2004 Nissan Maxima SE 6-Speed - Taming the Beast
Finally, after two previews on the subject, the first being pure speculation and the last to cover up my mistakes, I was able to actually drive the all-new 2004 Nissan Maxima yesterday.
First of all it's quick, really quick. Initially I found my 6-speed manual equipped test car difficult to launch off the line without spinning the front wheels. It'll chirp in 2nd and 3rd gears too, if you still haven't got that high school age 'look at me I'm cool' bravado out of your system.
After getting used to the immediacy of the drive-by-wire throttle, and controlling the immense output its 265-hp 3.5-L V6 delivers via its responsive clutch, I was able to take off smoothly. The engine's 255 lb-ft of torque allows 2nd gear launches without a fuss, heck I even started out in 3rd once by mistake, no problem. The torque band is wide and fat making the extra gear ratio almost redundant, but 6-speed sounds so much better than 5-speed doesn't it?