Nissan has long referred to the Nissan Maxima as a four-door sports car. Although that sounds like great marketing gibberish, the Maxima sadly has often missed the mark in its ability to live up to its name. However, the all-new 2009 Nissan Maxima Boston may be a different story.
Nissan’s new Maxima offers a 290-horsepower engine, delivering 35 horsepower more than the outgoing model. This is important considering that the smaller and cheaper Nissan Altima had been quicker than the Maxima until this latest redesign.
The engine for the new Nissan Altima, is mated to a newly tuned Continuously Variable Transmission that has been tweaked for performance driving. Along with sporty 19-inch tires, Massachusetts Nissan dealers say the new Maxima will zoom to 60 mph is under 7 seconds, which isn’t bad considering the new model’s size.
Helping to provide even more sporty driving dynamics is the shortened wheelbase and widened stance which according to Boston Nissan dealers will help make the new Maxima more nimble in corners. Additionally, the chassis has been stiffened up and the engine has been mounted lower in the body to help the new Maxima take on corners more efficiently.
The new CVT transmission also comes with paddle shifters with the steering wheel, which enables the driver to mimic a standard six-speed transmission. This advanced feature has been adored by customers among Manchester Nissan dealers that love the CVT’s bled of efficiency and sportiness. The steering ratio is also quicker, providing incredible responsiveness, perhaps a bit too much.
The new Nissan Maxima’s styling should also appeal to plenty of potential buyers, thanks to its aggressive stance and muscular fender flares. In fact, the styling is more in-line with Nissan’s Infiniti brand than Nissan admit new car buyers at one Boston Infiniti dealership.
Nissan has also made ample improvements to the interior, with premium leather seating and plenty of electric gizmos, such as a rear view camera, and Bluetooth connectivity. Priced in the mid to high $30,000 range, the new Maxima isn’t cheap, but it does have the panache and driving dynamics of a true four-door sports car.
