Nissan engineers have taken a nice, comfortable, luxury sedan and turned it into a glamourous, inviting, technologically advanced, and luxurious sport sedan.
This eighth-generation flagship vehicle has a lighter and more rigid chassis that is motivated by an updated 300 hp 3.5 L V6 with a new performance-oriented Xtronic CVT. This stylish, futuristic Maxima delivers 261 lb-ft of torque with an economical mileage of 22/30/25 mpg city/highway/combined.
Maxima is Nissan’s long-running model, having sold over 2.9 million in the U.S.
The model lineup starts with the base S priced at $32,410, climbs up the ladder steps of SV, SL, SR, and finally ends with the newest upscale Platinum for $39,860. The Platinum will be my focus since it was my test vehicle.
The Maxima will compete with Toyota Avalon, Buick Lacrosse, Ford Taurus, and Chrysler 300 among others. Having driven all but one of these vehicles, Maxima is definitely at the top of this group.
The Maxima is a 4-Door Sports Car (4DSC) concept. In fact, “4DSC” is embossed within the headlights and tail-light reflectors. The profile is low, and its front is adorned with a V-Motion grille, and boomerang LEDs. The stance is wide, doors are tastefully designed, and the C-pillar is raised with a “floating” roof. In terms of length this model has grown 2.2 inches from previous models.
The rear has large dual exhaust pipes and LED lights. The test Maxima had 19-inch diamond-cut machine-finished alloy wheels with a sport-tuned suspension featuring advanced technologies. This not only looks good inside the cockpit (Command Center), but provides a quality ride, offering excellent braking and handling.
The center stack slants toward the driver. Premium Ascot leather seats are luxurious and fitted snuggly. A liquid chrome faceted interior trim, column-mounted paddle shifters, plus the Integrated Dynamics-control Module (IDM) chassis management combine luxury and sportiness.
