2009 Nissan Maxima, back to its roots?

2009 Nissan Maxima

Picture it, the year was 1989, my husband’s first car, a Nissan Maxima SE. The legendary 4-door sport sedan was quick on the draw, nimble as all heck, came with a price tag that was doable BUT gave him torque steer up the rear! In my opinion, the Maxima’s heyday peaked in the early nineties. Over the years, the Maxima lost its styling, performance, and became a mediocre sedan at best. Nissan forgot about its flagship sedan and began to focus on the Maxima’s lil’ brother, the Altima. Has the 2009 Nissan Maxima found its mojo once again?

The Maxima is beefy with quite a commanding appearance. The vehicle is shorter wheelbase and lengthwise, and is lower to the ground. The track is wider, the fenders are muscular, the hood is sculpted, the trunk lid sits high, sexy L-shaped headlights--the sum total of this vehicle’s aggressive looking exterior smacks of a rear-wheel performance car. The glances and comments that I received from other motorists and passersbys was one for the books. There were quite a number of Maxima yesteryear enthusiasts, who were glad that Nissan decided to clean the slate and revisit the concept of a true 4-door-sports-car.

The cockpit is sensibly designed. Nicely appointed. The dash is intuitive, no manual is needed to figure anything out. The multi-contoured seating with manual pull extension (nice touch) is really supportive but what I immediately noticed is that, the seat height was shorter but I deduced, “hmmm, they're going for a sportier look so….” And listen, ya get no back seat complaints from me this time around. The hard drive navigation system really makes sense. I usually spend waaaay too much time trying to figure out how to program a destination but with this system, I never scratched my head once. Another plus is the sensible leather-wrapped sport steering wheel with a thickness that is grippable. The rearview camera, one of the best I’ve seen thus far, gives you a very clear panoramic view of the car and of any obstacles surrounding it.

Strong sporty lines

I hit the open road to determine if this Max lives up to the manufacturer’s hype. Quick upon acceleration? Yes. Grips well? Yes and no body roll. Braking? Superb! Great steering? Yes but since I test drove the sportier version, I did feel one or two big city bumps and thumps but overall, the vehicle’s new D-platform was impressive—a sporty ride that was not jarring. Fun to drive? Boy, I had a kickass time with the optional paddle shifters which added to the fun factor. Good ride? Heck yeah! Guess what? And hubby…this one’s for you…”NO TORQUE STEER,” (which is when the car pulls to one side upon acceleration). This year’s Maxima has 290 hp, 3.5 VQ V6 engine and 261 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm, CVT (continuously variable transmission) and front wheel drive. What about fuel consumption? A sipper? No. Well, it certainly ain’t a guzzler either, I averaged about 22 mpg (EPA figures--19 mpg/city and 26 mpg/highway.

Regarding whether or not the 2009 Nissan Maxima has found its mojo. Hard-core car enthusiasts say, that real sports cars don’t use CVT transmissions but I say, there’s always a spark in innovation….
 

The 2009 Nissan Maxima:

3.5S from $29,290
3.5SV from $31,990
3.5SV with Sports Package from $34,290
3.5SV with Premium Package from $35,440

Mechanical

4-wheel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD)
Brake Assist
Sport-tuned suspension – retuned struts/shocks, stiffer springs and larger front stabilizer bar (26.5 mm)
Vehicle speed-sensitive power steering

Safety

Nissan Advanced Air Bag System with dual-stage supplemental front air bags with seat belt and occupant-classification sensors
Driver and front-passenger seat-mounted side-impact supplemental air bags
Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags for front and rear-seat outboard occupant head protection
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
Traction Control System (TCS)
Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Audio

AM/FM/in-dash 6-CD changer audio system
Digital Bose® audio system with AM/FM/in-dash 6-CD changer
9.3 GB Music Box™ hard drive and CompactFlash® for playing MP3/WMA files T
MP3/WMA CD playback capability
Interface System for iPod®
XM® Satellite Radio – includes activation and 3 months of service

--Car Chick