2016 Nissan Maxima revealed at the New York International Auto Show April 2, 2015.Jeremy Cato/The Globe and Mail
Vehicle
2016 Nissan Maxima
Signature feature
Nissan vice-president of North American product planning Pierre Loing not surprisingly says the design here is a stand-out. Nissan calls this Maxima a virtual clone of the "stunning" Nissan Sport Sedan Concept seen earlier. The latest Maxima is lower (33 mm) and longer (56 mm) than the outgoing design. Shoppers will love or hate this look. The "V-Motion" front end is a jaw-dropper and the "boomerang" lights deliver love-it-or-hate-it drama.
What else is new
Ride and handling, adds Loing, in particular pointing to the car's vast superiority over the Acura TLX. He also says the 2016 Max will be cross-shopped with the BMW 3-Series. Not hugely, but enough to warrant a mention. The secret: the car is lighter and more rigid, which allows the engineers to tune the road manners in a way that should entertain drivers who like to drive.
Under the hood
300-horsepower 3.5-litre V-6. That's a 10 hp jump from the 2014 version. Did you notice that Nissan didn't sell a 2015 Maxima – in anticipation of the arrival of this new version? The design is new, but the engine and its continuously variable transmission – Nissan calls it Xtronic – are for the most part carried over with some smart tuning by the engineers.
When can we buy it, and for how much?
It goes on sale in the summer with a base price of $34,900. The last version of the 2014 Maxima started at $38,680. The pricing tells you Nissan hopes to make some noise with what has for years been a quiet seller in a segment that is not alive with enthusiastic buyers.
Cool quotient
4 stars (out of 5)
Let's give props to Nissan for going all out on the design, inside and out.
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