What Did They Change Anyway? Nissan Maxima vs. Nissan Sport Sedan Concept

"Blake Noble" (blake-noble) 04/30/2015 at 10:00 • Filed to: What Did They Change?, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Sport Sedan Concept, Concept Cars

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It’s common knowledge that automakers change everything when they send a concept car to the production line. So when Nissan sent its Sports Sedan Concept into production as the 2016 Maxima, what did they have to change? How about let’s find out.

If you’ve already forgotten about the Nissan Sports Sedan Concept, don’t sweat it. After all, it is a concept car. And that means it spent a total of maybe five minutes in the consciousness of the general public after the 2014 Detroit Auto Show wrapped up and trite, swag-nabbing car bloggers were finished snarking about it.

If you’re having trouble remembering that Nissan has a new Maxima hitting showrooms this summer, don’t worry about that either. Nissan made the mistake of first revealing the Maxima with a grating minute-and-a-half dose of Harry Chapin during the Superbowl in February. And there are few things more hateful than “Cats in the Motherfucking Cradle” being blasted in high-def Dolby surround sound. It’s likely you were too busy trying to scoop your eardrums out with a silver spoon and an ice pick to notice when the Maxima had its five seconds of airtime on the small screen.

Anyway, now that we’re all brought up to speed, let’s play around with some image sliders. The 2016 Nissan Maxima is on the left. The 2014 Nissan Sport Sedan Concept is on the right. We have the two main exterior views we need, as well as an interior shot.

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Front three-quarter view:

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Rear three-quarter view:

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Interior:

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Now, let’s take a deeper dive and start taking inventory of what changed and what didn’t. Also, warning: I’m likely going to use some concept car PR jargon during all of this. That means using words like “sleek” and “dynamic.” Maybe even “expressive.”

... Yeah. There’s a touch of sick in my mouth right now, too.

What Changed?

The entire front fascia. While the front of the 2016 Maxima looks like it’s been copied from the Sport Sedan Concept, nothing is actually the same between the two. Not even that ridiculous septum piercing that Nissan calls a grille. Everything on the front of the Maxima is more squished versus the Sport Sedan Concept.

Headlights. Think these are the same? Nope. The Sport Sedan Concept’s headlights are more dynamic than the 2016 Maxima’s, with the boomerang lighting elements appearing more upswept and prominent.

Door glass. The concept has frameless door glass for a sleeker, cleaner appearance. The Maxima has framed door glass because we live in the real world where words like “sleek” and “clean” take a back seat to words like “safety” and “inexpensive manufacturing.”

Door mirrors. These always change because a concept car’s door mirrors are only fit for use by mice. I’m surprised concept cars even bother with door mirrors in the first place.

Door handles. The Sport Sedan Concept has electronic door handles that pop out of the bodywork, I’m sure. The 2016 Maxima has parts bin handles probably borrowed from the 2015 Murano crossover.

Lower side sculpting. This one falls in a sort of grey area. While it is largely the same between the two cars, it’s also pretty different. On the Sport Sedan Concept, the lower side sculpting is deeper and more pronounced. On the Maxima, it’s shallower.

Rocker panels. The Sport Sedan Concept has grey trim that flanks the lower half of the car underneath the doors to highlight the body sculpting and take some of the chunk of the the design. This didn’t carry over to the 2016 Maxima, but it really isn’t any worse for not having it.

Decklid and rear fascia. On the Sport Sedan Concept, the decklid has a sculpted spot in its center that frames and highlights the Nissan logo. It’s a rather clever touch. On the Maxima? Gone and replaced with cost-effective flatness. Also, the rear bumpers are different because concept cars and all that.

Taillights. The Sport Sedan Concept has highly sculpted taillights that are about as production friendly as a cobra-filled woven basket coated in lead paint. The Maxima has taillights that recall the concept car’s minus the sculpting.

Wheels and tires. This is a rather confusing change because the Sport Sedan Concept’s wheels look production feasible. Regardless, the 2016 Maxima gets a different design which look, well, pretty average by today’s standards.

About 99.9 percent of the interior. The Sport Sedan Concept is full of translucent plastic and futuristic displays. The 2016 Maxima has none of that.

What Didn’t?

That damned floating roof. This is a new signature Nissan design cue. The first Nissan to feature it was the nifty 2013 IDx Concept. We’re not getting the IDx, though, and I’m told that really sucks. I guess Nissan thinks putting the IDx’s roof on all of its production cars, including the Murano, is an appropriate concession. Sadly, it isn’t. And FYI, the roof doesn’t actually float. It just looks like its held up by magic thanks to some cheap-ass black plastic.

The upper body character lines. No changes here. It still looks like a Nissan GT-R puked all over a Mazda 6.

About 0.01 percent of the interior. Holy Spirit of Saab! I see one thing that didn’t change inside! The starter button is located in the center console! I mean, it’s been moved wayyyy over to the left but WOW! Much concept car. Very advanced. So future.

So, just about everything changed except for a handful of major styling cues. Which is par the course for just about every concept car that’s been approved for road-going duty. Which is what I totally expected. How about you?

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Hi! I’m Blake Noble and I think writing about myself in the third person is awkward. So instead, I’ll just depreciate myself in the first person. I am a writer studying journalism, and I once spent half a year blogging !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I also !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! once that pissed off the entire Chrysler 2.2 fanclub. I drive a Dodge Dart because I was told its really an Alfa Romeo. You can follow me on Twitter !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

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Vicente Esteve > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:21

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I actually like it, but can’t get away from the fact it looks heavy and probably is.

Money Hustard > Vicente Esteve 04/30/2015 at 10:24

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You’d be surprised, the last ones were bigger and only 3500 pounds.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:25

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You know, it’s different, of course, but I have to say the production is faithful to the concept. The similarities are there, and not a whole lot was lost in translation. You can definitely see how much of the inspiration carried over.

Though the exterior did a better job of being faithful than the interior, but I think that’s pretty much par for the course. Concept interiors are always far more flashy than production. I mean, look at the 2009 Chrysler 200 concept interior.

That’s far more radical than you would ever see on any modern car, let alone Chrysler’s volume model. Nissan went with a much more “close-to-production” look. Don’t even get me started on the Mercedes Luxury in Motion concept’s interior.

Money Hustard > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:25

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I’m surprised to find I actually like the production version better.

Except the interior, that concept interior is clean as hell.

Jack Does Cars > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:26

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I actually really like the steering wheel on the new Maxima. I’d probably rate it in my, “Top 5 Steering Wheels,” list that I just made up.

Blake Noble > Vicente Esteve 04/30/2015 at 10:32

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The 2016 Maxima weighs 82 pounds less than the outgoing model, which rang in at 3,579 lbs. in top trim.

So with all the options, the new car only weighs 3,497 lbs. Without any extras, it’s 3,474 lbs. It’s no Miata, but its still not too shabby for a big sedan.

scoob > Money Hustard 04/30/2015 at 10:34

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Love the concept’s steering wheel.

Nibbles > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:36

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Weighs less than my S40 :\

Blake Noble > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 04/30/2015 at 10:36

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The Chrysler 200 concept is still something of a sore spot for me.

So close to having an affordable, small-ish rear-drive sedan that wasn’t a used BMW. Then bankruptcy happened.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:38

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Can you even get a brand-new small RWD American-made sedan anymore, much less an affordable one? They’re all either FWD or AWD I believe.

Blake Noble > Nibbles 04/30/2015 at 10:39

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It actually weighs almost as much as a Dodge Viper. o_O

Blake Noble > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 04/30/2015 at 10:41

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I started to say “Cadillac ATS” on this, but it has a base price of $33,215. Not horrifically expensive, but not cheap either.

So the answer is no I guess.

Jon Freeman > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:42

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Looks like they squashed a new Murano.

James > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:43

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Another car ruined by cheap cheap cheap door glass. NO FRAMES. STOP. Like just fucking put frameless glass. So sick of this utter laziness.

Gavin S. > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 04/30/2015 at 10:44

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Sure. Getcha a Chevy SS with a row you own 6 speed. FTW! I’ll be a collector car in a few short years. http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/here-is-why-no…

Duck > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:44

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Cars have gotten so ugly. I miss the ‘80s. When the ugly cars weren’t so much ugly as just bland.

Blake Noble > James 04/30/2015 at 10:47

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Agreed.

Nissan would’ve had to engineer all four windows to crack when you open and shut the doors to prevent the glass from breaking, though. And as we all know, that would’ve represented an increase of .50 cents a car. You just can’t be having none of that, now.

Duck > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 04/30/2015 at 10:47

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If you are willing to get a not-so-small sedan, you are basically left with the Charger as the cheapest RWD sedan you can get in the states. Even then it isn’t that cheap.

MikeofLA > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 04/30/2015 at 10:48

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Older Cadillac CTS... that’s it.

kvetcha > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:49

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This is about as close a translation from concept to production as I’ve seen recently. Props to Nissan for at least having the balls to follow through.

*eyes Subaru*

Stephen > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:50

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Like most concept cars, the production version is taller, fatter and generally less exciting.

Quasistellar > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:50

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That's actually really impressive.

Car-less Car Guy > Jack Does Cars 04/30/2015 at 10:51

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Nissans have had fantastic gauges lately too. Even on rental-spec Altimas.

James > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:51

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And think about the leaks! Never mind the fact we can add more gaskets. Let’s just focus on the fact that the roof is “floating” on a mismatched piece of black plastic. You can barely even tell!

burglar can't heart click anything > James 04/30/2015 at 10:52

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Frameless is expensive. Since there’s no run channel for the glass, you basically have to have double the window regulator for anything bigger than a Miata window.

MatthewHokie03 > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:54

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Sort of hard to tell from this, but it appears they made the roof and hood lines much higher. I guess they had to account for things like an engine and passengers which they didn’t for the concept.

lamj0590 > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:54

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I loved the concept at the 2014NYIAS. The production model looks like a whale, even if it may be lightweight (relatively)

Davos Swinney > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:54

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I think you’re being entirely too critical of this design, because in terms of concept car styling carrying over into production the Maxima has to be in the 99th percentile. To say the entire front fascia is completely different is completely ludicrous. The proportions are almost the same aside from the production version being stretched slightly along the horizontal axis. Of course things like headlights, concept mirrors, and space-age interiors are going to go away for production, but this thing looks strikingly like its concept car predecessor. If your beef is with the fact that concept car styling rarely carries over into production, I’ll agree with you (see: FR-S, WRX, etc.), but I don’t think this Nissan did a bad job at all keeping the Maxima true to its concept.

Blake Noble > Duck 04/30/2015 at 10:55

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I dunno. There were plenty of ugly cars in the ‘80s.

Take this Nissan for example:

That’s an early ‘80s Pulsar. I spent the very earliest years of my life riding around in one of those. I love ‘em to death, but there’s no denying it’s a pretty as ‘70s Jello salad.

And then there’s this thing:

Now that’s a face only a mother could love.

( I really like the EXP/LN7, though.)

MatthewHokie03 > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:55

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Wow...much less than my S4. Looks very bloated though regardless of the weight...just purely from a visual standpoint.

curbwatching > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:55

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I hope the current design chief at Nissan is gone before they try to remake the Z again. Maybe the CEO, too.

The whole company seems determined to make the world forget about Nissan. I can’t name two cars in their lineup at any given time without straining to think about it, and when I do, it’s with all the interest you’d have in thinking the word “Oldsmobile” in 1998 or so.

The lines on their cars look like rendering mistakes in an old 3D program. As for Nissan themselves, I don’t know who they want to be. The only raison d’être I can think of for the company to exist right now is “we came to work this morning and there were all these people that needed their paychecks.”

I’ll bet this has engine sounds piped through the speakers, doesn’t it? I bet it has a throaty growl that you can adjust the bass on from your iPhone.

Fuck.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:55

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If only it were a RWD. And get rid of that horrible CVT, it could stay auto with paddles but make it RWD and non-CVT

Quasistellar > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:55

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They did a pretty good job overall in my opinion. The car definitely is eye catching. The biggest problem is the humpy front end compared to the concept which slopes downward and looks sleeker overall. I’m guessing that was a pedestrian safety concession? Because the concept front end looks pretty feasible to me.

JayHova > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 10:55

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They are just following in the bullshit-footsteps of Volkswagen, where the normal wagon gets rebranded as ‘Sportwagen’, while the hotter variants are sold elsewhere ->Golf R Variant).

Blake Noble > MatthewHokie03 04/30/2015 at 10:56

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Blame it on the squat glasshouse and the tall doors.

Actually, blame that on safety regs.

Blake Noble > Gavin S. 04/30/2015 at 10:57

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But the SS is a large car...

Money Hustard > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 04/30/2015 at 10:59

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Go drive one. It’s so much better than 90%+ of history’s rear wheel drive sedans with geared transmissions.

I haven’t driven the 16’s yet but the 12-14’s CVT was fantastic, it really was.

Sheriff Of American Douchetown > Vicente Esteve 04/30/2015 at 10:59

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I went to the NY Auto Show and scoped it out. Didn’t get to sit in it, unfortunately. But when I found out it’s a 300bhp front drive sedan (AWD available), my excitement dropped a bit.

Sheriff Of American Douchetown > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:00

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Blame it on the goose

Got you feeling loose

Blame it on Patron

Got you in the zone

Blame it on the a a a a a alcohol

Blame it on the a a a a a a alcohol

VirgilMungo > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:01

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And another stupid gizmo-solution to an engineering problem that would break or cause other problems- thank goodness Japanese manufacturers mostly don’t do that.

kyle242gt > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:01

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Sure wish the hood was higher and more bulbous.

Blake Noble > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 04/30/2015 at 11:01

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If it had a six-speed row your own, that would be a big enough improvement.

Fun fact: I almost bought a sixth-gen 2006 Maxima with a six-speed manual once. For a big, front-wheel drive car, it was fairly entertaining to drive. I’m still sort of sad I didn’t wind up with it.

tobythesandwich > curbwatching 04/30/2015 at 11:03

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Nissan’s doing pretty damn well for themselves. You don’t like them. And they don’t care.

If you have trouble remembering two cars in their lineup, you haven’t been into cars for the last 15+ years. They’ve been using the same nameplates for a while now.

As for engine sounds, it’s not unlikely that it will have a sound piped in from the engine to the cabin (likely not through the speakers). So many cars do it these days. And it isn’t a huge deal whatsoever. Very few cars use the actual speakers outside of BMW and the new Ecoboost F150’s. And it’s Nissan’s VQ. So you know you’ll have a great sound or a bunch of people bitching about it.

Blake Noble > curbwatching 04/30/2015 at 11:04

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I dunno. Nissan has been going through another bland phase the last few years like it did in the late ‘90s. What they’ve been doing lately with the new Murano, and now the new Maxima, reminds me a lot of what they did in the early ‘00s after they debuted the 350Z.

pierce is a b > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:04

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“...swag-nabbing”

Swagnabbit! No need to get personal here. Some of my best friends are swagnabbers

Both the concept and the production version are bloaty mcbargemobiles. No bueno

Blake Noble > Quasistellar 04/30/2015 at 11:05

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It’s different, I’ll give it that.

You’re probably spot on about the front-end.

Blake Noble > JayHova 04/30/2015 at 11:05

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Huh?

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Money Hustard 04/30/2015 at 11:06

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...I have driven CVts in a few different Nissan products and the, I’m not sure how to quantify it sounds it made while trying to “kick down” like a traditional auto would do never seemed to happen unles you got off the throttle and then reapplied acceleration.

CVTS are horrible therfore Nissan will not get any of my money.

Jacque8080 > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 04/30/2015 at 11:07

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This years ATS, next year

Wacko > Duck 04/30/2015 at 11:08

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holy shit, I think you are blind.

80’s where the worst for cars, fashion and music

zetec duratec ECOTEC > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:09

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I think both those cars look fabulous. Does this mean I’m now a proud owner of one pair of ovaries?

TheQuakerOatsGuy > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:10

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Do designers these days have an infatuation with extremely edgy rims? I’ve seen the rims on the Honda Type-R concept and the new Corollas. I really feel like they’re trying to make up for something lacking in the cars themselves instead of somehow complimenting the design.

sschwing > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:10

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Frameless windows...floating roof...reminds me of something...

OH - every Subaru wagon ever until 2010.

Unbearable Pain > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:11

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Now your favorite sorority girl can drive a sports car .

D-Dubya > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:13

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Weighs less than an AWD Ford Fusion

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:14

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The interior of the pre-prioduction models, is truly amazing looking. If the other peices of the puzzle were in place Nissan would gain a customer out of me, but as of now, my money is going to a FoRS

jhar5 > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:14

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The 370Z does have frameless windows that crack open when you pull the door handles, so the technology is there.

JayHova > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:15

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They try to sell the normal stuff as some sort of fake sporty stuff (instead of selling the really good stuff).

yathatsright > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:16

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2003 is the last year the Maxima was relevant, good power and a 6 sp manual.

Vincent Davidson > Gavin S. 04/30/2015 at 11:17

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The SS, if you can even find one, is $45+k. The least expensive I found near me was $40k with 7k miles on it.

Not exactly inexpensive. I’d save the $10k and buy a Charger.

MassHole > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:19

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I wont pretend to have read this whole article so pardon me if something I say doesn’t align. That out of the way though, the new Murano is SWEET! I’ve seen a couple in person now and I just think they look great (As a disclaimer I HATED the first two, they were hideous).

As for the difference between the new Altima Sport Sedan and the Maxima. The Altima is just the Maxima on the South Beach diet. Exactly the same, but thinner, lighter, and less thirsty.

Vincent Davidson > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:21

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Yeah, Nissan completely lost me when they announced no IDx. They were talking about how it was to be affordable (sub $20k), and a rebirth of the 510.

The problem with these small RWDs is in concept form the OEMs circle jerk the consumer about these Vaporware concepts that are to be ‘fun and affordable’ then they either don’t build the damned thing, and/or it ends up $30k by the time it hits dealer lots. FR-S, Chevy Code 130R, i’m looking at you. Why is it do hard for automakers to build an AFFORDABLE RWD car?

Meh, i’ll just buy a used 1 Series or FR-S when my Accord lease is up. Which just answered my own question I suppose.

Schem > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:21

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So, Nissan puts its starter button on the center console and everybody is like “WOW FUTURE?”

That’s quaint. Saab did that on the 99 in 1968...

Yes, I like Jukes > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:22

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What kind of crack are you smoking? Nissan has the most “out-there” designs out of any of the major manufacturers. The new Murano and Maxima look very modern. The Juke is extremely quirky and fun looking. The new GT-R looks better than it did. They still need to do a big refresh on the 370z. The Titan may look like every other truck, but it damn sure has the best drivetrain out of any of them.

None of nissans current lineup are “bland”. They all stick out. You notice them all immediately. Cant say the same of anything by honda, toyota, VW, Ford, Chevy, etc...

Money Hustard > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 04/30/2015 at 11:22

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If you haven’t driven the Maxima’s you really don’t know what you are talking about. It’s programmed completely differently, and backed up by 290bhp, it’s a thoroughly decent setup. I know what you mean about most CVTs, they are setup to be sleep aids. They don’t have to be though, and the Maxima’s is a really good example.

The flipside of that is you get none of the CVT’s potential fuel savings, I average roughly 15 mpg in my ‘12 Maxima. I have a reasonable amount of fun doing it. Granted, I’m too tall to fit in most cars, but this one has made me pretty happy.

Doug Nash > Gavin S. 04/30/2015 at 11:23

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The SS is a big heavy car, which eats up most of whatever power that dated engine can deliver. And don’t even start with “collector car”. It’ll depreciate just as horribly as all GM cars. In fact, if it has any unique Ausie parts (like the G8 did) then it’ll be even worse, because those things are hard, or even impossible to get.

CleverBS > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:23

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They appeared to keep the general idea of the concept into production form, while making it a bit taller and more “standard” because this is a mass market $30k car. If they had another $5-10k to play with, I’m sure they could have gotten more of the concept into the production car.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Money Hustard 04/30/2015 at 11:25

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I sold three of them when I was in the car business briefly in 2013. They sold well, but they are just not for me, too bad because I really like the new design. Instead of buying one of these next year, I will be going with this instead.

Doug Nash > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:25

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You don’t need that shit, by any margin. The previous generation WRX had frame-less windows, and they simply used expanding molding which simply released the air when the doors shut. Not elegant, but 100% effective, and cheap-cheap-cheap.

Blake Noble > zetec duratec ECOTEC 04/30/2015 at 11:27

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Nope.

schwartz > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 04/30/2015 at 11:27

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Waiting to hear the price to see if I want one or a Cayman S.

fintail > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:28

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The faux floating C-pillar can’t die fast enough.

The bucktooth corporate grille can’t die fast enough.

Most Nissan commercials can’t go away fast enough.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > schwartz 04/30/2015 at 11:29

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...you think the FoRS is going to be Cayman S money?

YoeMeyeR > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:29

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The actual car looks better than the concept, not that I’m buying one.. just saying.

Blake Noble > yathatsright 04/30/2015 at 11:29

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I like the quirkiness of the 2004 to 2006 sixth-generation Maximas, too.

Blake Noble > CleverBS 04/30/2015 at 11:30

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Interesting point.

Nobi > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:30

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Is this thing AWD ready? It’s freaking tall.

Blake Noble > MatthewHokie03 04/30/2015 at 11:31

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Nope. Just pedestrian safety regs.

Blake Noble > pierce is a b 04/30/2015 at 11:32

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T’was a joke, sir.

Snooder87 > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:32

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But with incentives and discounts...

Duck > Wacko 04/30/2015 at 11:34

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That car is just bland and boring that makes it ugly. Like the designers weren’t trying.

Have a look at these. Sure a bit bland and boring, but far better than the current over-styled ugly ass Maxima.

And here are even the “ugly” cars of the ‘80s.

It’s simply killing you with boring-ness and slightly awkward proportions. Not causing you to have a seizure of “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?!?!”

This just makes you say “ewwww” as you forget about it seconds later and it almost blends in with every other car on the road.

Ok... there is no defending this one.

Corinthian Leatherface > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:34

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Nissan’s New Maxima customer demographic eagerly awaits the new model!

speedoption > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:34

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stealing at the idea of bmw grand coupe confusion

Money Hustard > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 04/30/2015 at 11:35

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Yeah I’m not going to fit in the new ones because of the bizarrely huge center console they put in the new ones.

If I was smaller, I’m not saying I wouldn’t be in an M3 or something like that, however I’ve been shocked by how much I’ve come to enjoy the car. Drove a ‘13 BMW 750 for two weeks recently while the owner was out of town and was actually really happy to get back to Maxima. It’s light and simple.

I just shopped the GTI and the Focus ST (passing on both, I only fit in the 2-door GTI surprisingly enough) but I really enjoyed both cars. The ST was especially a hoot, but weirdly disconcerting when driven in anger. I could never identify the car’s handling limits accurately.

ghost650 > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:36

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The tone of this article is really weird.... everything always changes from concept to production. Designers have much more freedom with concepts because they don’t have to account for, you know, manufacturing and cost.

To be honest, this Maxima is a hell of a lot closer to that concept than most anything I’ve seen recently.

oldirtybootz > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:38

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You lost me when you started hating on Cat in the Cradle. That’s a good song and that commercial was damn touching.

satalac > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:38

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Been seeing quite a few of these on the road ( work a couple of miles from the Nissan plant) and I do like the way they look in person. Better than what they have been lately.

acevedo12 > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:41

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Off Topic, but this being the first time i’ve noticed your bio, what made you choose a dart? I’ve been looking into entry level daily drivers and I just passed it over, because chrysler. Any real reasons to pick it over a Fit?

ScaldedApe > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:43

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It doesn’t actually look half bad. But is the drive train any better than say, a Ford Fusion?

kyleshootscars, Eurotrash Tragic > Doug Nash 04/30/2015 at 11:45

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Also loud loud loud while driving.

Brian > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:49

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The center console looks much more boring, but is clearly better. Because physical buttons are better. And safer.

reidlos > Doug Nash 04/30/2015 at 11:53

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Exactly. It doesn’t have to crack a hair when you open it, they’ve just decided to do it, granted it doesn’t seal as well over time I’m sure.

Doug Nash > kyleshootscars, Eurotrash Tragic 04/30/2015 at 11:57

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That actually has little to nothing to do with the window surround. It has everything to do with the fact that the WRX lacks sound-proofing in almost any way, anywhere else in the body...

Rejectamenta > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 11:57

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Just give us the IDX already...

bratkitty > Money Hustard 04/30/2015 at 11:58

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The flipside of that is you get none of the CVT’s potential fuel savings, I average roughly 15 mpg in my ‘12 Maxima. I have a reasonable amount of fun doing it. Granted, I’m too tall to fit in most cars, but this one has made me pretty happy.

LOL that’s worse than my STI! :) I don’t know how tall you are, but I have way more unused headroom in my STI than I did in my ’97 Maxima.

Blake Noble > oldirtybootz 04/30/2015 at 12:02

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Eh. I’ve never been a Harry Chapin fan.

I was even less of a fan when I discovered I’ve went through most of my life believing he was Cat Stevens. And I’ve also never been a Cat Stevens fan.

Money Hustard > bratkitty 04/30/2015 at 12:02

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It’s actually almost always a legroom issue for me. An STI is definitely on my “wish I could fit in that” list. Being 6’7” 350 lbs was great for playing football but terrible for driving things.

Maxaxle > Sheriff Of American Douchetown 04/30/2015 at 12:12

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I hate the fact that I even know what song you’re talking about.

SaucyF > Blake Noble 04/30/2015 at 12:13

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So whats the point of this article? The concept doesnt look like the production model? Or that you dont like the car? Earth shattering journalism here folks.

bratkitty > Money Hustard 04/30/2015 at 12:15

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Oh wow, I now understand.