Just some observations....

My brother in-law had his license pulled for 7months so his mom asked me to "manage" his car for him...
ITs a 5speed se either 2001 or 2002....

I was surprised how much I didn't enjoy the driving feel....
cons -
- tight up front leg room
- steering wheel doesn't raise high enough for me
- the doors feel thin compared to the SC
- I am no expert but it really isn't fast or torque until really revved... then it moves
- not a fan of front wheel drive on that model.... my es feels more stable for some reason?
- interior seems cheaply made for some reason...
- The stupid audio **** gets "overiden" if u touch the steering wheel controls...
pros
- when revved it has good pick up
- fairly comfortable and like the auto up driver window feature...
- good looks and handles turns pretty well..

Had the car in my "fleet" for a while and hoestly thought I would like it more than I did... This really made me appreciate Lexus quality as my SC is a 92 and feels more solid than a 2002 Nissan....
NOt trying to flame on Nissan drivers as the car is kool, but I like the car MORE before I was able to drive it regularly.... For some reason I also thought they were faster...

 

The interior design and the quality of the materials has also been my biggest beef with recent Nissans....apparantly part of Carlos Ghosn's cost-cutting. It got to the point where even he had to admit it went too far, and the 2005 Nissans and Infinitis have more attention given to them in this area.

 

The Maxima is an OK car (I owned a 2001 SE 20 Anniversary Edition in Pearl White). The seats on a long trip leave something to be desired I can tell you that. I liked the styling (back end is a love it or hate it thing). Fantastic engine, but I'll put it this way.......there is a reason why I traded my Maxima in on a Lexus! it was a no brainer.

 

A Lexus will definitely be superior to a Maxima in just about every way. And if you think that the model you have is low rent, then dont even bother sitting in a 2004-2005 model. I do agree with you on some points though. I own a Maxima and was actually looking at a 2000 model year(same bodystyle as the one you described) and I must say that I like my 97 model year Maxima more. I found the interior quality of my 97 slightly better than the 2000-2001 model year car. The doors on my car seem a little bit heavier, and the car just felt more compact to me. 2000 model year Max was larger in all areas. I am surprised that you felt that the front seat was cramped and the steering wheel doesnt go high enough. When I test drove it a few years back, I actually had to pull my seat up a little bit more. My 97 Max seat is all the way back.

By the way you described it, it seems the model that you have is a 2001. The 5-speed manual was available for the 2000-2001 model year(VQ30), and in 2001, they added the steering wheel mounted radio controls. Does the car hve any options?? Leather, Auto air, sunroof, 17in wheels, etc?? To me believe it or not those options really made the quality go up a little bit for me. I disliked teh cloth in Maximas(to thin or something) and the leather just seems to be a better fit. The non Auto air controls seem out of place in this car because the faceplate color doesnt match, but in the Auto air model(like mine), it matches perfectly. I dont know why its like that, but whatever.

To me the 2002-2003 model year Maxima was a big improvement over the 2000-2001(VQ35). Not only the engine was significantly improved, but the interior quality was improved also. The dash board was slightly upgraded in looks and feel and it also recieved a 6 speed manual. The handling of Maximas are pretty damn good(arguably the best in class) considering its FWD and the 1995-2003 model year Max's have solid rear beam suspension system. Ever since 2003 though the Maxima hasnt been the same. The days of the 4DSC are over.

 

Yeah, me too. I thought the interior was very nice and IMO, for most people this car is perfect for them. Also quality is pretty good and its spacious and looks different to other sedans. Performance is solid expecially acceleration.

 

A 2002 Maxima with a 3.5 is faster than just about any non V8 lexus especially the sc300. It is also more torquey and more fun top drive than any ES. If there is an instability, car is probably not running right and needs to be checked out.

 

i went from a 2003 maxima fully modded to my current 2000 GS400

all i can say is-WORLD OF DIFFERENCE


Lexus had more going on in 2000 than Nissan will have in 2010.....

but thats also cuz a Maxima costs $25k and a GS430 costs $60k

$60k> $25k

 

THe VQs do have massive torque, but the peak of it is too high off in the RPM range to feel it jerk you around. The 2JZ has low torque numbers (in comparison to the VQ35) but you feel the torque pull you around =D

I prefer high torque in the low RPM over high horsepower/"torqueless feel" anyday!

 

I always liked the Max and the VQ engine series. In fact when I was car shopping it was between the MT SC and an MT Max - the Max is slightly faster but I opted for the SC, primarily for it's styling (interior and exterior) and RWD layout.

 

I almost bought a 2004 maxima before i got my hands on my 200 GS3. Its a very nice car with a powerful engine. But a Lex is a Lex

 

Yeah I admit the maxima is faster than my sc but it seems that the powere is higher in rpms...

Honestly I have always loved the maxima and thought having one for 7months would give me more joy..lol
My es is slower but seems more comfortable but maybe thats just me....

BTW... the maxima has cloth interior with 17" tires and good brakes.... the cloth interior leaves something to be desired....

My buddy has a 99' maxima gxe and it feels more solid and luxurious for some reason... also is leather and wood trimmed (although cheap plastic wood i think)..lol

I am curious now how the 2005 models drive... I wasn't overly impressed with all that metal looking interior trim...jus my .02cents

 

wow really? i've beaten several before in my stock 5-speed SC3 I wont even go into when I had it turbocharged hehe...

 

I don't know the gearing for the automatic Maxima, but a 6spd manual is a very torquey maxima, most likely you'll end up having more torque steer issues than not enough lowend torque. I've rented a couple of 3.5 maxima with autos and it's very easy to peel out if you're not careful. The rental car agency later caught on and put the maxima in the Mustang GT category instead of the regular premium car. On the open highway, it's a blast to drive, especially when it's not your vehicle.

The ES is designed to be more comfortable. Toyota vehicles generally seem to be more refine than Nissans. Camries are very comforatble vehicles especially for long distance cruises, the Lexus should be even more refine with smooth leather seats. No weird back or butt aches once you've reached your destination.

My sister just bought an 05, car is even more stable through the turns and feels more sustantial than the previous gen, but like everyone else says, the interior is pretty bad. Once you get over the cheap interior, it's actually a very very entertaining car. In a way, I kind of like the cheap interior, cuz it makes you not care as much about the car so you really drive it how it was meant to be. If it had a refine, high quality luxurious interior like an ES, one tends to drive more conservatively because interior soothes you down(like a refine, warm woman) and make you feel more responsible and somewhat classy. In other qord, the maxima is like a really hot ho, it makes you want to get the most out of your money. I'm only happy to oblidge, provided there ain't no pigs around.

 

I believe the peak is at about 4000rpm for the VQ. Below that, it's still very torquey and most likely have more torque than the what the 2jz can produce at it's peak. I believe the "feeling of more torque" could be due to the fact that Toyota trannies are very crips and responsive. I recently drove a Matrix and a Mazda 6. Both are autos, Matrix is a torqueless 1.8 and the 6 is a 2.3liter with roughly 160ft lb, yet the Matrix "FEELS" more torquey and has better pickup. You really have to beat on the Mazda to get it going. Mazda also has an annoying lag before one feels the acceleration. The 6's highway MPG is also ridiculously low, you'd think that a torquer motor would use less RPM to get the job done. 360miles before light comes on is pretty bad for a 4cyl with a 16 gallon tank.

Personally, I prefer high torque and even higher HP all the time. Something along the line of an M5 should do it. But if I had to compramise, I'd take responsiveness over torquey.

 

I've also beaten Vipers, ZO6 Vette, 800rwhp Twin turbo Supras in a Corolla. But it's very possible the owners of those vehicles aren't even paying attention to me as I pass them.