Test drive Nissan Maxima 2004 sedan

Available classic of the genre

The first Nissan Maxima QX made his debut back in 1994. In 2000, a second-generation model was presented at a car dealership in Geneva, and in 2005 it went on facilifting to extend her life. And now the updated version of Maxinm QX has reached Russia.


The shape of the false radiator lattice has changed a bit, new wheels appeared, decreased to the normal size of the company's emblem on the trunk cover ... There are also several not very noticeable updates inside. For example, a cup holder mounted in a central console under a passenger duct. A more significant option is memory to the position of the driver's seat.


In Russia, the car has long become an unchanged attribute of the traffic flow. It seems to him that he will never leave the stage. So it will be updated and purchased for envy of young competitors. But is it not time for the veteran to retire?


Stylistically, second -generation QX is very similar to the very first car from the nineties. If you do not look closely at the doorways, the joints of bumper and wings, it may seem that the Japanese cheated, presenting the well -shoveled version of the first -generation machine in 2000. However, it is not. The public was really shown a new car. The wheelbase increased by 50 mm, 10 mm width, and the length is already by 150. Be that as it may, but today the second generation QX looks slightly old -fashioned.


The car is solid, not a beauty, of course, but also a miraculous surviving mammoth of an auto industry cannot be called it. However, to be attentive, the echoes of the old school of design are found. For example, body proportions. 17-inch discs are striking that the wheels are larger. This is due to the fact that the arches are small, the area of \u200b\u200bglazing is large, and the waist line is relatively low. Look, on a different modern hatchback of a golf-class wheel of the same size, sometimes do not look large enough ...


The cabin also has a full greetings from the end of the 90s. The streamlines of the front panel, soft imposing seats, an automatic transmission selector, which has a Winter mode rare for modern adaptive machines and does not allow to switch the steps independently. And not all decoration materials withstand criticism. The front panel plastic is good to the touch and noble in appearance, however, the chairs shares a tunnel of rough plastic, and I want to slide the wood inserts with a knife and throw it off the window of their cheap plastic nature. But the back is spacious, and the overview of the magnificent many modern sedans with a sports silhouette cannot offer such a thing.


The turning of the key wakes up a tested three -liter six with a capacity of exactly 200 forces. The motor works quietly, there is no vibration and extraneous noise in the cabin. Anyway, the voice of the power unit staged at high speeds, he gives out a noble baritone, confidently dispersing the car. On the move, you first note a decent sound insulation of the salon inside only rare noises, and the voice of the motor, repeat, is well heard at high speeds. But the stove blows noisily and fun. Well, God with her, with a stove, is much more important that, having far from the most powerful motor in the class, Maxima is quite a dynamic car.


The engine is confidently pulling from the bottom, very vigorous and responsive to the top. Managing traction is pleasant and convenient. The chassis goes well with the power unit. Maxima is an example of a harmonious means of transportation, where the main emphasis is on it, movement, comfort. Relatively high -profile tires swallow small joints, chips of the roadway and pebbles, and energy -intensive shock absorbers readily deal with troubles more serious. The straight car holds confidently, without annoying the driver with trajectory screening even on a bad road, but in corners it is better not to be a massiveness of the car and a big moment of inertia. However, this does not mean that it is impossible to go quickly on Maxima. It is possible, but a slightly more concentration is required than on modern business class sedans. It is much more pleasant to rolled in the stream, occasionally fifting the accelerator pedal: when there is an opportunity to accelerate. But let's nevertheless, as they say, we will dump into a turn. How will it be? The expected insufficient rotation immediately makes itself felt, the rolls are also quite clear. No, this car is not for racing. But what attracts attention, is not too clear the operation of the machine gun. The programs switch with delays, while the body often shudders modern analogues work an order of magnitude cleaner. There were no complaints to the brakes throughout the test, they honestly fulfill their task.


Now it is clear why the Japanese are in no hurry to remove this model from the conveyor. By the way, we are content with the QX version, while the new generation Maxima has been sold in America for a long time. The thing is that, in terms of consumer characteristics, the car looks very attractive. And first of all, the issue is solved by a low price for which you can get a large leather interior, a powerful motor, a machine gun and air conditioning. In Russia, a similar car will be in demand for a very long time. Only now will they be kept in production specifically for us?

 

Nikolai Ilyin

 

A source: Motor magazine [September 2005]