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2007 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE Road Test

I might be going out on a limb by saying this, but for a flagship vehicle ofthe large, front-wheel drive variety, the Nissan Maxima is particularly unusual. Range topping vehicles that aren't sports cars or sport utilities generally tend to be luxury vehicles, and in the case of the upper-midsize-but-not-completely-premium segment, where the Maxima resides, they're always luxury vehicles. Similarly sized competitors in this field do their best to one-up each other in order to be in the best position to deliver the most luxury features, the roomiest cabin, or the most powerful engines. Nissan has done its fair share in keeping up with other firms in these regards, but for the Maxima it's also carved out a sporty niche, which is unique among its flagship rivals. Now, the Maxima has a distinguished following, but it hasn't always been this way during its eighteen-year lifespan. Its shift upwards started with the introduction of the 2002 Altima.

For much of its life, the Maxima was Nissan's main

Given the power and the luxury, the Maxima is a good buy. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

offering when it cameto midsize vehicles, but it had a size and luxury advantage over the of usual four-door suspects. Nissan's decision to move the Altima upmarket from a smallish, four-cylinder-only sedan to a true midsize vehicle had some serious consequences. The Altima was built on a new platform called the FF; it was tuned to be sportier than a Camry or Accord, and presented an excellent value proposition. Needless to say it became the brand's best selling car in North America. Two years later Nissan launched the 7th generation Maxima (if you include two generations of 810-based Maximas early on), which shocked the world. The once conservatively styled

It's a bit of a shame that the Maxima isn't riding on the new D-platform. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Maxima had been pushed further upscale. It too was based off the Altima's FF platform, but was much larger. Nissan didn't want the Maxima to cozy up to the Toyota Avalon or anything with a Buick badge; it had a sporting reputation to live up to after all. The new Maxima would be the car to run with the premium brands, such as Acura and its TL, Volvo and its S60, and Volkswagen's Passat.

Needless to say, going sporty worked, and while the Maxima's sales haven't beenbad, five years on it's time for an update. To give itself a truly fresh product range, Nissan has also been tidying things up, and introducing a whole host of new models. Some cars are brand new, like the Versa, while others are completely updated

Heated seats and steering wheel are wonderful, but the buttons are slightly out of the way. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

next generations, like the Sentra and Altima. On the contrary, the Maxima is not all-new, but rather it's just new and improved. It's received an automotive shot of Botox, if you will, with a visual update that brings it more in line with the rest of Nissan's lineup. It's a bit difficult to pick the new Maxima out from the old, even if you're within close proximity. You have to really look for the details, such as the new T-bar grille, and the gently morphed head and taillights. There are new bumpers too, but once again, if they weren't pointed out, a carry-over would be assumed. On the sportier SE model, there's a new rear spoiler that finishes off the tail; it cuts drag by 0.1 cd.

With this 2007 update, some of the overtly sporty, image-related stuff has been shed. That

All Maximas, including the base model, receive intelligent key for keyless ignition. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

funky saffron color, and the orange-hued leather, both of which were inspired by the 350Z show car, has been dropped. The Z-style alloy wheels are also gone, though the standard 18-inch wheels are no smaller than before. It feels as if the Maxima is a little more mature and a little more sophisticated, but the retention of a mild bodykit and that rear spoiler hint at undertones of what this car is capable of.

One aspect of the Maxima that needs no improvement, nor introduction is the engine;the famed VQ-series 3.5-liter V6. There are few finer V6s on the market, matching its smoothness and silky power delivery, so Nissan left well enough alone. SAE's adjustment in power ratings nibbled away at the numbers that were previously published but it's very much the same engine. When the pre-facelift car was launched, 265 horsepower was a lot, but post-adjustments and five

Build quality is good; the sat-nav system is easy to use. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

years later, 255 horsepower is merely average. The humble Camry V6 has surpassed the mighty Maxima, as has the Lincoln MKZ, VW Passat V6 and Hyundai Azera. Its little brother, the Altima, makes more power too, 270, and that's after the SAE has made its taxing deductions. That's not to say in the slightest that the Maxima has any deficiency in its engine department, for the stick it carries has heft. Power delivery is nothing less than buttery smooth, and it's got a sweet sounding exhaust note to match. Glorious? I wouldn't count that adjective out.

While the engine is exactly the same, it's a different story in the transmissiondepartment – the Maxima no longer has multiple gears in its autobox. No, Nissan hasn't come up with an innovative new direct-drive system, it's just fitted the wonderful Xtronic CVT gearbox. As with the engine, the CVT is all about precision; its computer chip brain works to find the optimal ratios for any situation. As a fuel-saving

Interior is a comfy place to spend time. The 2007 update gives it a slicker look. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

device, I can say it's beneficial seeing as my weekly average was just 23 mpg. Accelerate slowly and the rubber band feeling never comes; you expect to hear and feel shift intervals, but they never come. Passing on the highway is a bit different in a car with a CVT gearbox – it's a more precise affair. Yes, noise and speed do not correlate as they would with an automatic or manual, but the control offered is superior; you never add too much or too little speed. While I have no feelings of loss for the departed five-speed automatic, I lament the loss of the six-speed manual. A stick was one of the unique, sporty selling features available in all previous generations of Maxima.

Where the Altima migrated to the all-new D-Platform, the Maxima will stillcontinue on with the FF-L chassis, meaning it suffers from the same problems it did prior to its facelift. The biggest issue is that it torque steers, and like the majority of front-wheel drive cars with highly powerful engines, full-out acceleration is best avoided at

The VQ35DE found in the Maxima's bay isn't the revised version found in the Altima; it makes 255 hp. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

low speeds, especially when exiting the bends. If you do this, the effect felt is greatly lessened, and the Maxima feels a little more in its groove. The steering is quick, giving this large sedan unexpected agility. It's confidence building, but don't push too hard, because the Maxima will simply deny the pleasures that an all-wheel or rear-wheel drive car could otherwise deliver. It pushes wide, and understeers safely around corners, with or without the stability control on. Comparing thresholds, it's leagues above the ES 350 or Lucerne in the way that it handles corners.

The sport-tuned suspension and standard18-inch wheels provide a ride that's not completely absorbent, but very well damped. It's the kind of car that lets you hear road noise when going over bumps, rather than actually feeling the bumps – the sort of tuning that takes countless hours for refinement. The multi-link setup is effective in filtering out the bad stuff – harshness, crash, noise – and leaving good impressions on the feel of the road. The overall setup seems to be in favor of firm dampers and soft springs,

HID headlights provide excellent forward vision at night. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

given by the suspension's generous travel distance and the softness of the body when diving into a corner. Because of this, the Maxima is a great highway cruiser, and has achieved a fine balance between softness and tautness that many manufactures in this field could learn from.

Look around and there's still lingering elements of the 350Z in theMaxima's cabin, such as the chunky turn signals and the three individual instrument bins. These are a nice find in what's otherwise a comfort-oriented sedan. I found the seats to have good lateral support, and while firm, they do lead to a bit of a numb backside after about an hour behind the wheel. The Maxima is filled with plenty of surprise and delight features that make life a breeze, like the power tilt and telescoping steering wheel, which is also heated. That alone was probably the thing I looked forward to most every time I got into the car, especially since the weather was still a bit chilly. The optional navigation system is well labeled and the menus are intuitive, making the system user friendly. Standard on all Maximas is intelligent key, power heated seats with memory, auto-dimming rear and side-view mirrors, plus a nine-speaker Bose sound

The Maxima uses the idea of sport to differentiate itself from other large sedans on the market. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

system. To find these features on an $60,000 car is great, but on a car that retails at a hair above $28,000 is another story.

What complaints I have about the well-executed cabin – and the rest of thecar for that matter - are minimal at best. The buttons for the heated steering wheel and heated seats are located in a slightly awkward position, behind the gear-lever on the armrest's boss, which is hard to access when the armrest itself is slid forward. Some of the switchgear is a little old too; the ignition for the intelligent key is a hard to grip twist knob as opposed to the Altima's funky starter button, and while the car has parking sensors, it doesn't have a reverse camera, which too is available on the Altima. Other little things include the lack of a handle on the inside of the trunk's lid, as well as a folding seat mechanism. In order to drop the seats you'll need to reach all the way inside the car and pull the strings. Not bad if the car's perfectly clean, but if it's covered in damp, grimy salt… well, you get the idea. Beyond this, I struggle to find any further faults. To its credit, those are two faults also found on the Altima.

The newest generation Altima seems to have taken the majority ofNissan's focus, and as a result has stolen

It's a minor facelift for Nissan's biggest sedan, the Maxima. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

the show from the Maxima, and rightly so. With all due respect to the Maxima, subjectively the Altima is a superior car because it's a much newer design that features the majority of Nissan's latest, greatest hardware in top trim levels. In that respect, the Altima has grown up, filling the shoes that previous generations of Maxima held, in overall size, interior volume and image. It has more power, and that manual transmission that enthusiasts desire. But just the same, the Maxima somehow manages to pull at the strings of my heart more than the Altima. Indeed, it's a car that I really like. This is one fine vehicle, no question, and a stylish and supremely comfortable cruiser to boot, but I'm really wondering just how much longer we'll be seeing this car in Nissan's lineup. If its survival is to be guaranteed, Nissan will need to raise the bar, first by shifting it to the D-Platform, and then, in order to further distance it from the stiff internal competition of the Altima, add styling and features unique to the entry-level luxury class. It'll be tough though, because there's very little that the Altima is missing, except maybe a telescopic steering wheel. It'll need to be more than that. We'll soon find out, but until then I've got few complaints with the Nissan's current flagship.

Specifications (Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE):

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