Big sedans aren't as popular as they used to be, but the Nissan Maxima adds some spark to the segment
It took eight generations and some 35 years to get to the point where Nissan can make the claim its flagship Maxima
four-door is “a sports car in sedan clothing” without some sort of
response bordering on incredulity. The slow transition from the now
painfully square, mild-mannered Datsun 810 to the robust and curvaceous
2016 Maxima has been agonizing at times, an impatient wondering as to
when the company was going to build a midsize car that had as much
performance as function – some European sport sedan-style zip.
Now that I’ve finally gotten around to
driving one — a 2017 model in top-of-the-line Platinum trim — any
thoughts of admonishing Nissan for its tardiness are banished. This
version is not just sporty; it’s deceptive, with performance and
handling to go with a smooth ride, plus luxury touches and premium
content exceeding reasonable expectations of the Platinum’s $44,200
price tag.
But it’s the awakened performance that first
grabs one’s attention. And it’s not as though Nissan went radical with
the car. Under the hood is the familiar 3.5-litre VQ-series V6, only
thoroughly reworked (60 per cent new parts compared with the previous
engine) and now pushing out 300 horsepower and 261 lb.-ft. of torque. In
truth, the engine feels stronger; the car shows distinct verve off the
line when the gas pedal is given a prod.
Though I’d much prefer an automatic with a
specified number of gears, there’s little complaint regarding the
Maxima’s Xtronic continuously variable transmission, which seems well
matched to the V6’s torque and comes with both Normal and Sport modes.
Its wide gear ratio range allows for strong acceleration from a standing
start, while Nissan says credit goes to the D-Step shifting logic for
both the rapid shifts at full throttle and for holding the engine’s
speed when hooning around corners, which allows for smooth acceleration
when exiting said corners.
In Sport, zero to 100 km/h is reportedly
less than six seconds — strong for a front-drive family car, if not
mind-blowing. The drive mode selector not only adjusts throttle response
and transmission tuning, but also steering feel and “active sound
enhancement” tuning. But, while the exhaust note has some musicality to
it, the engine itself is a bit coarse when under the hammer.
The other benefit to this re-engineering
effort is a claimed 15 per cent increase in highway fuel economy to 7.8
L/100 km over the previous-generation Maxima; city fuel economy is rated
at 11.1 L/100 km. I put 700 kilometres on the car during my week with
it, the bulk of it highway cruising, and averaged 9.9 L/100 km.
While the sedan wouldn’t be my first choice
for racetrack lap sessions, Nissan’s engineers clearly spent some time
working under the car to imbue it with a decent measure of on-road
handling. Up front is the usual strut/coil spring design, but ZF Sachs
monotube dampers are added to the rear end’s independent multi-link
double wishbone setup. Thick stabilizer bars are found at both ends.
Shapely and far more distinct than many of
its rival sedans, the Maxima’s styling, in truth, doesn’t completely
blow me away, looking over-designed with its aggressive character lines,
deeply scalloped doors and “floating roof.” Yet, I do like the boldness
of Nissan’s signature “V-motion” grille and boomerang-style lights.
Still, Nissan’s 3.5L V6-powered Altima,
which shares the same platform and pretty much all the mechanicals as
the Maxima (although with 30 less horsepower), is a more cohesive
design.
The Altima is also roomier, at least for
back-seat passengers. While there’s tons of room up front for the tall
and leggy in the Maxima, if those in the back are equally so, they’re
going to find their knees jammed in the front seat back and their heads
brushing the headliner.
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