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Description

Nissan, in the process of molting the Datsun label, stumbled upon a delightful formula in 1981: the reasonably spacious, reasonably quick, affordable sport sedan. Nissan moved into a wing of the old sport-sedan castle, once the strict province of BMW, christened it 4DSC–four-door sports car–and refused to leave. Early Maximas were commercial and critical successes. With a fresh, angular new Maxima here for 2004, we might look upon the outgoing car as one with a Salvador Dali-esque “melted taillamp” treatment that signaled Nissan’s dalliance with unusual styling. Whatever you think of the wrapper, facts reveal the fifth-generation Maxima a consummately good car. With this iteration, the Maxima’s DOHC 3.0-liter V-6 was enlivened from 190 horsepower to 222 and mated to a five-speed manual in the base GXE and sporty SE models or a four-speed automatic in the upmarket GLE (the automatic was optional in the other trim levels). For 2001, a 20th-anniversary model got a five-horsepower boost, while all 2002s received a 3.5-liter version of the engine, good for 255 horses. For 2003, the manual box became a six-speed available on the SE only, so this might be considered the most special of the group from a performance standpoint; other models got the autobox instead. Four-wheel discs with ABS were standard across the board. With the 2000 redesign, wheelbase increased two inches, benefiting interior room, while Nissan continued to fiddle with the twist-beam rear suspension that so horrified purists when it was introduced in the previous car. Short answer: It handles just fine, thanks.