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Very true. But I believe you're forgetting that the 3.0L Duratec is itself "proven by the manufacturer in higher end model cars". Jaguar, Aston-Martin, and Noble all use 3.0L Duratecs, with Aston-Martin and Noble pushing the engine way beyond what Nissan does with their VQ.





Ehh not really.
Jaguar... 240hp... far from 300.
Aston Martin... v12 is a distant cousin. Completely reworked and engineered. Like comparing stock engine to racing engine. + the car costs $200,000
Noble... again a very limited production car, has a totally reworked engine + turbos.

The point is the VQ is already putting out 300hp NA. The Altima engine is nearly identical to what the G35 is running. Slight changes in breathing and programming. There are guys in the maxima forums running similar numbers to 350z with very little changed.

The Nissan and Mazda are very close in many respects but Nissan def has the better engine/straight line performance and potential. If/when the 6 gets the new duratec 3.5 Im sure we will revisit this comparison... Just as long as Nissan doesn't throw another 30hp into the Altima.



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