It seems the new Maxima is spurting out 265hp from a non supercharged engine, but the GP is maxinging out with only 260 hp from a Supercharged engine...thats sad. Pontiac used to be a head Honcho in muscle but is now getting its ass kicked by a rice burner. Is it time for GM to redesign there V6 engines to kick out some serious HP without superchargers that need premium gas?
The Maxima has high compression therefore needing higher octane gas as well.
Heres what I found in some quick searches.
Grand Prix 0-60 mph in 6.5 sec Maxima 0-60 mph in 7.1 sec
Grand Prix
260 Bhp @ 5200 Rpm 280 lb-ft @ 4000 RpmMaxima
265 Bhp @ ???? Rpm 255 lb-ft @ ???? RpmDoesn't look like Pontiacs getting its butt kicked to me.
Hmmm...ModernRacer.com gives these specs....
The new Maxima is based on the Asian-market Nissan Teana built on the Altima platform, powered by the same VQ-series V6. Trims consist of base SL and sporty SE with 18" wheels plus optional manual tranny and spoiler.
Base price : $26,950 Get a free price quote
Engine : V6, DOHC, front engine FWD Displacement : 3,498 cc Valve : 24 valves, 4 valves per cylinder Transmission : 5-spd automanual(SE), 6-spd manual(SE) 4-spd automanual(SL) Fuel economy : city - 20 mpg highway - 27-29 mpg
Suspension : F - Independent MacPherson strut R - Independent multilink Brakes : F - Vented discs R - Solid discs
Horsepower : 265hp @ 6000 rpm Torque : 255 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm Redline : 6600 rpm
Top speed : 140 mph(electronically limited)
0-60 mph : 6.3 sec(manual) 0-¼ mile : 14.9 sec @ 95.8 mph 60-0 braking distance : 134 ft 200 ft skidpad : 0.81 gCurb Weight : 3432-3467 lbs Overall length : 193.5 in. Wheelbase : 111.2 in. Overall Width : 71.7 in. Height : 58.3 in.
Press Reviews and Road Tests
Competitors : Mercury Marauder Dodge Intrepid SXT Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
2004-2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Quite possibly the most exotic looking four door sedan on the planet, the latest Grand Prix from Pontiac does away with plastic body cladding while retaining its powerful 3800 V6. Comp-G package adds firmer suspension and 17" wheels.Base price : $25,860
Engine : V6, supercharged, OHV, front engine FWD Displacement : 3,791 cc Valve : 12 valves, 2 valves per cylinder Transmission : 4-spd automatic Fuel economy : city - 18 mpg highway - 28 mpg
Suspension : F - Independent Macpherson struts R - Independent tri-link coil Brakes : F - Vented discs R - Solid discs
Horsepower : 260 hp @ 5200 rpm Torque : 280 lb-ft @ 3600 rpm Redline : 6000 rpm
Top speed : 138 mph(electronically limited)
0-60 mph : 6.6 sec. 0-¼ mile : 15.0 sec @ 93.0 mph 60-0 braking distance : 130 ft 200 ft skidpad : 0.81 gCurb Weight : 3669 lbs Overall length : 198.2 in. Wheelbase : 110.5 in. Overall Width : 71.6 in. Height : 55.9 in.
OK To be fair, I'll do a side by side analysis of these 2 fine automobiles, since I have driven both.
M> Nissan Maxima M> Base price : $26,950
P> 2004-2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP P> Base price : $25,860
Advantage: Pontiac, slightly cheaper
M> Engine : V6, DOHC, front engine FWD M> Displacement : 3,498 cc M> Valve : 24 valves, 4 valves per cylinder M> Transmission : 5-spd automanual(SE), 6-spd manual(SE) M> 4-spd automanual(SL) M> Fuel economy : city - 20 mpg M> highway - 27-29 mpg
P> Engine : V6, supercharged, OHV, front engine FWD P> Displacement : 3,791 cc P> Valve : 12 valves, 2 valves per cylinder P> Transmission : 4-spd automatic P> Fuel economy : city - 18 mpg P> highway - 28 mpg
Advantage: Nissan, unfortunately GM still neglects its mid level engine buyers by not having a manual transmission to mate up with its 3.1 3.4 and
3.8L motors, causing fuel economy to suffer slightly, although not so bad if the Nissans fuel economy numbers are for the manual.M> Suspension : F - Independent MacPherson strut M> R - Independent multilink M> Brakes : F - Vented discs M> R - Solid discs
P> Suspension : F - Independent Macpherson struts P> R - Independent tri-link coil P> Brakes : F - Vented discs P> R - Solid discs
Advantage: Even, both have solid handling.
M> Horsepower : 265hp @ 6000 rpm M> Torque : 255 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm M> Redline : 6600 rpm
P> Horsepower : 260 hp @ 5200 rpm P> Torque : 280 lb-ft @ 3600 rpm P> Redline : 6000 rpm
Ok to look at these numbers you have to take a look at the engineering differences of the motors. From the information provided the Nissan uses a
3.5L DOHC V6, Pontiac uses one of GM's new flag engines, the 3800 Series III 3.8L Supercharged V6, now this motor design is getting a little long in the tooth, although its still enough to keep the rice burners at bay. Japanese motors are known to come from the factory with very well ported heads, and the DOHC of the Nissan certainly helps its HP numbers. The OHV design of the GM 3800 is slightly old school but has been solid and dependable with slight motor design changes over several generations. It has slightly more displacement, and is supercharged, which brings the theoretical displacement up higher. Lets also take a look at the numbers here, the Nissan is producing nearly the same horsepower as the GM motor, at 800 RPM's more, its torque numbers are also not very impressive compared to the GM's, with 255 at 4800 RPM's, while the GM's numbers show 25ft/lb's at 1200 less RPM's, so you know the Pontiac is going to already be beating the Nissan off the line at the light. For something as simple as changing the Supercharger pulley to a smaller one, a simple mod that most 3800SC owners that are performance minded do right when they get the car, the motor can be putting out around 280HP at the same RPM numbers, a slightly more expensive computer mod ($300) can raise the rev limiter, and theoretically put the numbers at about 290HP+ at 5700 RPM's, a mild port and polish ($1000) would probably push those numbers over 300HP easily, so for the price difference of the Pontiac to the Maxima, you can definately make a few changes to blow the Nissan away.Advantage: Pontiac
M> Top speed : 140 mph(electronically limited) M> 0-60 mph : 6.3 sec(manual) M> 0-¼ mile : 14.9 sec @ 95.8 mph M> 60-0 braking distance : 134 ft M> 200 ft skidpad : 0.81 g M> Curb Weight : 3432-3467 lbs
P> Top speed : 138 mph(electronically limited) P> 0-60 mph : 6.6 sec. P> 0-¼ mile : 15.0 sec @ 93.0 mph P> 60-0 braking distance : 130 ft P> 200 ft skidpad : 0.81 g P>
P> Curb Weight : 3669 lbs
The Nissan is slightly faster then the Pontiac in the 0-60, but this is simply because in 0-60, in the manual, its revved all the way through 2-3 gears already, while the Pontiac's automatic is about halfway through second, which doesnt say much for the nissan, the quarter mile only being a tenth of a second faster in not very impressive at all, either the Nissan driver learned to shift from the movie 'Fast and the Furious' or the nissan just isnt that fast of a car. I'd like to see the 0-60 and quarter mile times from a Maxima with an automatic to reinforce my point.. Oddly for being heavier car, the Pontiac posts better braking numbers, and a comparable skidpad number, which shouldnt really be possible, and speaks volumes about Maxima suspension geometry inefficiencies.
Advantage: Pontiac
And just straight up looks... the GTP looks like a modern day muscle car, the Maxima, just another import...
Final Advantage: Pontiac, why? because the Maxima is shit, always will be shit, along with every Nissan I've ever seen or driven, so why don't you take your trolling Import-lovin ass out of my domestic newsgroup? Obviously you have an inferiority complex because you just got suckered into buying a maxima and want to feel good about yourself by dogging the first car that wasted your ass at the stoplight.
Perhaps you should remove some weight of GP to make sure both vehicles have the same curb weigh to make the test valid. By the way, how do you measure this? which method?
Actually I am not surprise Maxima out perform GP but to be fair, let validate the test method.
MN
automobiles,
displacement
With 0-60 and 1/4 mile times so close, a good or bad driver could make all the difference in the tests. The Pontiac is hardly getting it's ass kicked.
Jay S
And I'd like to see a time slip from either one of those "muscle" cars. I chuckle over people buying a car soley based on it's paper specifications. But hey... what do I know? I wouldn't buy either. (I don't do FWD.)
Ray
80 Pontiac Trans Am 01 Pontiac Trans Am Ram Air & Nitrous (12.18@111mph)Wonder who thought up the glass strip running down the roof on the 04 Maximum?
========= Harryface =========
1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE ~_~_~269,000 miles_~_~_More importantly, why does this exact same thread resurface every 6 months like clockwork? As someone who has driven both extensively, they really are very different cars. The GTP has terrific torque and "off the line" grunt, but runs out of steam around 80 whereas if you punch the Maxima at 80 it will take off like its ass is on fire all the way to 130 (where it is electronically limited). The GP's interior is a piece of shit, the Maxima's resembles the cockpit of a fighter jet. The handling of the two cars is very similar, though.
Order the Grand Prix with the 'heads up' display.....it's the only thing either car will ever have that resembles a 'fighter jet'.
The maxima doesnt even have a hud so I dont know what you're talking about more jet like.
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