Gojirra99

From Edmunds :

Our latest spy photos reveal the upcoming 2007 Nissan Maxima, a long-time stalwart in the company's North American lineup. For the next incarnation of this vehicle, Nissan will be positioning the Maxima to compete more directly with the likes of the Toyota Avalon and Chrysler 300C.

Traditionally, Nissan has positioned the Maxima as a sportier competitor in the large sedan segment. The recent Touring edition of the Avalon, with an equivalent engine to the Maxima, has robbed Nissan's premier sedan of quite a bit of its glory, though — a situation Nissan is looking to rectify with the 2007 model year Maxima.

While little is likely to change in terms of the Maxima's engine, the car will receive a considerable makeover that is bound to enhance both its interior and exterior appearance. The 2007 Maxima will retain its FF-L front-drive platform, although the facelift already evident in these photos should give the car a more mainstream appeal as well as further distinguish it from the midsize Altima.

In addition to the intended sheet metal changes, Nissan will also rebuild the Maxima's cabin from the ground up, bringing this vehicle up to true flagship status within the company's lineup. Higher-quality interior materials will likely be joined by more advanced electronics, including a greater use of telematics.

Nissan will continue to build the Maxima in Smyrna, Tennessee, and the company might even bring out a hybrid version of the vehicle sometime around 2009 as a companion to the already-planned Altima hybrid.

Look for the 2007 Nissan Maxima in the fall of 2006.

jrock65

Not much of a change, other than that the ugly bucktooth will be gone.

picus

I like it, but then again I like the Infiniti M series, which the Maxima is looking more and more like every time I see it.

mmarshall

Looks to me like a bowl turned upside down.

They sure didn't do anything for the exterior......let's hope that ( as Nissan has promised ) the interior shows some improvements.

mkorsu

I agree, I don't see any drastic changes. After the last gen, the exterior styling went downhill.

GFerg

What a ugly car the Maxima has became. This mild facelift really doesnt help much at all. The front bumper has a Altima SE-R look to it though.

This car needs all the help it can get on the interior. That is a pure garbage interior. Never liked it.

They also need to find a way to control all that torque steer. Maybe an AWD option. The Altima, Maxima, and G35 overlap like crazy. They need more to differenciate the three models.

flipside909

At least it gained some real looking foglights for a change. Not those sideways fish eye looking faux fogs. Still not my cup of tea.

Koma

iTrader: (3)

Subtle but better. Still would get the Avalon over it though.

SoCalSC4

The best Nissan can hope for with a revision to the current car is to make it "less unattractive.". The grille and bumpers are a little different... probably not sisgnificant enough to improve sales. Hopefully they did a more significant remodel of the interior - Nissan interiors are still weakcompared with the competition.

How anyone can say that the new GS looks like a Maxima is utterly beyond me.

And the new Avalon is WAY cooler than the Maxi.

Stage3

iTrader: (3)

Just make it a RWD already! Im not diggin on that Sky View roof either! Other than that... Why mess with perfection (or something close to it)!

tzu911

That guy didn't know how to drive

GFerg

Those were cornering lights, the foglights were next to the low beams in the headlight housing.

But I understnad what you mean, I hated those things too.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

umm.... looks too close to the M?

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

Same car. What are they doing at Nissan Engineering.

aliti19

I've owned 3 Maximas & i loved them all to pieces. My latest one was an '02 blk/blk loaded 6-speed.
There was VERY LITTLE, if any, torque steer with the HLSD.
Ever since the 6th gen (04+ made in the US), it hasn't been the same.
This was the best one ever made IMO. I traded this baby in for my GS in August.