JD?s archives: Vigor vs. 80 vs. G20 vs. Galant VR-4 vs. Maxima SE vs. Legacy
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Anyone remember the '4DSC' stickers on the rear passenger door glass of those Maximas? Stood for '4 door sports car.' Boy, I had a good laugh the first time I saw one of those.
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How times change. These sports sedans of old were about as quick to 60 as the gas saving subcompacts of today :beer:
I have a laugh just looking at the lineup. I remember one of my baseball coaches had a maxima of that vintage, and then upgraded to a newer one, I think when they were boasting 255hp. I was always impressed by those cars.
Nowadays they're wholly unimpressive.
Nowadays they're wholly unimpressive.
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It is amusing how much things progress though. Granted 0-60 is but one measurement but when you think about a massive SUV keeping up with any sporty sedan your inner child has to smile a bit.wow, your jeep can hang with average sporty sedans from over 20 years ago?!
This right here
Glad to see that they called out the Maxima's body roll. My parents had a Max SE (the 190-hp version that came a year later than that review), I had a G20t. My Infiniti was a much better handling car than that Maxima - but their car definitely had the better engine.
And compared to the sedans of today, these are slow and tiny.
Tom
And compared to the sedans of today, these are slow and tiny.
Tom
"...took a beating that would have kept George Foreman off the David Letterman show for seven months..."
:laugh:
A little personal anecdote about this particular article:
My father and I were driving from Syracuse to Bradford, PA and spotted them (C/D) kibitzing and photographing the cars at a pull-off on Keuka Lake just north of Hammondsport. Being a HUGE C/D fan at the time, I was thrilled out of my chamois shirt, but pop could've cared less. I had expounded a lot of energy trying to talk my father into buying a Maxima (the four door sports car), so when this issue came out I told him "remember that car magazine test we ran across? Look what won!". He snubbed out another Merit and went back to casually perusing his newspaper...Aaaand then he bought another LeSabre the next day.
:laugh:
A little personal anecdote about this particular article:
My father and I were driving from Syracuse to Bradford, PA and spotted them (C/D) kibitzing and photographing the cars at a pull-off on Keuka Lake just north of Hammondsport. Being a HUGE C/D fan at the time, I was thrilled out of my chamois shirt, but pop could've cared less. I had expounded a lot of energy trying to talk my father into buying a Maxima (the four door sports car), so when this issue came out I told him "remember that car magazine test we ran across? Look what won!". He snubbed out another Merit and went back to casually perusing his newspaper...Aaaand then he bought another LeSabre the next day.
Holy s*it, this is the first time I agree with you.
For what it's worth, the SR20DET bolts right in...
It's surprising to me that they chose the Maxima for 1st place; it's the most sedate car of the bunch, bar the Audi. The '92-'94 models are really great cars, though, with the quad-cam motor and standard limited slip and alll Nissans of that era had very nicely crafted interiors. This article clearly shows Nissan's best era, IMO, when their cars had very high-quality materials, excellent performance and very modern styling. Why didn't the market respond more positively?
I'll take a Legacy, personally. I love the 50/50 torque split, the well-weighted steering, boxer four and compliant suspension. The G20 comes second, despite its opposite character.
I'll take a Legacy, personally. I love the 50/50 torque split, the well-weighted steering, boxer four and compliant suspension. The G20 comes second, despite its opposite character.
Very interesting that the Acura is fastest to 100 mph and is tied with the Mitsu for the highest trap speed at the end of the quarter mile. Seems like a great engine with strong midrange-top end and wisely chosen gearing. I would've loved to see a twin cam VTEC version of that motor, which is an F-block with an extra cylinder. Weird how Honda didn't employ VTEC on the Legend, Vigor or original TL and RL when (closer to) class leading power would've made the market forget about these cars less easily.
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