want an example of how to do a classy looking gauge cluster, look no further than the insides of any Audi. If they want to do a techy looking cluster, the 2nd gen IS would make the perfect template.

 

Doesn't look that bad! It looks ok.

 

agree on all points except the new possible maxima's tail looks like the toyota YARIS tails more than the camry's

 

doesnt it look like the altima as well?

 

oh wow, it's the Infiniti Maxima!!

Seriously, I feel like Nissan has cheapened Infinity out completely.

2007 Sentra = trimmed Altima
2006 Altima = trimmed G
2009 Maxima = trimmed M

Not to mention that the Maxima has no place in the line up! For the price of a Maxima, you can get a fully loaded Altima or a low end G.