It depends how you look at it, but the old Maxima was either a huge success or a quiet, black sheep. In South Africa, its high price made it an unlikely choice, as even slightly savvy buyers opted for German cars only marginally costlier. In America it did well, but in the GCC, the Maxima really took off. Over 110,000 units spanning three generations left dealers' showrooms across the region, as customers were drawn to the car's powerful 3.0-litre engine and masses of room.
Nissan could have easily rested on its laurels and only slightly updated the car for 2010, letting the Maxima's good name push the sales up. Fortunately, the American faction of the carmaker has paid a lot more attention to the Maxima this time around, endangering Toyota Avalon sales, Mazda 6s and even its own Infiniti G35 saloons with the result.
What is the 2010 Maxima?
This is meant to be a sports saloon, if you take Nissan's word for it. But one look at the badge on the boot tells you that Nissan is feeding you a fairy tale. The car is fitted with a CVT that comes with paddle shifters behind the steering wheel, for, I don't know, maybe decoration? Why would you manually shift ratios with a CVT? This gearbox is an automotive equivalent of a sloth — it's there, but you don't even know it. Although to be fair, when in sports mode the transmission does hold the revs through bends, but it still doesn't make sense.
The sporty side of the car is exclusively up front and under the bonnet, where you'll find a 3.5-litre V6 (from the VQ family, same as in the old Maxima and found all over Nissan's and Renault's range) producing 290bhp at 6,400rpm and 354Nm of torque at 4,400rpm. For the new car, engineers focused on increasing air intake and fuel burn efficiency, while lowering exhaust backpressure. This not only makes it the most powerful Nissan saloon ever, but it also means the 2010 Maxima towers over every rival. A quick check shows that the Ford Five Hundred only musters up 263bhp from the same capacity V6, Honda's Accord is slightly better with 271bhp, Mazda's 3.7-litre 6 Ultra manages 272 horses, the Mitsubishi Galant loses out to the lot with only 245bhp from 3.8-litres and the Toyota Avalon comes mighty close with 10bhp down on the Maxima. Only Hyundai's Genesis can match the Nissan's power output, although at a slightly higher price, worse fuel economy and more displacement, while even the much pricier Lexus ES350 suffers with 18 horses less. Never mind that the VQ35DE engine has served for almost a decade now, it's obviously still a force to be reckoned with.
Which can't be said about the gearbox. The CVT makes life supremely comfortable, but also void of any excitement. When pushed hard, the transmission wails with revs knocking on the red-line's door, continuously, until you decide enough's enough and back off. It's a strange and unfamiliar sensation and it means you'll never actually push hard, because you'll feel sorry for the car. It's much happier coasting along serenely with the ratios adjusting seamlessly and at their most economical level.
Being a front-wheel drive (we're talking about the Altima platform here), doesn't do wonders for the nose-heavy Maxima, which dives when you hit the brakes like it's trying to burrow itself into the ground. When accelerating flat out from the line (with or without ESP, doesn't matter, you won't spin the wheels) it also squats heavily, meaning speedy progress isn't its theme, although the Maxima should be commended for suffering almost no torque steer. And if you try to corner enthusiastically, the light steering also displays itself prominently, calling on you to stop the senseless punishment. Although there is sufficient grip from the 19in 245/40 Bridgestones, the flexing chassis and rolling body won't inspire any confidence. Best to just waft along because the Maxima is sublime in that arena.
What's more, the superb interior looks like it came straight out of an Infiniti — and those have some of the best cabins around. Ok, fine, maybe only the centre console got transplanted to the Maxima, but it's the overall feel that's miles ahead of the old car, but not any better than the competition's best efforts. The Genesis for one, is excellent inside, while the Volkswagen Passat CC is untouchable. Yet, the Maxima's chunky, leather steering wheel is adjusted any way you need, the switches all feel springy (just like the suspension) and the sound system, AC and sat-nav are all top notch. You can cool the driver's seat too, move everything electrically and rest on soft leather, plus rear passengers get enough legroom to genuinely stretch out. Honestly, the only downside when sitting behind the wheel are extremely irrational parking sensors which will scream their circuits off every time another car so much as thinks about getting near your bumper in traffic. Thankfully, a button to switch it off isn't too far and it's the first thing you should push after getting in. To top off the winning interior, the Maxima looks fantastic outside too, mimicking its Infiniti cousin. Nissan calls the styling ‘liquid motion', which is marketing talk that actually makes sense. The wavy arches at the rear swoop down as the waistline travels forward, only to rise up again and flow over the front wheels, into the sliced headlamps and towards the prominent grille. Obviously, not everyone will like it, but you can't say it's not a fresh addition to the mid-size saloon segment.
Verdict
The sporty side of the new Maxima just doesn't add up, even if the figures look attractive on paper. Nissan may have spent time adjusting the sound of the engine when in sports mode, putting the paddle shifters directly on the column so they turn with the wheel and allowing for engine braking when downshifting, but you're still not going to buy the Maxima for its ability to devour mountain passes. Straight line speed is much more impressive here, as is every other department, especially the cosseting interior. Except the price.
With a lower sticker, the moment I hear ‘mid-size saloon' in a sentence I'd recommend the 2010 Maxima. But, it remains costly. The best way to justify it is to just think of the Maxima as a dressed-down Infiniti — see, it already makes sense. Although if you can steer from the legendary Maxima name, just buy the rear-wheel drive Genesis. Or even better — the excellent Passat CC.
290bhpNissan's most powerful saloon yet boasts more horses than any of its rivals
Specs
- Engine: 3.5-litre V6
- Transmission: CVT
- Max power: 290bhp @ 6,400rpm
- Max torque: 354Nm @ 4,400rpm
- 0-100kph: 6.3sec
- Price: Dh129,500 (SR spec),
- Dh: 113,500 (SV spec)
- Plus: Supremely comfortable and smooth to drive
- Minus: No sporty side, CVT, expensive