Nissan Maxima Spec R – A Local Hero

Once upon a time, Australia (and to a lesser extent, New Zealand) had well-developed domestic car industries.

Unique, market-specific models were built in local factories by Aussie/Kiwi workers. At the same time, domestic versions of existing cars were built in these same factories, as opposed to importing finished cars from Japan, America or Europe.

Socioeconomic debates about the impacts of trade protectionism on pricing, employment and the wider economy aside, the ‘Australasian’ car industry has long had a knack for taking existing vehicles from manufacturers like Toyota, Ford or Nissan, and then tweaking them somewhat for the local market.

For example, compared to Japan, Australia and New Zealand have relatively poor quality roads, and a need to cover greater distances on the road (particularly true for the Lucky Country).

Without boring you with a history lesson, what this means is that over the years car brands with representation in the Australian and New Zealand markets have often looked to improve and make more suitable cars for local conditions.

With the demise of New Zealand’s domestic car assembly industry following the deregulation of the 1990s (with Australia taking some years to follow suit) the “glory days” of tweaked-for-the-market cars are long behind us. Where there is the occasional change to the setup of a car, it is typically being done in the Japanese factory and then the car is shipped to the AU/NZ market … no assembly required.

However, from time to time manufacturers will release “special edition” cars for the likes of the NZ auto market, and capture some of the magic of the domestic assembly glory days.

One such car is the Nissan Maxima Spec R, and in this edition of Forgotten Heroes I’ll walk you through a special, unique, tweaked performance sedan that was only ever sold in New Zealand – designed to perform for Kiwi needs and road conditions.

One thing to note is that as this is such an uncommon car, even finding good quality photos is a bit of a challenge! If you own a Spec R Maxima and would be kind enough to send some photos in, that would be much appreciated.

What Is It?

The Nissan Maxima Spec R is a New Zealand market specific model; a special version of the Maxima available at the time. This generation Maxima was well-reviewed and a popular choice for buyers wanting a comfortable, practical sedan with plenty of get-up-and-go.

During the period in which the Spec R was available in NZ (around 2006-2008; I’m actually struggling to find more specific dates) it was effectively an option/upgrade package you could specify when ordering your Maxima from Nissan.

According to a review in New Zealand Autocar, Nissan’s dealer network was already in the business of offering pre-delivery modifications to various cars like the Maxima. Buyers would opt for the likes of bigger wheels, or an aftermarket exhaust, and have it fitted before collecting the car.

Nissan “head office” decided it would therefore be a good opportunity to develop a specific, standardised package encompassing engine, suspension and aesthetic modifications (all tailored for Kiwi preferences and conditions) and sell this under the ‘Spec R’ badge, which is perhaps more commonly associated with the Nissan Skyline GT-R and Silvia.

When your destined-to-be-a-Spec-R Maxima arrived into New Zealand, Nissan would change out the wheels, tyres, exhaust and suspension. Other options were available on top as well, e.g. for $1000 you could have Koni front shocks, or for $3000 you could upgrade from cloth seats to leather. 

The exhaust system was swapped to a Remus unit, freeing up an additional 10kw/14hp. By all accounts, the exhaust and engine combo sound superb when you plant your foot. 

Bigger 18″ alloys with Dunlop tyres were added as well, as well as various visual modifications such as side skirts and spoiler. 

All of this was done by Nissan, and then the buyer would take delivery of their shiny new Spec R Maxima. 

Now, if you’re reading from the United States, you’re probably looking at the photos in this article saying “this isn’t a Maxima” – and that’s because the US market Maxima is actually a different car.

The USDM Maxima, along with the Altima. and the Maxima that was sold in Australia and New Zealand all share a common platform, with many shared components. In fact, when researching for this article I found a few forum posts from the United States complaining that the Maxima Spec R just looks like a riced-up Altima.

The AU/NZ Maxima of this vintage was known in most other locations, such as Japan, as the Nissan Teana (which is why in NZ, where there are many used ex-JDM imports, you’ll see probably more Nissan Teanas than you do Nissan Maximas). In some markets, the Teana was also sold as the Cefiro – this different-name-for-different-market stuff will be the death of me, as it gets so confusing.

As an aside, I’ve not been able to find any numbers on exactly how many Spec R Maximas were sold in New Zealand. If you have this data, I’d love to hear from you and am happy to credit your website/blog or whatever you prefer – just leave your answer in the comment section. As far as I’m aware, there weren’t a limited number of examples built; it was just a matter of being willing to order the extras and pay the additional price. 

Nissan Maxima Spec R Specifications

• Engine: 3.5L V6 (VQ35DE)
• Transmission: CVT with “six speed” manual shift mode
• Drivetrain layout: Front wheel drive
• Power/torque: 180kw/241hp (10kw/14hp above standard) – 333nM 
• 0-100kph time: ~6.7 seconds (NZ Autocar got as low as 6.63 in testing)

Was The Maxima Spec R Any Good? 

If you want a smooth, powerful and relatively luxurious performance sedan that has been designed with NZ road conditions in mind, then the Nissan Maxima Spec R could be a great buy.

All contemporaneous reviews were typically glowing, praising just how well-sorted the Spec R is for the average Kiwi “B road” in the handling department, as well as power and sophistication that crapped all over the comparable V6 Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores of the time.

Two particular aspects let the car down in my view:

1. It’s “so-so” looking. The AU/NZ, Teana-based Maxima was never much of a looker, and despite the extra bodykit it still isn’t the best looking. Nothing offensive or terrible, but just a bit plain jane.
2. The CVT gearbox – like all of them – would detract somewhat from spirited driving and you might yearn for a proper manual gearbox.

Outside of that, when you look at the features on offer (considering the age of the car), its performance capability and pricing – the Spec R wasn’t even the most expensive Maxima in the lineup – it was clearly a great-but-rare car in its time. 

During the early/mid 2000s, Kiwis and Australians were spoiled for choice when it came to large sedan options. By the end of 2006/start of 2007 – when the Spec R Maxima launched in NZ – Toyota had released the Aurion, Mitsubishi offered the 380 and the legendary Diamante had not long finished production, cashed-up buyers could opt for Honda’s cutting-edge Legend, and with no introduction needed the two pack leaders and bitter rivals were the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore. The regular Maxima was another option, but definitely more comfort-oriented than the likes of the Falcon and Commodore. 

Nissan’s goal (for New Zealand, at least) with the Maxima Spec R was to “beat the Aussies at their own game”, and beat them they did if reviews are anything to go by. 

Despite being FWD and using a CVT gearbox, the Spec R won praise for its excellent handling and road-holding, rapid acceleration and effortless overtaking power, and superb smoothness and refinement (owing a CVT-equipped car myself in the form of a 5th generation Legacy, I do find that in terms of day-to-day driving there is not much else better suited for comfortable, economical cruising). 

In fact, the Spec R won AMI Insurance/NZ Autocar 2007 “Large Car Of The Year” award, with the review panel stating that it ventures “further into sports-sedan territory than any Japanese-branded V6 has ever ventured before”.

Should You Buy One?

The Nissan Maxima Spec R, therefore, appears to be a worthy purchase on the used market. This generation Maxima was typically considered to be a reliable car, with the biggest weak point being the CVT transmission. 

The big problem is not going to be affording to run one; it’s going to be finding one to buy in the first place. 

These weren’t very common cars, and are not like many JDM specials that find their way into New Zealand via the export market (learn more here in our JDM meaning guide). 

I haven’t seen a Spec R Maxima on the road in some time, nor have I seen one for sale in the last few years. I distinctly remember seeing one for sale on TradeMe a few years ago in Christchurch, in what appeared to be excellent condition with good service history for around $8000 – when you consider the amount of car on offer that sort of money, I’m an idiot for not pouncing on the offer. It even had the triple-stitched leather seats, which were themselves a $3000 option when new. Much like turning down a DC2 Integra Type R for $7500 when I was in high school, this is one of those decisions I’ll probably always regret. 

I would imagine that the next time a Spec R comes up for sale, it will be in one of two guises:

• A ragged-on example that’s had a few owners, where the vendor/previous owner(s) haven’t realised they’ve got something a bit special and just treated it like any old Nissan. Someone else has sold it to them as ‘a Maxima’ and it has been used accordingly. 
• A “I know what I’ve got and what it’s worth” type, who will probably want some excessive sum of money for a very nice example.

If you could find a well-sorted example around the $10-12k NZD mark, then it would represent superb buying. 

Once you start climbing above this figure, you’d have to think seriously about getting your hands on a Skyline 350GT sedan instead, particularly one with a manual gearbox. Although the Spec R was specifically engineered for Kiwi roads, the allure of a proper gearbox and RWD is all-too-tempting. 

Additional Reading

If you’d like to learn more about the Nissan Maxima Spec R, then here are some great resources:

• New Zealand Autocar Magazine review (this was originally found on the Archive.org wayback machine, but I have loaded it to this website as a PDF in case it ever gets deleted from the archives. This is the most detailed and useful contemporaneous review I could find, with some great pictures and all the tech specs and facts. Full credit to New Zealand Autocar)
• Nissan NZ official sales brochure – credit to Nissan NZ. I found this while noodling around on Archive.org
• Autotalk Maxima Spec R review
• Maxima.org forum discussion, which features a post right at the end by an owner who is raving about how good their Spec R is. Also full of Americans confused AF by the fact that the NZ Maxima is not the same as the US Maxima.