2009 Nissan Maxima recaptures sporty youth

Shorter, lighter Nissan nimble and responsive but interior looks cheap

Special to the Star

Jun 14, 2008

CARY, N.C.–It isn't often that a car gets redesigned and actually gets smaller. Cars have been growing bigger and heavier for as long as I've been driving them.

Increasing demands for more comfort, convenience and safety features, combined with the fact that people today are bigger than they used to be, has meant each new generation of vehicle has expanded as a consequence.

The trend couldn't last forever, though. With rising fuel costs and increasing environmental pressures, manufacturers are looking to make cars lighter and more efficient, gobbling fewer resources and taking up less space.

For the Nissan Maxima, which had grown significantly in its last iteration, a shrink in wheelbase and length (as well as a 14-kilogram weight loss) has coincided with a rediscovery of the car's original, sporty DNA.

Marketed through much of the '90s as a "four-door sports car," the Maxima grew bigger, more luxurious and less focused, a situation exacerbated when the Altima grew to nearly match the Maxima in terms of interior space and horsepower.

The 2009 model shifts the Maxima's focus back to sportiness, with a shorter (by almost 10 cm) length but wider (by 4 cm) stance and new, aggressive styling full of bulges, curves and interesting details.

Viewed from above, the new Maxima has a distinctive Coke-bottle shape, with aggressively flared fenders. Viewed from the side, it's punctuated by headlights that curve in a distinctive checkmark shape and huge alloy wheels.

It doesn't just look sportier than the outgoing Maxima; it is sportier. In terms of ride and handling, the new Maxima feels whiplike behind the wheel. Its turning radius, for instance, is significantly reduced, guided by quick, lively steering. For a car that is still quite large, it feels remarkably nimble and responsive.

Careful tuning of the front suspension has all but eliminated torque steer, leaving the handling uncorrupted despite so much power being pushed through the front wheels. The car remains flat in the corners and easy to drive on challenging roads.

On the highway, the ride is firm, particularly on the optional 19-inch wheels, with plenty of information coming up through the seat from the road surface, without being uncomfortable.

There's still plenty of excitement from the engine room, with the 3.5 L V6 now goosed by 35 hp to 290. Torque is up, too, to 261 lb.-ft.

Fuel consumption, however, is lower despite the added power.

The Xtronic continuously variable transmission now offers a sport mode for improved acceleration (you can still slide the shifter over to a manual gate and play with "virtual" gear ratios with paddles on the steering wheel).

Along with the increased focus on the driver, in comes a more driver-oriented interior. The shifter is offset towards the driver and there's a real cockpit feel, with deeply hooded and brightly backlit instruments, and a compact centre stack that juts out, putting all of the car's major controls close at hand.

Thanks to the optional two-panel sunroof and a more upright seating position, the new Maxima feels roomier than the old model, with plenty of leg- and headroom in the back of the car and a 402 L trunk that can be expanded with a split-folding rear seatback.

The quality of the interior fittings is a little spotty. Most of the buttons and switches feel appropriately premium for a car that will likely start at just under $40,000, but the dash, console and doors are covered in swaths of scratchy plastic (it looks fine in black, kind of cheap in grey or beige).

Nissan will sell the Maxima in Canada in only one, fully loaded trim: the SV, which includes a power moonroof, Bose audio system, power windows, mirrors and locks, and a long list of other goodies.

You can add a sport package, for $2,000, which includes 19-inch wheels and tires and a rear spoiler, or a premium package, with wood-grain interior trim, panoramic glass roof, 9.3-gigabyte music server and a rear-view camera. A technology package adds navigation and other electronic doodads. Fully jammed, it should top out at about $45,000.

Sized and priced as it is, the Maxima sits in an interesting little niche – slightly above more mainstream V6 family sedans such as top-level Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords, and slightly below entry-level luxury cars such as the Acura TL and Lexus ES 350.

It's bigger, faster and more fun to drive than the former group, while offering superior value to the latter (if slightly less polish and refinement, particularly in the interior).

With its improved performance and sportier positioning, it's likely to steal customers from both groups.

Toronto Star