(Needless to say, we received quite a bit of snow in Southeastern Massachusetts this winter)
Between 1986 and 1989, three new luxury marques were introduced by Japan’s three largest automakers. While two were met with instant success and acceptance, it took quite a bit longer for the third, Infiniti, to find its way. Unlike Acura and Lexus, who successfully carved out solid footholds in the luxury market almost immediately, Infiniti struggled quite a bit more to find its place during its early years. Between its ill-fated introductory ad campaign, poorly received designs, and unwelcoming interiors, early Infiniti sales were dismal, and industry analysts already had Infiniti on death watch by the mid-Nineties.
But then, in late-1995, Infiniti added a softer-tuned, mid-size, front-wheel drive, V6-powered sedan that was for lack of a better term, a gussied-up Nissan Maxima (more specifically, it was a rebadged JDM Nissan Cefiro, which was sold in other markets as the Maxima). This car, which was called the I30, immediately became Infiniti’s best-selling model, and proved to be a savior for the brand, largely carrying it through until the arrival of the G35 in 2002.
While the first generation I30 gained unique fascias, wheel designs, and wider chrome-trimmed bodyside moldings, it still bore a heavy visual resemblance to the North American-spec Maxima. The interiors were also more or less identical, with the I30 gaining the same artificial wood trim and leather available on higher-end Maximas.
Redesigned versions of both sedans would appear for the 2000 model year in North America, with greater distinction between the two. Midsections were again similar, but the Infiniti now had a healthy dose of unique sheet metal at either end for a decidedly more elegant look. The interior was also treated to an attractive makeover, but the most dramatic transformation would come two years later.
In 2002, the I30 became the I35 by way of a new 3.5L V6 replacing the existing 3.0L. Output was up to a very respectable 255 horsepower and 246 lb-ft torque, figures both higher than the standard engines of its closest competitors, the Acura TL and Lexus ES. Exterior styling was also revised for a bolder look, with new wheel designs, standard HID headlights, revised taillight clusters, and grille sporting a larger Infiniti logo.
As alluded to earlier, the interior was treated to some enhancements which mostly included new woodgrain trim. Although this change may seem minor, the switch from simulated burl walnut (which was found in many luxury cars at the time) to simulated bird’s eye maple made a major (you might even say “maxima”) impact. Let it be said that I take no issue with faux woodgrain trim, so long as it’s attractive and half convincing. The lighter wood tone Infiniti added to the I35 gave its interior a warmer, inviting quality that newer Infinitis, including the G35 and FX, would lack. Among other luxury features was an available navigation system, which cleverly popped up out of the dash.
The Infiniti I35 was certainly more polished than the I30, and overall, it was a decent mid-size front-wheel drive luxury sedan. That being said, the I35 didn’t excel in its class the way the Acura TL did for sportiness and handling or the Lexus ES did for comfort and opulence. Offering neither sporty handling nor a luxury car ride, the I35 got lost in the middle. Sales seemed to reflected this point. In 2002, the ES and TL sold just over 71,000 and 60,000 units respectively, while the Infiniti brand as a whole only reached sales of 87,911 vehicles.
With a new focus on performance and new edgier-styled cars to reflect this, Infiniti’s growth finally began to take off, after over a decade of remaining relatively stagnant. The aging I35, naturally did not fit into this strategy, and was discontinued after 2004. It was replaced in Infiniti’s lineup by a smaller and larger car, the G35 and the M35/45. Both offered more modern powertrain, better driving dynamics, and rear- or all-wheel drive. Especially with the G35, Infiniti finally had a car that would be the cornerstone of their lineup for the next decade.
The I30/35 may not be well-remembered today, but its sales kept Infiniti afloat during the rough times, and without it Infiniti may not have lasted through the new Millennium.
those later models i35s&maximas had also suffered from timing chains issues which was very costly to repaire.
Great write up as always, Brendan. If there ever was a car that looked like its lesser cousin the I30 was always on the top of my list. In fact, my sister owned one of these, I believe it was a 2001. She only kept it a short time as she had her share of electrical issues with it, namely the check engine light and issues with the CD player/climate control/nav. It only had about 40,000 miles when she got it and sold it with about 50k. She replaced it with a 2006 G35x that she really likes. In many ways it is a far superior automobile than the I30 ever was.
Thanks Tom! I believe the only person I ever knew who owned one was a teacher at my middle school who drove an I35. This was circa-2006. Coincidentally, she moved up to the high school the same year I entered my freshman year. By 2008, she was driving a new Lexus ES.
“Between its ill-fated introductory ad campaign, poorly received designs, and unwelcoming interiors, early Infiniti sales were dismal, and industry analysts already had Infiniti on death watch by the mid-Nineties.”
Now it is the Maxima that is on death watch. Nobody is buying them. Those that want a solid car with all the toys and are on a budget buy a Altima and those that would have once bought a Maxima scrape some more money together and buy a Infiniti
Very true about the Maxima. Between the ever larger and luxurious (not to mention, similar-looking) Altima, and Infiniti, the Maxima is being squeezed out. Sadly, all it really is now is a bloated caricature of its former self, that’s not really all that luxurious, yet costs about $10,000 more than a comparable Altima.
The 2016 model, which has been previewed in production form, looks nice, but still there’s the problem of where the Maxima fits into Nissan’s current lineup. Toyota’s really the only Asian automaker who is still achieving success in this category with the Avalon. Hyundai and Kia haven’t had much luck with the current Azera/Cadenza. Too bad, as the Cadenza is especially nice.
So sad about the Maxima. If one is going to spend that kind of money they will surely move up to the Infiniti. It is the case of the growing automobile. The Altima is definitely today’s Maxima, just like the new Sentra is today’s Altima and so on and so on…….
I think it is time for Nissan to simply cut bait with the Maxima and retire the nameplate.
The top of the line Toyota Cressida was killed off with in a few short years after Toyota created the Lexus line. There was no reason for redundancy in luxury cars. Not many folks were buying the Cressida before the LS and the ES arrived.
The minute Nissan started selling loads of Infiniti cars, it should have killed off the maxima post haste
They just renamed the Cressida Avalon in 95. It lost most of the sporty nature that it had and turned into a comfy Buick LeSabre riding type car.
Building a full size sedan is a stretch for most Asian automakers. It would be easier if building a body on frame sedan, but for unibody it has many difficulties. As cars nowadays have longer wheelbase, it’s important to make sure the roof has enough strength and not to squeak, either from roof or rocker panels. As larger cars are heavier, it’s better to give longer overhang for safety ( unlike Dodge Intrepid ) but this really goes against the space efficiency, making the cars either US exclusive, or reserved for the elite in Asian countries. ( similar to those Mitsubishi Dignity or older Debonair, where reasonable priced larger cars don’t exist. )
Even so, Avalon is still not affordable. Used price is far higher and units available are scarce. Most people looking for an affordable larger car usually benefit from mass depreciation of larger car ( all Buicks, Impala, or Town Car ) and Avalon eliminates another advantage of larger car. Avalon isn’t really roomy, it’s too narrow. It has the same problem like V6 Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue: the legroom is generous, the limit of platform is obvious in width. Avalon is only as big as Lincoln MKZ, and I consider MKZ a successor to ’80s Fox-Body Continental, a well styled luxury car with good package at a compromised size.
Even though newer Impala is marketed as a full size, it’s only as big as the 3/4 full size Dodge Diplomat dating back from a roomier compact. Being smaller than that is downsizing from a 3/4 full size, it would be only as big as a Ford Maverick.
( Spotted near Flint, Mi yesterday )
The high resale value of the Avalon proves just how successful Toyota is at building a large car.
Except that Toyota is not selling the Avalon as a luxury car as Nissan is trying to do with the Maxima. They have come to realize that the Avalon is the Japanese equivalent of a Buick Lesabre. Despite the wish of Toyota to sell to folks that were born after Roosevelt was in office, it seems that older folks have migrated to the Avalon in droves since the demise of the Lesabre in 2005. The cost of the Avalon is easy to afford for a Lesabre customer as the base 2005 Lesabre started out at $30,000 or around that. (my one owner 2005 Lesbre Custom was bought for $34,000 new by the original owner in 2005)
High resale value is good for initial owner, but maybe not so good for the next.
In a dealership from a upscale community, they have a ’08 Avalon with 40k miles at $17000. By having an Avalon there, it gets easier to sell Buick Lucerne with 60k miles at roughly the half price, and ’14 Fusion with less miles and barely more expensive. I wonder if they did it on purpose.
The high resale value of the Avalon is why my parents have had two successive Panthers. When they were car shopping in 2003 for a delayed replacement for their ’86 Pontiac Parisienne, I recommended looking at Avalons. They declared the used Avalons they encountered “nice but too expensive” and bought a low-mileage ’97 Crown Vic instead. When shopping in 2012 to replace the Crown Vic, I again recommended Avalons. They again responded “nice but too expensive” and bought a low-mileage 2010 Mercury Grand Marquis.
They’ve had good reliable service out of both Panthers, so it hasn’t been a bad thing at all, but Avalons do sell at a premium on the resale market.
As mentioned above, the Maxima and Azera/Cadenza are unpopular both new and used – low supply, low demand – while domestics that are popular like the Impala and Taurus are heavily sold to fleets – high demand but high supply.
I wonder if part of the high resale value is because most of them were taken care of. You can figure that a used Avalon, because of the age of it’s likely first owner, was probably driven mostly to church on Sunday.
Hideous. Rear end looks like a total rip of a 61 Dodge Polara
In a sort-of-CC effect, I got to rescue my daughter and her friend from the side of the road, let down by an elderly Maxima-version whose charging system had given up the ghost. At almost midnight. A jump start gave the battery enough juice to drive the two blocks to the parking lot of their family’s mechanic. So I actually have now driven one, although I was sort of preoccupied by trying to drive on a rainy night with only parking lights and a swipe of wipers for each block. And I barely made it.
For some reason, this version of these cars has always been sort of invisible to me.
I drove a MY 2000 Maxima, or the A33 series (the styling was done at Nissan’s California design studio). The V30 engine was sweet. The Infiniti I30 looked practically identical to the A33 Maxima – perhaps with some interior appointments, the analog clock, maybe a softer ride…but I couldn’t see paying a considerable premium for the “I”. Had it for 4 years, very reliable, fast, comfortable – until I had it totaled after an accident on the freeway here.
Also agree – today the Maxima (in North America, anyway) seems to be squeezed out between the Altima (which is now bigger, better trimmed, and available with a V6 engine), and the G37 Infiniti. Hardly see any of the current versions around here.
My wife and I had one of these as a loaner for a month while our t-boned Subaru was in the autobody shop. Though the stereo was great, it was otherwise a downgrade from our Subaru (a 2001 Legacy GT with a stick shift). The ride wasn’t especially well balanced, and it was prone to spinning its wheels at the slightest touch of the accelerator (crappy rental tires, perhaps?). So it had a big engine, but it was hard to get much benefit from it. The faux wood was super-chintzy, being molded into shapes that real wood could never hold (see the window-switch surrounds in Brendan’s photos above). Heck, even the gauge lighting was a poor imitation of Lexus’s brilliant panel, and so it just looked faux in its own way too. Compared to the excitement I felt when I picked up the keys, it was a real disappointment day to day.
Once the snow started falling, we insisted the rental company swap out the low-traction Infiniti for something with awd/4wd. We got a Trailblazer. Out of the frying pan…
OrangeChallenger:
I do hope you realize most folks (including the U.S. government) classify cars by how much interior room they make available, as a consequence you get a mid-sized car with interior room that rivals a full-sized car.
Yep, the length of the hood and trunk don’t say anything about the interior room.
Short hood and trunk, best space efficiency! Here we go.
Hey, wait a min, something is wrong.
Space efficiency improves a lot these years ( over a ’77/’78 Plymouth Fury ) and I appreciate it. It’s roomier in many cases. But interior volume is not good at evaluating width, an important factor in the roominess of cars. To me, there is no sedan nowadays big enough ( all too narrow, I suspect it’s for improving MPG ) I will wait to see if any better on Cadillac CT6.
The worst case of classification is Toyota Prius. I believe the volume is mid-size, but as a taxi it can’t be more cramped. ( the width is closer to Ford Fiesta than Focus, I think the width should take most of the blame )
The Nissan Maxima was withdrawn from the market here years ago. We do have a Queen Maxima though.
Royalty being considerably more popular in Europe than non-German-prestige full-size sedans 🙂
Those 2000-2004 Infiniti I35s/2000-2003 Nissan Maximas are junk… Those coil packs are troublesome, along with auto tranny woes.
My sister in law had a 2000 Maxima that gave her nothing but trouble… She drove the car for a month, when the car would only go top speed at 42mph, due to coil issues and a throttle position sensor.
Sad, that the 1987-1999 Nissan Maxima had the bulletproof VG30 V6 engine that was on the “Top 10 Best Engines” list for years.
Brendan, I live in southeastern, MA… We might be neighbors. Lol
The Maxima switched to the DOHC VQ30DE in 1995. The SOHC VG lived on in the Pathfinder/QX4, XTerra, Frontier, and Quest/Villager into the new millennium in 3.3 liter displacement. The VQ eventually replaced it in all by their following redesigns.
I had a97 Maxima SE, loved that car. It had a choppy ride on rough roads but it was fun to drive, got great gas mileage, and was decently fast. I also owned a 96 Honda Accord that we still have. After driving the Honda on vacation in Dallas & seeing how underpowered it was I bought the Max which served as the official road vehicle until we bought a mini van 3 years later. I wanted to keep my Maxima when I bought an 01 TL but the wife didn’t want to trade the Accord, my son drives now. The only thing I didn’t like about the Maxima is that the a/c didn’t get cold enough & we have rough summers in MS, my wife had a 92 Sentra when we 1st met & that car got colder than my Max.
Ricky, I would definitely buy a 1995-99 Nissan Maxima in a minute, as an extra daily driver… in MA and RI, they are around $800-2000, for a well running example.
Speaking of the Altima and Maxima debate… it sucks how the Altima(formerly Stanza), was supposed to be Nissan’s 4cyl. sedan entry, not to be a 6cyl competitor for the Maxima.
When the Altima became a best seller(for Nissan), and demand for more power grew… Nissan did what it had to do, though killing Maxima sales in the process, to keep the Altima competitive and relevant in the most popular car segment… the compact/midsize sedan market. Since, Toyota and Honda both offered V6s in the Camry and Accord… Nissan offered a V6, for the third gen Altima in 2002.
Funny, how my sister in law, replaced her troublesome 2000 Maxima with a 2005 Altima 2.5… other than the TPS sensor replacement and occasional brake pads, the car runs great and she has no complaints.
I considered a 99 I30 in Fall 98 when I bought a new 99 Maxima GLE. It cost about $3,000 or so more than the Max and had little more to offer over the GLE edition. IIRC the Infiniti did come with signature, perforated leather seats and perhaps a bit more sound deadening. Later in the year Infiniti brought out a Limited version of the I30 that offered a little more gingerbread, including a different color of paint on the lower body and, I think, a six CD changer. I actually preferred the Maxima styling over the I30, a little cleaner I thought – though neither of these cars would win a styling contest. Excellent cars, however, with the coil packs and oxygen sensors being the major weaknesses.
I found the Infiniti I30 of the mid-1990s to be a relief from the pudgy, ugly J30 (whose rear end looked butt-ugly…literally like a butt).
“Look, we made it rounded off, like a butt, just so we would be different!”
“J” for “junk in the trunk” maybe?
I thought the J was for “sort of tried to make it look like a Jaguar”
A good friend of mine owned a 2001 I30 for several years. He bought it used in 2004, and kept it until it was totaled in an accident in 2007. And overall it was quite a nice car–pleasant styling, comfortable ride, nice interior. It didn’t excel at anything, but at the same time, it was a nice place to spend time as a passenger. (Never did get to drive it.) He didn’t care for the vertical-bar grille of the car so he swapped the grille out for an I35 piece, as he thought it improved the looks. I agreed with that decision. And for the three years he had it, at least, it was reliable and gave him almost no trouble. Probably would have kept it longer if it weren’t for the accident.
I always did think that these I30/I35 and the concurrent Maxima were a big upgrade from the ’95 to ’98 models, which I never warmed to. Something just didn’t look right about those cars to me.
I agree, the 00/01 Maximas especially in SE form with the 17 Inch rims looked far better than the 00/01 I30’s. Something about the front and rear end did not work. The Maxima looks good today where as the I30 still looks awkward. Same for the revised 02/03, the Maxima in GLE and SE form looked better!
I disagree, do I think the I35 was an improvement but the Maxima’s 2000 face/butt lift were one of the worst ever in my opinion. The 95-99 (namely the 97-99) were much better looking, the 2000 Maximas marked the point where headlights started getting that bizarre blobby shape that plagued pretty much all designs of the 2000s from that point. Never liked the black in the taillights either.
The SE model has the black accents in the taillights. The GXE and GLE didn’t (I had a MY 2000 GLE).
I agree Matt. I always found the 2000 Maxima to have a choppy and somewhat frumpy look to it. The I30/I35 looked much smoother and better-proportioned.
I must admit that this is a car that really just fell off my radar. Nissan did not do as good a job as Honda/Acura and Toyota/Lexus of differentiating the I30/I35 from the “lesser” platform mate on which it was based. Without any reasonable cosmetic differentiation, cars like this pretty much get shunted out of my memory bank. I do miss the older Maximas (from the 1980s and early 1990s) when they were marketed, with a straight face, as 4-door sports cars. Those days are long gone, as a drive in a current Maxima will attest. I’ve rented both Altimas and Maximas, and greatly prefer the former, even without taking the cost advantage into consideration.
Reverse CC effect? I saw an older Infiniti in traffic a few days ago. I actually had to Google “Infiniti” to see if they are still in business.
I think I’ve seen brand-new Oldsmobiles more recently than Infinitis. I guess they do still make cars.
2015 is the last year for the Altima with the 3.5 V6 . In 2016, the customer who is wanting a V6 FWD Nissan will have to go for the Maxima again(just like the 90’s). No official announcement yet but I have heard from my regional manager that is as good as done.
Only new Altima 3.5 you can get at this moment is the SL model with every package standard.
The WD40 stain in the seventh picture should suggest a new luxury feature to Nissan or somebody: Doorhandle heaters that run for 5 minutes when you prestart the engine in cold weather. Or better, just heat the whole door to avoid busting the weatherstrip.
Thanks, for the back up, kalapan… 😉
I meant to put VG30/VQ30de… But when I noticed I omitted the VQ part, the editor timed out.
When Nissan switched to the more powerful VQ30de-K… It wasn’t as reliable, as the Maxima engines previously used from 1987-99.
I loved the VG30e, in my 87 Maxima SE 5spd… Never failed me.
Nice looking car.Infiniti have been sold in the UK but I’ve not seen many of them.
I learned to drive in one of these. My dad bought one brand-new at the end of 2002. His was a MY 2002 and was leftover as the MY 2003’s were coming to dealerships. He got a pretty good deal, essentially paying top-tier Maxima money for the Infiniti version.
At the time, I remember being impressed by the heated steering wheel and heated rear seats. Fast-forward a bunch of years and I’m now out of college, heavily involved in amateur motorsports, and know a lot more about cars. He replaced the I35 with a Miata, and I drove the I35 for a week or so while fielding calls from potential buyers.
The VQ motor made a good noise and I’m pretty sure the car had a LSD. It torque-steered badly but was pretty manageable if you were careful with the throttle. The 4-speed autobox was the biggest letdown. Really could have used one more gear and a smarter brain behind it.
Repairs were minimal over the 160k miles we owned it… radiator, struts and a few brake jobs and sets of tires. Dad was always good about routine maintenance, so it never fell into a state of neglect, and frankly looked brand-new when we sold it.
I thought the styling was ‘fine’ though the rear end is a bit feminine looking, IMO. Comfy seats for long trips, and it’d pull ~28 mpg highway.
The VQ is notorious (for 02-03 years, I think) for developing an oil burning problem. Ours did start to burn some around the 140k mark. It never got too bad – I just told Dad to check the oil every other fill-up.
It was a “fine,” reliable car that was pretty nice and pretty good. Had a bit more personality vs. a Camry but wasn’t tremendously standout, either. I liked it enough, but I don’t miss it.
It is unfortunate that virtually any vehicle of this vintage suffers from faded or cloudy headlight lens covers, including the subject car, even if the remainder of the vehicle is in near perfect condition. Walk through any large parking lot – it is very easy to tell the vintage of just about anything from the early 2000’s with this universal problem.