2k3 Max v. 2k7 G35S - long
01-04-2007, 06:15 PM
#1
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2k3 Max v. 2k7 G35S - long
Since for a short time I own both, and drove the Max today, thought it might be interesting to compare the two. Note that I'm doing this FYI for anyone interested, not to start a flame war - if you don't like threads like this, don't read it and everyone will stay happy.
Now, obviously this isn't a fair comparison, not only by category and age of car, but also because my Max didn't have many options and the G does - but, you might be pleasantly surprised at some of the results.
2k3 Max SE AT
63k miles, leather, sunroof, advanced timing, Hawk pads, RSB, FSTB, Pilot A/S
2k7 G35S AT (paddles)
1.7k miles, Sport, premium package
Acceleration:
This one is kinda interesting; at low-end the Max actually feels faster. My butt dyno could be way off, but it feels like the 5.5 gen 3.5 puts out a lot more torque at lower rpm than the G. There's more of a feeling of acceleration from idle to about 4k; which is surprising given the peak numbers. The G gets its peak a lot higher, and once you get past 5k it really starts to pull all the way to redline (7.6k). There seems to be a much narrower powerband (don't get me wrong, it's fast...). So, if you ever race one, dot it from a slow roll up to about 50, and possibly give them a nasty surprise.
It IS nice to lose the torque steer, launching is almost boring 
Handling:
Well...unsurprisingly the G wins big here. It feels much more firm, tight, and flat in corners. Even with the FSTB and RSB, the Max feels bigger and softer (again, diff categories of cars); and has much more steering assist at speed. It's REALLY easy to kick the back end out on the G, took a few country drives to remember how to drive RWD at speed; the stability control works pretty well, but it's more fun with it off. And the G brakes never, ever fade.
Interior:
Very different. I have the sport with bolstered seats, so they're more firm and hold you more snug. The steering wheel is smaller, and the gauges are one of the things that sold me on the car. Controls and amenities are from my perspective similar (I actually sorta prefer the steering wheel controls on the Max); the Max had all the stuff I wanted, power seats/windows/sunroof, homelink, auto lights, etc. There's definitely more room in the Max for four adults to ride comfortably - and it sucks that the G trunk is small and the rear seats don't fold down - can't put my bikes in the trunk any more.
There's more of an open, airy feel in the Max, with lots of windows and more cabin space - G is much more snug (these differences aren't good or bad, just different).
I'm not much of an audiophile, so don't necessarily trust these comments. But I didn't get the Bose on the Max because it actually didn't sound as good as the base stereo (bass didn't sound good to me). The Bose studio on wheels in the G sounds great - others have complained about lack of bass there too, but I listen to a lot of hip hop and rap, and it sounds good to me.
Storage space is very limited in the G, center console has room for an iPod and a wallet, that's about it. Glove box is small too.
Exterior:
This is completely subjective, so won't go there.
Summary:
Driving the Max today was fun. And this is more of a compliment than you might think, usually when I get a new toy the old one no longer exists In driving it, you realize that a) it's faster than the vast majority of other cars, b) the torquey engine is tons of fun to drive, and c) it's a good looking ride. And mine ran like a watch, just like the first Max did.
Peace
Now, obviously this isn't a fair comparison, not only by category and age of car, but also because my Max didn't have many options and the G does - but, you might be pleasantly surprised at some of the results.
2k3 Max SE AT
63k miles, leather, sunroof, advanced timing, Hawk pads, RSB, FSTB, Pilot A/S
2k7 G35S AT (paddles)
1.7k miles, Sport, premium package
Acceleration:
This one is kinda interesting; at low-end the Max actually feels faster. My butt dyno could be way off, but it feels like the 5.5 gen 3.5 puts out a lot more torque at lower rpm than the G. There's more of a feeling of acceleration from idle to about 4k; which is surprising given the peak numbers. The G gets its peak a lot higher, and once you get past 5k it really starts to pull all the way to redline (7.6k). There seems to be a much narrower powerband (don't get me wrong, it's fast...). So, if you ever race one, dot it from a slow roll up to about 50, and possibly give them a nasty surprise.
It IS nice to lose the torque steer, launching is almost boring Handling:
Well...unsurprisingly the G wins big here. It feels much more firm, tight, and flat in corners. Even with the FSTB and RSB, the Max feels bigger and softer (again, diff categories of cars); and has much more steering assist at speed. It's REALLY easy to kick the back end out on the G, took a few country drives to remember how to drive RWD at speed; the stability control works pretty well, but it's more fun with it off. And the G brakes never, ever fade.
Interior:
Very different. I have the sport with bolstered seats, so they're more firm and hold you more snug. The steering wheel is smaller, and the gauges are one of the things that sold me on the car. Controls and amenities are from my perspective similar (I actually sorta prefer the steering wheel controls on the Max); the Max had all the stuff I wanted, power seats/windows/sunroof, homelink, auto lights, etc. There's definitely more room in the Max for four adults to ride comfortably - and it sucks that the G trunk is small and the rear seats don't fold down - can't put my bikes in the trunk any more.
There's more of an open, airy feel in the Max, with lots of windows and more cabin space - G is much more snug (these differences aren't good or bad, just different).
I'm not much of an audiophile, so don't necessarily trust these comments. But I didn't get the Bose on the Max because it actually didn't sound as good as the base stereo (bass didn't sound good to me). The Bose studio on wheels in the G sounds great - others have complained about lack of bass there too, but I listen to a lot of hip hop and rap, and it sounds good to me.
Storage space is very limited in the G, center console has room for an iPod and a wallet, that's about it. Glove box is small too.
Exterior:
This is completely subjective, so won't go there.
Summary:
Driving the Max today was fun. And this is more of a compliment than you might think, usually when I get a new toy the old one no longer exists
In driving it, you realize that a) it's faster than the vast majority of other cars, b) the torquey engine is tons of fun to drive, and c) it's a good looking ride. And mine ran like a watch, just like the first Max did.Peace
01-05-2007, 05:26 AM
#4
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Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,042
Originally Posted by crispykid717
What color G did you get? The G35S with A/T has the paddle shifters right? That's what I would get. Nice choice.
01-05-2007, 07:07 AM
#5
I think this thread is fine here in the 5G forum.
Without other details, I think the difference in butt dyno of the power band may be partially because of the G weighing about 400 lbs more than the Max and the G having a single stage IM w/o the VI vs the dual stage IM of the Max w/ VI. Just speculating of course, we'd have to see 2 dynos on one chart to see the differences in the area under the curves. IIRC, the Z/Gs have different VTCs to make up for the single stage IM (and other things), but I'm not sure how much of it you'd feel either way. Then there's the gearing of the 4AT vs the 5AT, which may cause things to FEEL different. Of course, I'm just speculating, with no caffeine in my system either.
Without other details, I think the difference in butt dyno of the power band may be partially because of the G weighing about 400 lbs more than the Max and the G having a single stage IM w/o the VI vs the dual stage IM of the Max w/ VI. Just speculating of course, we'd have to see 2 dynos on one chart to see the differences in the area under the curves. IIRC, the Z/Gs have different VTCs to make up for the single stage IM (and other things), but I'm not sure how much of it you'd feel either way. Then there's the gearing of the 4AT vs the 5AT, which may cause things to FEEL different. Of course, I'm just speculating, with no caffeine in my system either.
01-05-2007, 07:17 AM
#6
Originally Posted by Puppetmaster
Without other details, I think the difference in butt dyno of the power band may be partially because of the G weighing about 400 lbs more than the Max and the G having a single stage IM w/o the VI vs the dual stage IM of the Max w/ VI. Just speculating of course, we'd have to see 2 dynos on one chart to see the differences in the area under the curves. IIRC, the Z/Gs have different VTCs to make up for the single stage IM (and other things), but I'm not sure how much of it you'd feel either way. Then there's the gearing of the 4AT vs the 5AT, which may cause things to FEEL different. Of course, I'm just speculating, with no caffeine in my system either.
But past RWD VQ35 dynos, (Not VQHR's though...obviously 
) Have shown a lack of Tq comapred to A33B's/A34's even with the enhanced VTC's.And, judging from all the engine specs etc, the HR is VERY high RPM oriented, so therefore, all in all, the low end will most likely suffer, but I will quote this for truth.
Originally Posted by Puppetmaster
Of course, I'm just speculating, with no caffeine in my system either.
01-05-2007, 08:10 AM
#10
Congrats on the new G! They are beautiful cars and a blast to drive! I test drove one a few weeks back and was blown away with the power...accidentally roasted the tires going around a corner. 
01-05-2007, 08:21 AM
#12
Originally Posted by Puppetmaster
I'll believe it when I see a dyno.
IBanotherNissanoverstatedHPnumbersagainthread
IBanotherNissanoverstatedHPnumbersagainthread
This one will surprise, don't forget these are the NEW SAE ratings. Wait till people start tuning because I believe these are undertuned for future models.
01-06-2007, 12:29 AM
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 964
I actually miss my 2002 Maxima my G35 handles a lot better than my Maxima did and I was amazed by how much better it feels to drive a car with a turning radius less than 40ft. Overall the G35 is an upgrade over the Maxima but the 5.5 Gen Maximas were the best combo in the current 6th gens of Maximas out there. I may pick one up used as a spare someday.
01-12-2007, 07:33 PM
#16
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Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,042
Originally Posted by Puppetmaster
I think this thread is fine here in the 5G forum.
Without other details, I think the difference in butt dyno of the power band may be partially because of the G weighing about 400 lbs more than the Max and the G having a single stage IM w/o the VI vs the dual stage IM of the Max w/ VI. Just speculating of course, we'd have to see 2 dynos on one chart to see the differences in the area under the curves. IIRC, the Z/Gs have different VTCs to make up for the single stage IM (and other things), but I'm not sure how much of it you'd feel either way. Then there's the gearing of the 4AT vs the 5AT, which may cause things to FEEL different. Of course, I'm just speculating, with no caffeine in my system either.
Without other details, I think the difference in butt dyno of the power band may be partially because of the G weighing about 400 lbs more than the Max and the G having a single stage IM w/o the VI vs the dual stage IM of the Max w/ VI. Just speculating of course, we'd have to see 2 dynos on one chart to see the differences in the area under the curves. IIRC, the Z/Gs have different VTCs to make up for the single stage IM (and other things), but I'm not sure how much of it you'd feel either way. Then there's the gearing of the 4AT vs the 5AT, which may cause things to FEEL different. Of course, I'm just speculating, with no caffeine in my system either.
http://g35driver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134266
01-13-2007, 11:18 AM
#18
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,042
Originally Posted by 2002 Maxima SE
Do you have some pics? This is the same color I want to get. Thanks!
http://g35driver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124304
01-13-2007, 12:58 PM
#20
Originally Posted by NmexMAX
Maxima.com? Or Maxima.org
I would still like to see postings.
Post in the other cars section
I would still like to see postings.
Post in the other cars section
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