Maxima's design goes upscale

New look should finally put Altima comparisons to rest

There's some GT-R in the headlamps and the new 290 horsepower V-6 requires premium fuel - all the better to support Nissan's "four-door sports car" mantra. (Nissan)

When Nissan introduced the redesigned Maxima, it took pains to emphasize the sedan's back-to-basics approach: It's smaller, nimbler, and it's intended to be nothing less than the best-performing front-wheel-drive sedan on the road.

Whether the Maxima achieves that is debatable. Absent the Sport Package, the car performs deftly but never tempts you to take the long way to work. The sport-tuned version goes a long way toward fixing this, but given Nissan's target audience for the Maxima - middle-aged men - I suspect ride and cabin quality will matter far more. Nissan scores on both counts; this car feels upstream of the similarly sized Altima. Think of it as a credible alternative to a $40,000 luxury car rather than a conventional full-size sedan, and I suspect you and your bank account will find plenty to like.

This redesign marks the Maxima's seventh generation.

New Maximas hit showrooms in late June. Nissan says pricing is close to the 2008 model, which ranges roughly from $28,000 to $35,000.

The Maxima uses Nissan's popular 3.5-liter V-6, groomed here for a not-too-shabby 290 horsepower. It moves the car easily, with fairly seamless torque from a stop to freeway speeds. Passing power is strong, and under hard acceleration the engine has a high-pitched whine that recalls that of the 350Z. Most impressive is the near-absence of torque steer, which is possible thanks to some very clever chassis tuning.

Much of the performance story is tied to the continuously variable automatic transmission, which is the only transmission available this year. CVTs are supposed to continuously adjust among possible gear ratios for the best mix of efficiency and performance. The Maxima's is one of the more responsive examples of this type of transmission. It moves from a fuel-sipping 1,800 rpm to an acceleration-friendly 3,500 rpm or higher with a tap on the gas.

CVTs fall short, at least in perception, under hard acceleration, where the tachometer needle wanders its upper limits with droning uncertainty.

The uncertainty may be purely sensory - you're accelerating swiftly the whole while - and it rarely bothers me in cars or SUVs where performance is not the emphasis. The Nissan Rogue is one such example. The Maxima is not. Its hard-nosed character encourages the sort of driving a responsive five- or six-speed auto matic might complement, and in such situations the CVT inspires little confidence. You can shift it in manual mode - there are six fixed ratios that simulate gears, shifted either via the gearshift's manual gate or the optional steering-wheel paddle shifters - but doing so makes the car slower than it would be if you just left it in Drive and stood on the gas.

Nissan attempted to address this with Drive-Sport mode. Rather than pick between the manual mode's six ratios, Drive-Sport chooses and holds any of the infinite possibilities, moving from one to the next to simulate upshifting and downshifting. As such, it's supposed to allow you to nail the gas coming out of a turn, with the progressive rpm buildup of a well-geared automatic. It sort of works, holding the line better than if you left the gearshift in Drive. As with all automatic transmission Sport modes, fuel economy is sure to suffer.

The standard four-wheel-disc antilock brakes are sure-footed and linear, and the drivetrain yields gas mileage of 19/26 miles per gallon city/highway. Nissan says premium fuel is required.

Augmenting the Maxima's four-wheel-independent suspension is Nissan's new Twin Orifice Power Steering system, which varies power assist with an emphasis toward quicker response at higher speeds. I initially thought TOPS was, well, tops: It allows one-finger steering at low speeds but firms things up to a satisfying, weighty feel on curvy roads, and steering feedback is surprisingly good. After a few hours, however, I started to get annoyed by the suddenness of the transitions. The steering feels too buoyant around town, unwinding after turns with an over-assisted, artificial feel. At 20 or 30 miles per hour it's downright wobbly on-center, becoming more precise - and rapidly so - only when you hit faster speeds.

Not so if you add the 3.5 SV trim level's optional Sport Package. Its steering setup is identical, but a number of other factors, from lower-profile 19-inch tires to a sport-tuned suspension, give the wheel a weightier feel and better turn-in precision at moderate speeds. The transition from more to less power assist feels altogether smoother, and the suspension cuts most of the non-Sport model's acceleration squat and body roll - something especially prevalent with the available dual-pane panoramic moonroof, which adds weight where you least want it.

Often a sport-tuned suspension returns choppy ride quality, as it does in the Altima. The Maxima feels significantly more refined - at highway speeds the cabin remained surprisingly quiet, even as trucks barreled past. The suspension soaks up bumps with little rebound; sport-tuned models yield rougher responses, but the car never feels downright brittle.

A common criticism of the outgoing Maxima was how close it was to the Altima. The redesigned '09 should put some of those critiques to rest. Its aggressive styling allows it to look like a Nissan, but without the previous model's ballooned-Altima look.

If you need justification for the Maxima's $4,000-plus premium over a V-6 Altima, the cabin ought to suffice. Dashboard quality rivals a Volkswagen Passat or Lexus ES, with gap-free panel fits around the glove compartment, center controls, and steering wheel. The doors have wide armrests and softer materials, and the center controls feel luxury-spec.

Equally luxurious are the Maxima's options. Among them are power controls for the tilt/telescoping steering wheel, a power rear sunshade, tri-zone climate control, and a heated and cooled driver's seat. The optional navigation system uses Infiniti's excellent setup, though models without navigation have an information display with blocky red letters on a black background. It's probably the cabin's low point.

Base models come with cloth seats. The front seats have ample bolsters for ambling along a winding road, if not sharper corners at higher speeds, and their soft inserts provide good long-haul comfort. (Not so with the rock-hard head restraints, which bothered me when I was sitting shotgun.) An eight-way power driver's seat is standard, and its wide range of adjustments leave enough legroom to accommodate an NBA player.

The front seatbacks are sculpted to enhance rear legroom. Even so, it's adequate but not generous. The same is true for headroom. Full-size cars like the Avalon and Chrysler 300 have larger cabins and trunks - so if you frequent the golf course with adults and their clubs in tow, this is probably not the best choice.

As of this writing, the new Maxima has not yet been crash-tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Standard safety features include front and side-impact airbags for the front seats, side curtain airbags for both rows, and active head restraints. Antilock brakes, traction control, and an electronic stability system are also standard.

Forget the Altima comparisons. The Maxima isn't appreciably bigger, but it is more upscale. Don't mistake that to mean it's a value winner, though. If you're serious about value, a Ford Taurus or Chevy Impala offers much more space for the money. What the Maxima does offer is luxury for the money - in features and quality.