Tom

Hello everybody:<br>I went to my local Nissan/Infiniti dealer to test drive both the New Maxima (a car that unlike others except the Infiniti I30) and the Infiniti G20t.<br>Reason why they have the merge some of the dealers in Canada from Infiniti to Nissan/Infiniti is because of the poor sales figures of the Infiniti brand here.<br>The G20t has as much power as an old Toyota Corolla with 1.6 liter engine. Sluggish off the line, scary when merging into the freeway! No wonder my automatic can beats the G20t 2 months ago on a long sketch of expressway! :< This car needs Maxima's old V6 with 200 horses or a supercharger to fix. Other than the lackluster engine, the car handles pretty well especially with the optional Touring Package. With a rainy day like today, the limited slip rear differential has done a pretty good job to handles my crazy corners. For this price, I would get a VW Jetta VR6 or a Passat 1.8T anytime.<br>Opposite of the G20, the Maxima has a wonderful 222 hp 3.0 liter engine. I feel quicker in this car than either A4 and 3-series, even the 2.8 and 328. It have better steering feel than the old one, but still lacks the German road feel of an A4 or Passat. A lot of body roll and understeer when pressed hard into corners. Can't imagine how the softer GLE and GXE feel even when the SE has this demeanor. In terms of handling, the Maxima has much better roll and understeer control over the drivers. Still for that price, give me the Passat V6 instead.<br>Overall, A4 is much superior than both the G20t and Maxima SE in everything. Nissan needs to give us some more desirable car like the Skyline GT-R. One more thing: the dealer gave me the key and I was out by myself because the dealer is very quiet. No wonder Nissan is strugging these days.<br>Tom<br>97 A4 1.8TQMS<br>99 JETTA IV GLS 2.0

KLHI

thanks for the info. One question: would you consider either car to be &quot;fun-to-drive&quot;?

Marcus Frost

I'm not sure about Canada, but here in the united states there is a company you can buy Japanese Nissan Skyline GT-Rs. The company is called MotorEx and they are based in California.<p>Problem with saying you'd rather have a Nissan Skyline GT-R over a Maxima means you'd rather spend $75-$90k than under $30k on a car. (Unless of course you want a R-32 GT-R from 1990 - only $36,000)<p>Nissan Skyline prices go as follows:<p>R32 GT-R $36k (1990)<p>R33 GT-R $75k<br>R33 V-Spec $78k<p>R34 GT-R $85.5k<br>R34 V-Spec $89.5k<p>Now for this kind of money doesn't a nice watercooled Porsche sound a lot more tempting? Or a Lotus Esprit V8? How about an M5? Or an S8?There are very few people in this country who would buy a $90,000 Nissan, as people are already reluctant to spend any money on a Nissan as it is. You have to realize the only reason that they are being imported is because Nissan isn't paying for the marketing or anything, the company that is doing it buys the cars in Japan and imports them, and therefore can moderate very finely how many cars the can buy, because they don't buy until they have a buyer.<p>There are a lot of factors that limit the amount of cars we see in this country. Look at Audi, if anyone has ever seen a list of Audi's for sale in europe, it's hard to believe, and they are not here because of the American market. Then again, cars like the NSX Type S Zero or the Subaru Impreza WRX aren't imported because of emissions and those silly 5 mph bumper requirements (jesus you'd think they'd make that an option, and allow the consumer to decide if whether or not they want that protection, and if not, any 5mph dents would require them to pay for it out of their pocket - not though insurance)<p>Sorry for the long rant, just letting out some information. Hope this answers some questions.<p>Marcus Frost<br>99.5 1.8TQM (F Status)

Ruben

For 90k I would rather buy a used Diablo SV or Ferrari 355. In fact, I'd rather but a new Viper GTs (or whatever it is they have these day's) and pocket the 15 or 20 grand difference....nt

Josh

Sun International also imports these; the R34 was called &quot;best sports car in the world&quot; by CAR

Tom

They can both consider fun-to-drive, but......<br>the G20 is completely UNDERENGINED!<br>the Maxima needs a better roll control and less understeer in corners, especially those highway off/on ramps.<br>Tom<br>97 A4 1.8TQMS<br>99 JETTA IV GLS 2.0

Tom

Remember one UK mag called the Skyline R34 GT-R a worthwhile alternative to Porsche 996, that's really desirable.....NT

S2

I've heard they're kind of mushy compared to the Golf/GTI, which is my car of choice, though the Jettas are nice.<p>S2

Dimitri

I just bought an A41.8TQMS. When I went out looking for a car, being a VW/Audi fanatic, I drove the Jetta IV VR6 GLS. The car was definetely quick, but had progressive springs and would sag and wobble like a japanese car on turns. Having owned VWs for 8 years or so that car really lacks that german feel. I had also driven a 98 GTI VR6 III and that was a car. It felt really sporty and was really responsive. When I got inside the A4, without even starting the car I could feel that german car feeling. Taking it on the road was amazing. I was driving a non sport 99.5 1.8TQM.<br>The Jetta is a nice family car, it was a solid car and I have no complains on the design..just the lack of german feel. The Audi is in a class of its own. The A4 in my words was a BMW that can walk the talk by being able to grab the road more effectively (no spinning tires).<p>My philosophies...<p>Dimitri<p>====<br>99.5 1.8TQMS

Tony

I actually prefer going on test drives without the dealer being in the car. I find that when the dealer is present during test drives I can't drive the car the way I want to, and I always know more about the car than the dealer does. I'm not sure why you would need the dealer in the car during the test drive, I don't.<p><br>P.S Why did you consider Nissan in the first place? Their U.S model cars suck. I determined that without taking a test drive. Judging from your evaluation I think I'm correct.