NISSAN FLIRTING WITH LUXURY
Stylish and sporty Maxima sedan is like a front-wheel-drive Infiniti
Nissan’s Maxima has long been a sedan in search of a segment. Ever since the Altima came along and usurped the Maxima’s position as Nissan’s Accord-fighting, Camry-baiting family sedan, Maxima has been stuck betwixt and between.
Not quite luxurious enough to be considered a (front-wheeldrive) Infiniti or common enough — that should be read cheap enough — for proletarian Nissan family sedan intenders, the Maxima has struggled to carve a niche all its own. Think of it as your teenager’s angst over whether to go for the full emo-goth or just stop somewhere this side of a multi-tatted hipster.
Well, almost 25 years after Altima invaded Maxima’s space, Nissan has finally decided to commit. And hedonism it is, the Maxima now really an Infiniti, only it is still a front driver and, well, doesn’t wear Infiniti badging. In all other regards, however, it might as well move into Nissan’s luxury division.
The interior of my tester, for instance, was more attractive and better equipped than any number of (lesser) luxury intenders. Cadillac, for instance, would love to have Nissan’s infotainment system, which now not only gives directions to the closest gas station, but the price it’s charging and will also keep you abreast of your latest stock purchases. Critics may decry Nissan’s Sirius XM apps as simply reducing the car to a four-wheeled smartphone, but Lordy, is it convenient. That said, there is still some development to be done. The gas pricing is only for American stations — Canadian gas pumps are as yet unmapped — and the apps can take a frustratingly long time to load. And anyone expecting realtime TSX updates is going to be disappointed.
Also impressive is the Maxima SR’s decor. Perhaps it’s just because I am a sucker for a black and tan interior. Or maybe I just fell for Nissan’s high-tech Nissan-Connect system. Whatever the case, the Maxima’s interior was splendid beyond its station. Oh, some of the trim is fake, but it’s done so very well that you don’t notice, and the seats’ diamond-stitched Alcantara inserts are a welcome embellishment. Ditto for the ambient lighting around the instrument panel and doors.
Again, Lincoln would be happy to proclaim such sybaritic seating as its own, especially since the heated — and ventilated — seats are those special, supposedly NASA-inspired, Zero Gravity items Nissan’s always going on about. Throw in commodious legroom and passable headroom even in the rear, and you have a legitimate luxury intender.
Where the SR may prove a little too Infiniti-like is in its suspension calibration. Significantly stiffer than lesser Maxima trims, the SR also rides on meaty 245/40R19 Goodyear all-seasons. Grip is substantially superior than most other large front-driving sedans. No less an authority than Car and Driver claims an SR is good for 0.87 g’s on a skid pad and body roll is well contained. Though not quite the BMW 335i that Nissan may want to proclaim, the Maxima SR can at least claim to be the equivalent of a front-wheel-drive Audi. Two caveats are worth noting. First, the suspension is quite firm. Even in the Normal position, the Maxima SR rides rougher than pretty much any other Asian family sedan. Toggle it over to Sport and things get seriously stiff; I doubt many will use such draconian damping for anything other than the twistiest of back roads. The short sidewall, low-profile tires don’t help matters either. Meanwhile, the steering is lighter than ideal for a sporty sedan; the SR needs a little more weight to its steering effort if it wants to provide the driver the feel that its stiff suspension behooves.
The Maxima’s engine also proves more than sufficiently rorty. Nissan claims 61 per cent of all the parts inside the awardwinning 3.0-litre V6 are new. I didn’t render cylinder head from block to count, but there is a boost of 10 horsepower — to 300 hp — and, more significantly, 261 pound-feet of torque at just 4,400 rpm. This last, along with the continuously variable transmission, accounts for the Maxima’s excellent throttle response, instantaneous compared to the turbocharged engines that are flooding the sedan segment. It adds to the Maxima’s sporty flavour, though I do wish the SR had more of a Jaguar F-Type or Cadillac ATS bark to its V6.
That said, methinks Nissan was catering to the luxury crowd here; thanks to a redesigned oil pan, thicker glass throughout the cabin, extra sound-deadening material and an active noisecancelling system, the Maxima is quieter than ever before.
A special commendation goes to the Maxima’s gearbox, which is the very best continuously variable transmission (CVT) I have tested. Nissan’s secret is to have the transmission act like a CVT up to 3/8ths throttle and then mimic a regular automatic by shifting artificial gears when serious acceleration is called for. It’s an excellent compromise. At low throttle, the CVT’s 17 per cent wider spread between its highest and lowest gears improves fuel economy.
Indeed, the highest compliment I can pay Nissan’s new Xtronic transmission is that I initially thought it was a new eight-speed automatic. And its efficiency does pay some dividends: the exemplary 8.1 L per 100 kilometres I recorded on the highway is very close to the 7.8 L/100 km Nissan claims for the SR. In the city, things are a little more ordinary, the readout registering about 12.0 L/100 km (against a rating of 10.9 L/100 km).
Although I usually don’t render personal judgments on design (mainly because style is such a personal issue and mine — I liked the original Alfa-like Subaru Tribeca — is particularly quirky), I will note that almost everyone raved about the new Maxima’s exterior. “Sporty” and “daring” were the most common compliments, both likely to warm the hearts of Nissan’s marketers.
Indeed, though I might be more likely to recommend the more luxury-oriented Platinum edition, more than the more focused SR, I am nonetheless impressed with the new Maxima. Nissan has finally found a home for its top-of-the-line sedan. No longer betwixt and between, the Maxima — appropriate badge or no — is a true near-luxury intender.
Overview: Big comfy fourdoor family transport that has morphed into a luxury sedan
Pros: Exquisite interior, excellent infotainment, sporty handling
Cons: Inappropriate steering feel (for the sporty SR), mediocre city fuel economy Value for money: Very good compared with similar cars wearing genuine luxury badges
What I would change: Give the steering a little feedback, add a bit more growl to the V6, maybe pare back the suspension in Sport mode a little
How I would spec it: For the few who really want a luxurious, front-wheel-drive sport sedan, I’d opt for the SR. The majority, I suspect, would feel more comfortable in the more accessible Platinum model