My buddy came over to wash cars today and we got in the whose car is better debate. We line them up and took pics. Will somebody host so we can have an unbiased comparison so he sees how wrong he is. Thanks, just pm me and I'll send them over. Thanks in advance.

 

Are you going to tell us what car he has or do we need to wait for the pics. Oh and since I never get to use this :P :P



:P

 

Here they are. The guy he was arguing with was quite the dumbass. :P

 

I agree, but he still picks his car, hands down. What can I say. Pics are broken links

 

Pics work for me.

 

That generation of Maximas are still very nice

Not quite TL material but I would still drive one.

 

Nice pictures. I liked the generation of Maximas previous to the pictured one (two gens prior to the current one). The wheels on this Max are pretty nice, though.

 

I would drive one if I had to, but I wouldn't willingly pick one. I'm planning on upgrading from my TL eventually. Maybe an M3 or S4 after college.

 

How can anyone compare a luxury brand like Acura to a pedestrian brand like Nissan? You New Englander's are very confused.

BJ

 

Fully agreed - and on what criteria are you guys basing your "competition" on?

 

Competition is on the performance and space but not the brand. I like the new Maxima but would never pick over 04 TL.

 

he like speed a lot, always the first think he talks about. The criteria were simple. Those 2 cars are sitting outside. You can grab the keys to either one and it becomes yours, which do you pick. I picked my TL clearly as I had the choice. TL was not out when he bought his, but he still picked the Maxima over the TL without issue. I just don't get it.

 

If his is 6-speed, he will walk you. If he is auto, driver's race. I would still pick yours over his.

 

The maxima is not in the TL's class and those pictures show it. Maxima should be compared to the honda accord...and I would still take the accord over the maxima also. You should post interior pictures too....lol. Max has a ghey interior.. The only car for the money that is in the TL's class is the G35 sedan..(the 05) --
Nissan cars do nothing for me...except the g35 coupe. They do make the best car commercials though....by far. As far as pure speed...hell even if the maxima was 3 tenths of a second faster..who cares? If you are going by pure speed the WRX would smoke both these cars. Thats another ugly POS I would never want to drive around in either. TL is a work of art lookswise. I have the same color as you and I love it.

 

I agree that the TL looks better than the Maxima, but c'mon guys, show some measure of objectivity. The Maxima is directly comparable to the TL. Feature-wise, price-wise, performance wise, platform wise. They could be cousins, they're so close. And SilverJ, the Altima is the Accord's direct comparison, not the Maxima.

Also, it's not entirely fair to compare the last generation Maxima to the latest generation TL. If you want to be fair, compare the current to the current (though I still think the TL looks better).

Sheesh guys, don't fall so in love with a brand name that your thoughts become clouded. You own a TL, be happy with it. But that doesn't mean you're married to Acura for life.

 

Also, the wheels on his Maxima look really good...

 

I bet he does not have EL-42's on that Maxima, a bit +++ for him

 

Let me go another step by saying that the criteria of taking the keys to either car included both vehicles "as is" with price being taken out of the equation. Take the keys to either car right now as they are equipped and we still each picked our respective car.

Maxima is the Titanium Edition, however is cloth interior, no nav
TL includes nav

 

Sigh. IMO, the 5th gen Max is the best Max ever. The interior is quite awesome since the I35 is based on it. The Maxima has been V-6 only for maybe 20 years, it's always been 1 small step over the Camry and Accord. The funny thing is b/c of the IRL it has, it has never been close to winning any comparison and fared quite poorly in them.
I think they both look good, I prefer the Max front, the TL rear looks much better and the sides are a toss-up.

But to the thread starter, arguing LOOKS is pretty silly. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, no?

 

I love the inset on his Maxi rims... very nice. That's one of the very few colors that gen. maxima looked good in b/c it made those rear tails look less hideous.

Agreed .. if his is a 6-spd.. it's a helluva lot more fun than your auto TL. If it's an automatic, it still uses that 3.5L torque very well -- it's a solid engine, and very fun. I own both cars, they have their pro's and con's.

 

I actually said when we lined the cars up that I like the Maxima front better, but the TL's rear was superior.

Both cars are automatic

The Maxima was quite fast and handled the low end better (not getting into torque steer). He did give the privelage to drive his baby.

 

This is a dumb thread. Let's compare a luxury car to a budget car. Let's compare a luxury brand to a pedestrian brand. Let's compare a Rolex to a Timex because, after all, they're both watches and both do a great job of telling time.

Sheesh.

BJ

 

That's simply not true. The Max is a pretty fast sedan and might "feel" faster than the TL due to it having more torque. The TL is 2-3 tenths of a second quicker than the Max to 60mph and nearly identical through the 1/4 mile.

Check out www.car-stats.com. They have times for both the new 2004 Maxima SE as well as 2002 (and prior year) Maximas.

 

car-stats isn't accurate all the time. I'm basing this on real world numbers from both forums. Many have gotten 14.2 with the 6-speed Max. The autos run around 14.6. I believe these times are very similar to the TL. I have yet to see a TL run under 14.2 My original assertion was that a 6-speed Max would walk his TL. That is probably true (since his is auto). If the Max was an auto, again drivers race. BTW, not much difference between the G35 series and the FWD VQs. The G35 might be a tenth or two faster (but better in the top end).

 

This is no contest. It's great to be happy with whatever car you drive but the TL is so far out of the Maxima's league it's laughable. In my opinion the Maxima looks horrible and next to the TL is a clean sweep for the TL at every angle.

 

Both cars are beautiful. It's easy to see that their owners love and take good care of them. They are both excellent Japanese designed, and, in the Maxima's case, Japanese built. They both have superb engines. I prefer the VQ35 slightly.

The style of the TL is more au currant than the conservative Max. The TL is more luxurious and has more features by a long shot.

I would take the TL. But I really like the Max, too. It's just a little "cheaper" looking inside and a bit long in the tooth.

XP

Whose last love affair and car was a Maxima.

 

I'm assuming you mean looks, because in all other aspects, the Maxima is very much in the league of the TL.

 

Sigh, the gene pool could use some chlorine. What a sad response. :sqnteek:

 

As long as you drive this....





....your opinion doesn't count for anything. My mother-in-law owns that car. Quite the sexy beast ya got there. It is 'sick' apparently.


The question of the day is: Why is a ClubLexus moderator who has no interest in owning a TL allowed to troll in here and why do we TL owners get sucked into debate with the owner of such a ladymobile?

BJ

 

:bigclap: Well said BJ.

 

Wow, some much hate for the Maxima. Seems like some people are nervous a "pedestrian" car could hold it's own to the precious TL. I'll even venture to say, in my humble opinion, the nissan 35VQDE engine is a better engine than the TL engine . Heck, even the 3.0 liter VQ in the 4th gen Maximas is probally a better engine. As much as I love my TL and know than it is the better of the 2 vechicle in only that it is built with higher grade materials (it is a luxury car!) and comes with a few thousand extra miles warranty. Otherwise, I still loate for the great feeling of driving a Nissan VQ engine. The Acura TL engine is nice and smooth, but it just doesn't have that peepy feel and great throttle respone.

Flame me... I'm ready, as i know I've gone against the snob alliance of the almighty luxury car is better collective.

TheNip

PS - YES, this post is directed mainly at YOU boltjames. Also, if the thread is so stupid, don't post.

 

I am with you they each has its advantages and you would know best you have both. The 02/03 5th gen Max interior is great and in GLE form or loaded SE its quite luxurious as well, Max guys will say Max and TL guys will say TL. Both 02/03 Max and the TL are known for being great bang for the bucks, but are known as torque steer monsters. Maxima has a great Enthusiast following as the mags have stated (Its also been called a poor mans BMW for years by them)and just look at Max org and the TL is getting their. I wouldnt complain driving either no need for the Max to be downed its a great car as well, much better than my 02 TLS (lemon delight) was which we traded in on a 350Z and kept the 03 Max!

 

I actually like that lexus bolt
I shopped the maxima before the tl...I just couldnt get used to its odd appearance and cheesy interior not to mention the hideous back....(bettter on the new one but now it looks odd from other angles). Maybe its not cheesy interior for a 20 grand car but definitely cheesy for a 27-30k car. The engine is sweet and the radio kicks ass...but thats about it for me

 

The 01-03 TL I can see as being on the same level as the Max--(this gen and last)
But the 04 tl is just.....beyond.
I sat in an 02 TL the other day..holy crap what a difference in interior.

 

First off, the new Maxima is a very nice looking car (better looking than the Lexus that is the bulk of the discussion in this thread). I admire it on the road all the time. Not arguing anything about what it looks like or what its performance is. If I didn't want a luxury car, I'd certainly give strong consideration for an '04 Maxima over its counterparts from Honda (Accord), Toyota (Camry), Hyundai, Chevrolet, and Dodge. It's without a doubt a Top 5 car in the non-luxury class.

My point is simple: The Maxima's not a luxury car, it's not in the TL's class, and you cannot compare the two cars unless all you care about is point-A-to-point-B transportation. Maxima people are Camry owners who made a nice year-end bonus at the McDonald's they assistant-manage and plunked down the extra $75 a month on the lease. TL people are executive middle-managers who decided that instead of a stripped BMW 5 or stripped Mercedes C to keep up with the Joneses, they'd get a fully loaded TL and look smart / practical / techy while still driving a car with a luxury badge and all the luxury features found in the Big 2.

BJ

 

You think that that TL owners are executive level and Maxima owners are assistant mgrs sad and not the case most of us in here arent executives but can easily afford a TL, its basically a 30K (give or take a little) car just like the Maxima. 9 out of 10 5 series owners will not cross shop the TL (E class, Jag S type etc.) but Maxima owners will, its not about the label its price and mission (Acura doesnot give prestige in the mind of most like Mercedes/BMW/Jag). Maximas and TL's price are within a few thousand of each other and some even closer and BTW the C class isnt in the same class as the 5 series that would be the E class, a stripped 5 series is much much more than any TL. A Maxima SL/GLE competes much better with a TL than a stripped C class anyday. The Maxima is the car that really created the Sporty sedan gategory from Japan back in 85 when it became sporty with lots of features far beyond the Camry or Accord at that time along with the Cressida. Since lots of sporty sedans have come out of Japan including the TL,G35 etc, BTW TL is classified as a near luxury car not luxury. The TL has taken over the best bang for the buck title that the Maxima had until 03.

Accord/Cam= Altima,Galant competitors

Maxima has always been a car without a direct competitor for years.

 

I totally agree with you. The TL is only about 3k more than a fully loaded Camry. Not really that much more if you ask me. A $30k car isn't luxury...its near luxury. The Maxima is just as expensive as the TL anyways. You know the difference between the TL owners and the Lexus IS300 owners (who are in their 20s and probably assistant managers at some McDonalds...), about $2k and 10 years apart. If you can afford an IS, G35, Maxima, etc...you can afford a TL.

 

Actually, the G35 is not in the TL class, its one step higher. G35 is BMW class, the TL is I35 class, FWD VS FWD.

 

Umm sorry but EZZ is right your wrong. maxima.org shows how fast those are.

 

Hmm the only feature the Max doesn't have is the Surround sound the TL has. Other than that, it has more features than the TL. Read the specs.