Stylish sedan with sporty attitude

NISSAN The 2009 Maxima emphasizes style and performance while managing also to be a family sedan, in line with Nissan's aim to create the best-performing front-wheel drive sedan around. Nissan, which first rolled out its flagship Maxima sedan in 1982, has given it a full makeover for the 2009 model year. The company says it is returning the Maxima to its heritage as a "four-door sports car." It lives up to that description pretty well, but still manages to deliver the smooth ride, comfort and convenience you would want in a family sedan.

The Maxima's changes include a new exterior design with a shorter wheelbase and a wider track, large, wraparound L-shaped headlights, and 12-LED taillights. The interior has been tweaked to give it a more tailored and refined look. The Maxima will have two trim levels, S, the entry level, and SV, the higher grade.

The Maxima, which is made in Smyrna, Tenn., comes with a V-6 engine that makes 290 horsepower, a gain of 35 from the previous Maxima. But fear not, weary gas buyer, fuel economy has actually improved a bit. The Maxima's EPA numbers are now 19 mpg city, 26 highway. Nissan acknowledges, however, that car shoppers are increasingly turning away from V-8s and V-6s in favor of less thirsty four-cylinders, so at some point, you might see a four-cylinder Maxima offered. Nissan says it will put a diesel engine in the Maxima in the 2010 model year.

On the road, you'll be impressed by Maxima's power and handling. Most sports cars are rear-wheel drive, which enhances a car's performance. The Maxima is front-wheel drive, but you still get strong performance characteristics. In fact, Nissan says its target was to make the best-performing front-wheel drive sedan in the world. That's a lofty goal, but they might not have come too far from reaching it. Maxima sprints from zero to 60 in under 6 seconds, Nissan says.

Sales volume for the Maxima was more than 60,000 last year, but Nissan says the new model might top that, despite the slump in the auto industry. The company expects the migration away from trucks and SUVs to continue, benefiting cars such as the Maxima. Plus, Nissan says its top-level performance and styling went into the Maxima, which will add to its appeal.

The Maxima competes with the Honda Accord and Toyota Avalon, sort of. Nissan's Mark Perry was emphatic about drawing clear distinctions between the Maxima and the Avalon. "If they're looking at the Avalon, they will hate our car," he said. The Avalon's customer demographics tend to trend significantly older than Maxima customers, which is reflected in Maxima's emphasis on performance driving. More appropriate vehicles to be listed as competitors to the Maxima would be the Acura TL and the G35 from its upscale sister brand, Infiniti.

The Maxima 3.5 S starts at $29,950, and the leather-interior 3.5 SV, which Nissan thinks will be a bigger seller, starts at $32,650. The latter model offers Sport or Premium packages for $2,300 and $3,450, respectively.