Strong Competitors for 530i out there ???

Check this out.

Originally Posted by 16valex

Nah! Maxima is front wheel drive and their V6 is very poorly built. I had a maxima and by the time it hit 80K miles most of the exhaust manifold studs started to fall off and left me with annoyance exhaust leaks.

I don't know what Maxima are you talking about but definitely is not the A33 (the 5th gen)
Built quality was top notch (the last Maxima assembled in Japan), it went downhill from there.
That engine won the Ward's award for many years....it was the best V6 in the market bar none.

It does not matter that it was a FWD...it was incredibly fun to drive and it handled way better than a 5 Series in bad weather.

The 5th gen was the best Maxima ever, too bad it lasted only few years before the the 6th gen....mine had not a single problem in almost 100K when I traded...

This is what Edmunds said of the 2002 Max:

"We wasted no time grabbing the keys to an SE fitted with the six-speed manual tranny, and we were thrilled with its eager and forceful charge to redline as we rowed through the gears. Once again, Nissan has turned out a creamy smooth and powerful V6 that seemed to enjoy running hard as much as we loved driving it that way. The gear spacing of the six-speed gearbox, both numerically and in terms of lever travel, was ideal. Even when driving aggressively, we didn't botch one up- or downshift while blasting through the gears"

"The Maxima's chassis is unchanged - why mess with a good thing? Responsive steering, flat cornering and neutral behavior when unraveling a twisty road make one realize that a ripping sport sedan needn't cost $40,000"

Originally Posted by 16valex

Check this out.

Wll, that is an M5 ad definitely not a 530....

...and you can check this....

Originally Posted by duberalles

A match for the manual 530 E39 in 2002???....That is easy...the car that I did own at that time...which peformance wise was significantly faster.....and not only on a straight line.

My 5.5 gen Maxima......6 speed, a throbbing 3.5 liter V6 (the magnificent VQ35), limited slip diff, the best Navigation system of that time and a killer BOSE stereo, fit and finish was exemplary (the last Maxima built in Japan)....more passenger and trunk space than an E39...Nissan threw the kitchen sink at that car and they sold ton of them.....it was the killer sport sedan in the 6 cylinder segment....I did cross shop it with the 530 (which was my initial intended buy) and I could not come for any reason to go for the 530....

The 530 had the edge on luxury and the handling was on par (on dry roads) but it was down on other aspects.....

You did need a E39 540 to smoke an 02 Maxima

One of my best friends owned that model when new and it was a great car but I would not compare it directly to an E39. Agree that the VQ35 is a great engine. I owned a Pathfinder with that engine and have nothing but praise for it. Agree that interior space was better also. I do not agree that front wheel drive Maxima is as good a driver's car as the E39 530i and most on this forum would not agree either. To those of us that want and appreciate rear wheel drive sport sedans, a front driver will never be equivalent. I am not putting your car down, I genuinely like Nissans and have owned several. I just don't see the Maxima as a direct competitor to the E39. If you want to say it is a more practical alternative that offers a lot of bang for the buck, I agree. I still would not choose it over my 530i with Sport Package. This is particularly true now that depreciation has eliminated most of the cost differential between these cars. I have no idea what that other poster was referring to when he said the VQ35 is not reliable. I drove mine very hard in the Pathfinder and it was one of the strongest most reliable engines in any of the cars I have owned over the past 38 years. I would still have that SUV if my wife had not totaled it playing with her cell phone while driving in traffic.

Originally Posted by mda185

One of my best friends owned that model when new and it was a great car but I would not compare it directly to an E39. Agree that the VQ35 is a great engine. I owned a Pathfinder with that engine and have nothing but praise for it. Agree that interior space was better also. I do not agree that front wheel drive Maxima is as good a driver's car as the E39 530i and most on this forum would not agree either. To those of us that want and appreciate rear wheel drive sport sedans, a front driver will never be equivalent. I am not putting your car down, I genuinely like Nissans and have owned several. I just don't see the Maxima as a direct competitor to the E39. If you want to say it is a more practical alternative that offers a lot of bang for the buck, I agree. I still would not choose it over my 530i with Sport Package. This is particularly true now that depreciation has eliminated most of the cost differential between these cars. I have no idea what that other poster was referring to when he said the VQ35 is not reliable. I drove mine very hard in the Pathfinder and it was one of the strongest most reliable engines in any of the cars I have owned over the past 38 years. I would still have that SUV if my wife had not totaled it playing with her cell phone while driving in traffic.

I do not own that car anymore by the way....however a RWD architecture has more inherent balance obviously (and BMWs are extremely well engineered RWDs) but the Maxima was pretty much the best handling FWD of that size and I can guarantee that it was handling pretty close to a 5 Series in its own right.....the FWD and the limited slip diff made that car very effective was on slippery roads (especially here in the Northwest) and on tight corners.

Torque steering, usually the bane of powerful FWD cars, was almost absent and the steering very precise and connected.

The E39 530 (which I drove several time, a co-worker of mine had one) was sligthly softer and more comfortable than the Maxima SE and if optioned appropriately a bit more luxurious but it was significant down in power, it had only 5 speed instead of 6 and it had no limited slip diff option which for me is a serious lacking in a pricey sport sedan.....

Even on features, a fully loaded A33 Maxima had some aces up its sleeve...a very sophisticated Navigation system for that time, standard HID, heated steering wheel in addition tthe usual electrical and heated seats and mirrors, a killer BOSE stereo system, brushed and drilled alluminum pedals, etc...

Now the 540 was a different animal...but it was a 50K car......with the 530 the Maxima, on balance (it had some pluses and minuses), could hold its own very well....

The argument about being direct competitor......here in the US they weren't market wise (but IMHO they were "functionally" wise), because Nissan made the I30/I35 (which was mechanically and chassis wise identical) a direct competitor.

Nissan, in my view took the Maxima, made it worse (on style differentiation and suspension tuning) and did run it a 5 Series competitor.....not surprisingly the Infiniti flavor of that car sold very little.....

In Europe the Maxima was marketed as a 5 Series competitor...so it's all matter of market positioning in different geographical areas...personally I prefer to look at the substance and features to establish myself if two cars can be viewed as competitors, regardless of what the "market" think.

There is no comparison to how the e39 makes you feel when you're driving it. This european commercial speaks the truth about the experience:
When I'm ever in a bad mood or overwhelmed I just go for a cruise in my e39, and I instantly feel better. My e39 puts a smile on my face and is a hell of a driver's car. It doesn't hurt to have a manual either, makes you feel like you're in complete control of the car. I don't think I'll ever go back to driving an automatic for my personal car, it's too boring. I have yet to see any Japanese car company ever produce a car that has any truly beautiful styling. They are too focused on reliability and beating the other companies comparable car. BMW strives to create cars that bring the driver the ultimate driving experience. That maxima (in my opinion of course) has no style, or build quality. My car reaching 300,000 miles and still climbing is testament to the build quality that BMW puts in to their cars. With all of this annoying ranting I leave you with one of the most epic e39 videos ever:

^-----Let's see a japanese car do that with as much style

Originally Posted by DinanBimmer

That maxima (in my opinion of course) has no style, or build quality. My car reaching 300,000 miles and still climbing is testament to the build quality that BMW puts in to their cars. With all of this annoying ranting I leave you with one of the most epic e39 videos ever

My co-worker wish he had the trouble free ownership experience I had with my Max....

Originally Posted by mda185

One of my best friends owned that model when new and it was a great car but I would not compare it directly to an E39. Agree that the VQ35 is a great engine. I owned a Pathfinder with that engine and have nothing but praise for it. Agree that interior space was better also. I do not agree that front wheel drive Maxima is as good a driver's car as the E39 530i and most on this forum would not agree either. To those of us that want and appreciate rear wheel drive sport sedans, a front driver will never be equivalent. I am not putting your car down, I genuinely like Nissans and have owned several. I just don't see the Maxima as a direct competitor to the E39. If you want to say it is a more practical alternative that offers a lot of bang for the buck, I agree. I still would not choose it over my 530i with Sport Package. This is particularly true now that depreciation has eliminated most of the cost differential between these cars. I have no idea what that other poster was referring to when he said the VQ35 is not reliable. I drove mine very hard in the Pathfinder and it was one of the strongest most reliable engines in any of the cars I have owned over the past 38 years. I would still have that SUV if my wife had not totaled it playing with her cell phone while driving in traffic.

+1

I really enjoyed my Maxima and my Avalon.

HOWEVER, they pale in comparison to the overall driving satisfaction the E39 with Sports Package provides. My current vehicle exudes sophistication, success, and sexyness in droves.

sick Maxima bro