What’s an automaker to do when customers abandon their mid-size sedans in hot pursuit of crossovers and pickups? The smart ones respond with irresistible crossovers and pickup trucks. The brilliant ones do the same without turning a cold shoulder to products they’ve nurtured for decades.
Case in point: Nissan’s new Maxima. With a nameplate that dates back to 1981 and 2.9 million U.S. sales thus far, the eighth-generation Maxima is a sports sedan with rousing performance, in-your-face design, and an interior capable of curing the most festering crossover urge. While other makers dump V-6s to add a hybrid powertrain or an all-wheel-drive option in their family sedans, Nissan is sticking to its Maxima guns with what it once again is touting as “the four-door sports car.”
That’s a stretch given the CVT living between the 300-hp 3.5-liter V-6 and the front wheels, but after a day’s drive near Nissan’s Nashville headquarters, we came away impressed by the effort bestowed upon the brand’s flagship. In spite of the gearless transmission, there’s plenty of fun and four-door utility available here for between $30,000 and $40,000.
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