Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV Part 2: Interior & User Experience

The Nissan Maxima is the Japanese company's flagship sedan. With recent versions arguably losing their direction to the extent that the less-expensive Nissan Altima has been nipping at its heels, the 2009 model aims to set things straight and reestablish itself at the top of the Nissan sedan food chain.

The Altima sedan snuck up on the Maxima thanks to its lighter weight, greater horsepower, lower price and less-polarizing design. The newest Maxima addresses these issues one by one and justifies its premium price with tons of features and an interior with quality befitting its entry-level luxury sport sedan status.

Inside the Maxima's "Super Cockpit," we get features that that would be at home in any sportscar. Most obviously, we're greeted by the same steering wheel that we'll soon see on the upcoming 370Z. Behind that wheel you get big paddles that operate the simulated shifts of the constantly variable transmission. They're larger on cars equipped with the Sport Package - as ours was - and are so well shaped that other manufacturers would do well to have a look.

Just a fingertip reach away, the paddles have a positive action to them that is very similar to that of the Nissan GT-R. The steering wheel from the company's 370Z sportscar replaces the "Z" on its hub with a Nissan logo in this application and is connected to a speed-sensitive power steering system that is a touch too light at parking lot speeds, but weighs up nicely as speeds climb.

The eight-way adjustable drivers seat is well judged, being both comfortable for normal driving duties, while providing decent bolstering when you're feeling a bit frisky. There's even manual thigh support adjustment to help reduce fatigue. If you're relegated to the back seats you won't find too much to complain about either, as there's plenty of space as well as your own climate controls. The ride and handling balance is also well judged, with a slight slant toward the handling side of the equation, but you'd never describe the ride as uncomfortable.

Beyond its renewed focus as the preeminent Nissan sports sedan, the new Maxima also makes a good case for itself as the top luxury sedan in the company lineup. There's tons of standard content in the cabin of the Maxima, including an available Technology Package with a hard-drive based navigation system featuring a seven-inch touch-screen and voice recognition. The hard-drive can store up to 9.3 GB of your favorite tunes in its Music Box, which you can load through the compact flash card reader. There's also Bluetooth connectivity, multi-zone climate control and even a climate-controlled driver seat available. With all this content, a more powerful version of the VQ 3.5 liter V6 and fresh styling, the Maxima clearly leaves the Altima sedan in its wake.

So the 2009 model reinstates the Maxima as the top-of-the-line Nissan sedan. Unfortunately, its ambitious pricing and sporting pretenses now see it moving up into the entry-level luxury sport sedan segment where some serious competitors lurk. One of the best of those is Nissan's own Infiniti G37 sedan. Can the Maxima's impressively long list of features, premium quality and bold styling overcome the premium brand name and rear-drive dynamics of the G37? This is one intra-company battle that may prove tough even for Nissan's new Maxima.

Watch the video
Read Part 1: Design
Read Part 3: Performance

Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV

Performance
- Acceleration: Engine spins up to 6400 rpm and stays there - quick enough, but zero satisfaction
- Handling: Can almost lay legitimate claim to its "4DSC" stickers... at least for a front-wheel-drive sedan
- Braking: Brakes feel good and are as effective as they should be on a sports sedan

Design
- Exterior: Much better than it looks in photos - Nissan took some chances and they worked... mostly
- Interior: Not nearly as risky as the exterior, the inside of the Maxima is still quite nicely done

Utility
- Comfort: Excellent for four adults, maybe even for five
- Space: Much larger inside than you might expect with a decent trunk to boot (pun intended for the Brits out there)

Safety
- Dynamics: Very sport oriented front-wheel drive dynamics - adjustable, which is rare for front-drive sedans
- Technology: Everything you'd expect including a stability control system that can be switched off

Value
- Price: Nudging up too closely against superior, rear-drive sport sedans when optioned up
- Mileage: Not appalling, but not exactly great either

Emotional Appeal
- Heart thumpin' factor: Styling and 4DSC stickers may get your heart pumpin', but CVT single-handedly kills this car's appeal
- Fun to spank: If the road is twisty and you play along with the "fake" shifts of the CVT, then yes, it's somewhat fun

SPECIFICATIONS

Layout: Front engine / Front-wheel drive
Engine: 3.5 liter, V6
Power (SAE): 290 hp @ 6400 rpm
Torque: 261 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm
Gearbox: CVT (Constantly Variable Transmission)
Curb Weight: 3579 lbs.
0-60 mph: 6.1 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.6 @ 97 mph
Top Speed: 149 mph (electronically limited)
Mileage: 19 city / 26 highway
Base Price: $35,160
Competitors: Acura TL, Lexus IS 350, Infiniti G37, Audi A4