Introduction: The first Nissan Maxima was introduced initially as the Datsun 810 in 1976 and was called the Nissan Bluebird Maxima in Japan. It eventually was renamed the Nissan Maxima when Nissan decided to retire the Datsun brand in 1982. The early Nissan Maximas had a lot in common with the Nissan Bluebird and thus in 1985 the 2nd generation Maxima switched from rear wheel drive to become front wheel drive like the U11 Bluebird and also switched usage of straight six engines in favour of the V6 engine. By the third generation the Maxima no longer shared much in common with the Bluebird and grew in size as Nissan's flagship vehicle. As the Altima grew in size, Nissan changed the Maxima's mostly unique platform only shared by the Infiniti I cars to the common Altima platform in 2004. This change also meant the Maxima was no longer built in Oppama Japan but rather the Smyrna plant in Tennessee. In its current version Nissan has further changed the Maxima possibly tapping into its roots from the past and brought back the "4 door sports car" from the 3rd generation Maxima.
Ever since I heard we were getting a select few of these cars I was very eager to drive one. After being disappointed with mostly US flagship cars and some Japanese ones, I was hoping Nissan would do the role of a flagship car well. For flagship cars I look at mainly the quality and essentially whether the car is a jack of all trades vehicle, if it isn't...it fails in my mind. A big reason I didn't score the Avalon well.
Performance: Under the Nissan Maxima's hood is a big 3.5L V6 engine, the famous VQ engine to be specific. This engine has been tweaked from the last Maxima now producing 290 hp and 261 lb.ft of torque. The only possible disappointing item for an enthusiast would be that Nissan mates this engine to a CVT instead of offering a manual. That said if you read my Altima review, you would have seen that Nissan's CVT is shockingly brilliant even when given an engine not all that spectacular. The Maxima's 0-100 time is...6 seconds dead. This is easily the quickest car I've ever driven, the feeling of power from this engine makes lots of cars feel slow. The responsiveness from the CVT means this power comes instantaneous and has no lag while changing gear ratios. So performance-wise, this powertrain combo is brilliant. Yet when you want to relax, the engine is extremely smooth and quiet. The noise is also very nice to hear. I can't think of an actual flaw to this combination, that's how good it is.
My Score: 10/10 - Fantastic engine and transmission combo, its extremely hard to beat
Handling: The Altima was not nearly as solid with the handling as I was hoping due to the lack of a sway bar of some sort. I always felt it had potential but could never reach it. The Maxima may share the Altima's platform but boy did they actually focus a lot of attention to the suspension. The Maxima has incredible amounts of grip and even when you're putting more speed into the corners it can maintain flat cornering which I've never experienced in a large 4-door sedan. Not even my car is this flat. The steering is very precise, you can feel how the car will behave just at your fingertips I have no issue with the steering. Yet despite this frankly excellent performing suspension's handling ability, it didn't at all sacrifice a whole lot of the comfort. Going over rough roads the Maxima while it felt the bumps, never really made me question ride comfort.
My Score: 10/10 - Excellent flat cornering, despite excellent handling ability ride comfort doesn't suffer all that much.
Interior: As Nissan's flagship vehicle, this car is fitted with a lot of buttons. You'll find buttons all over the place, its easily better equipped than most Altimas. There is a LCD screen fitted above the audio controls, I never really explored the usage but assuming you purchased it this is likely where your navigation package enhances. As for the general interior itself, I really like the seats since they're a combination of luxury leather seats with a racing seat. It provides not only excellent comfort but can hold you in place when you're cornering aggressively. There's quite a bit of room in the rear and the trunk space is pretty good as well. I also like the general atmosphere of the interior, its a lot less fake than many other flagship car interiors. Trim surrounding the buttons look and feel solid and its very simple away from the dash. All the nice items you got from the Altima are all here as well including the nice push button start. Considering how well the Altimas hold up, the Maximas now built in Smyrna shouldn't show any build quality defects.
My Score: 10/10 - Excellent seats, nice trim, very well equipped, has very little fake items, built well...rather hard to fault.
Styling: I wasn't a big fan of the Maxima's styling, I rather liked the previous generation's styling. However the Altima shares a similar look to that and I often confuse the two initially. Nissan wanted the Maxima to be different and when it was unveiled...mostly shock. The car's been here a while and I'm starting to see that Nissan was right. I still don't like the tears on the head lights but overall it looks very aggressive and sleek. The Maxima is very wide but the styling actually doesn't say to me the car looks fat.
My Score: 8/10 - The styling is growing on me, still don't like the tears though.
Value for money: The Maxima is a very expensive car, the starting price is at $39450. This makes it the most expensive of its rivals. In terms of price its rather close to the Toyota Avalon's starting price. Its not the largest at all, in fact the Maxima is shorter in length than the Honda Accord and actually most of the mid sized cars including the Altima. If the Chrysler and the Ford are given their strongest engines its not the quickest that said the Chrysler needs a very large Hemi V8 to reach a time under 6 seconds and the Taurus uses a twin turbo V6. Its kind of a shame, the Maxima could use a ultimate performance trim level. Only the Avalon is as well equipped at base spec and as an all rounder the base Maxima is more than enough. Just the driving experience is enough for me to toss out the Toyota, the Buick and the Chrysler. I haven't driven the new Taurus to compare the driving experience but the Maxima will be difficult to top.
My Score: 8/10 - Its very expensive initially, it also lacks a hyper performance package.
Overall: 46/50 - An absolutely fantastic flagship car from Nissan, easily one of the best cars on sale today.
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