slater

video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfunVAYjoZU

pics:

lightonthehill

I don't know what the sensor readings will be, but in just looking at the tests, the '09 seems to be doing rather well. The front crumple zone worked beautifully, and the side impact is clearly better than the 6th gen (which was very average in that area). The bags seemed to deploy correctly, also. It looked as if the front doors might still be operable after that severe front impact.

I am relieved. These tests were not a particularly strong point for the 6th gen.

Thanks, slater.

Chio

the front impact is pretty incredable!!

gizzsdad

5 stars across the board!

http://www.safercar.gov/portal/site/...002fd17898RCRD

drakutis

That's good to know!!! GO NISSAN!!!

bellorusha

This video is better

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLXNIzcDKyU

lightonthehill

I really do like the slo-mo shots, which give my slow brain time to take everything in.

NLens

amazing to see the shock absorption and the distribution to the rear of the car. wild.

09lee

OUCH!!!

Colnajoe

Both videos this thread made reference to have been removed from youtube, any others out there?

djdavebse

here you go

09-10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKzfcyk1OCc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CRGP...eature=related

WhitefrostMax

GOD DAM i'll take those 19inch rims THANK YOUU

djdavebse

and that was a 35mph frontal impact thats alot of damage

lightonthehill

That's how the car was designed. Far better that the car properly crumple than that the driver have to do the crumpling.

Folks once thought the less damage to a car in a crash, the better for the occupants. That turned out to be a fatal fallacy. When a car crashes, something HAS to give. Either the car lives and the passenger dies, or the car dies and the passenger lives. I much prefer the latter.

atlanta10

This is impressive-a guy at work got hit head on at 40 mph in his Max and walked away with just minor injury from a crash. These cars are very safe

Ohio Maxima

I do feel a little safer after watching the video!

TBA

Can't watch the video yet, but in that first pic the front end crumples like a pop can! Of course it's designed too. Kind of wonder how much energy is absorbed by the hood crumpling - is pretty thin aluminum.

bk2k3max

I can very well testify to this car's crash worthiness; an F150 hit my car at about 45-50mph on the passenger side front door, sure it did damage knocking the car so hard that it broke my tie rod and knocked the mirror through the window but needless to say that F-150 had to be towed away and I'm still driving my car 50, 000 miles later with no problems.

Thank God for giving us (man) ingenuity.

djdavebse

wow thats amazing. any pictures?.

lightonthehill

Aluminum hoods absorb limited energy when crumpling, but federal safety guidelines require that the hood crumple in a frontal collision. Of course the guidelines were written in the days of steel hoods, when accidents sometimes pushed the hood through the windshield, with disastrous results.

Schneid

One part of me wants too cry for destroying such a beautiful car and the other part of me wants to say thank God I bought such a safe car.

bk2k3max

Even better, kinda dark because it was night time.

Here ya go: http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...CrashedMax.mp4

http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...CrashedMax.mp4

either one or both of them work

djdavebse

its not so bad just your door it looks like and the fender but idk what damages are under the fender

i still cant honestly believe that F-150 had to be towed away lol i thought those trucks are strong

bk2k3max

It wasn't as bad as it looked though, the airbags didn't deploy but the tierod was broken and there were none in stock at that time because I bought my 09 in Aug 08 and they were still relatively new so I had to wait from Nov 2 weeks before Thanksgiving to January to get the part but true story the F-150 did have to get towed away.

Nobody was hurt on either side though, thank God for that.

lightonthehill

Yep. Saves weight. Just one of hundreds of little things car manufacturers do to improve fuel efficiency, which is now the Holy Grail.

Another example: Development of the CVT languished until fuel efficiency began to be very important for the industry. Now most car makers either have, or will have vehicles with CVT trannies, because, once the CVT is refined and perfected, it will have both better fuel efficiency and better accelleration than shifting trannies.

To meet 2015 government fleet fuel efficiency requirements, car manufacturers will be changing a larger portion of their production to either hybrids and/or electric and/or diesel vehicles. I still have my fingers crossed for a diesel Maxima with the release of the 8th gen Maxima in spring of 2013 as the 2014 model, or spring of 2014 as the 2015 model.

barecats

I can atest that the Maxima is safe when hit. I pulled out in front of a car and was hit at 55 MPH, and I was fine and the car only had about $7000 worth of damage. But I do have a concern, I have almost had an accident 4 times since I bought it. It is probably my driving, I seem to not be able to see to the right and the left due to the wider windshield posts. Has anyone else had this issue?

funnyman82

I have noticed this as well.. Especially when the seat is far back, it is difficult to see pedestrians crossing when making a left..

GM_Traitor3.5VQ

The A-pillars are pretty thick, but this is due to the stiffness of the chassis plus the side curtain airbags. Lots of new cars have A-pillars just as thick as ours!

lightonthehill

That is exactly the problem. Twice I have come close to pulling out in front of oncoming traffic that was mostly obscured by my A pillar. I was stopped both times by my wife's scream as she threw her feet against the windshield, bracing for a collision.

I now drive more defensively in this car, leaning my head forward and backward and double-checking before even considering pulling out from anywhere.

The C pillars are also wide, and if I didn't have a backup camera (I use it every time I am in the car), I would be hesitant to back up. Even with outside mirrors in optimum position, I am very careful when changing lanes, as the C pillars create a large 'danger zone' to the rear sides.

GM_Traitor3.5VQ

Especially in city driving, really gotta pay attention at crosswalks for pedestrians. Almost clipped a few the first months I had this car. The c-pillars are wide, but not nearly as bad as say... the G coupe or new camaros.

jgoon1

video doesnt work ..