I read from the
www.maxima.org forum that '02 Maxima guys are getting 14.4s for automatic and 14.3s for 6-speed. The '02s stand to gain a lot over the '00 and '01s not just from the peak motor output increases, but the fact that maximum allowable rpms on the '02s are much higher than the peak horsepower rpms now (rev cut at 6500rpm and peak power rpm at 5800rpm). Since Maximas don't have a CVT where the motor can hang at peak power rpms while WOT accelerating, the motor has to rev typically well beyond the power peak (usually 10-15% for typical passenger car transmission ratio spacing) to get the meatiest part of the output curve. The '00 to '01 Maximas really could not use their power curve (peak power rpm 6400, rev cut at 6500rpm, automatic shifts below 6400 rpm!) fully and hence many people wonder why the '00 and '01 Maximas could not really accelerate much faster than Camry V6s and Accord V6s (transmission for equivalent transmission) despite having much more advertised hp.
The newer 3.5L VQ motor by the way is in the Altima SE and a bit detuned. Still MT went 14.68 at 96.8 mph on a 5-speed 240hp Altima. An almost equivalent weight 255hp Maxima SE close-ratio 6-speed should net mid-14s easy and as I read from the forums (and believe), a good driver in right conditions can do better.
Yup, finally these import sedans are moving. However the import guys are putting out fast sedans en masse: Honda's next gen. Accord may have a big shot in the hp arm, Acura TL Type S rumored for even more hp, Lexus GS430 continues with it high 13 to low 14 second dominance, Subaru WRX is nifty and supposedly gonna get an even harder core model soon, Mitsubishi may answer Subaru's WRX, BMWs have a string of screamers, Mercedes AMG lineup is no joke...read a guy with a stock C32 AMG running 13.2s at 106.x mph, Nissan who has 3 screamers: 255hp Max/240hp Altima/175hp torquey 2.5L Sentra SE-R, etc...
The domestics have been really fragmented in their attempts to bring real straight-line screamers. Example includes maybe a few years of the SHO 6-screamer and a couple years of the R/T Spirit before they were replaced with slower models or discontinued, then a couple years when the Northstar Caddy was fast before it got heavy, and now the supercharged GM 3800s. I wish the Big 3 automakers had some screaming sedan offerings ALL AT THE SAME TIME. There's no question the imports are creeping up at a quiet yet alarming rate. Is anybody in Detroit noticing that one doesn't need to have a dedicated sports car to have a performance image?
At any rate, the Maxima ownership is in general a cut above the typical "can-do" ricer crowd. Thankfully, they are mature and don't boast too much although the performance of these '02 Maximas clearly excite them; at least for now.
