Road Test: 2009 Nissan Maxima

I used to love sport wagons, then I loved sporty CUVs and now I’m completely smitten with the sport sedan. And Nissan’s 2009 Maxima is one such lovable car.

The 2009 Nissan Maxima with its racy engine, excellent driving dynamics and loads of standard features is also fairly affordable at a base price of $32,860. I was actually surprised the 2009 Nissan Maxima was styled much like its Infiniti brethren and definitely performs like Nissan’s luxe Infiniti marquee.

“Maxima has always enjoyed a certain ‘duality’ – a unique fusion of sedan practicality with the soul of a sports car,” says Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager of Nissan’s North America division. “In recent years, however, competitive vehicles have caught up with Maxima in ‘sporty’ looks and performance.”

I agree. But Castignetti says: “For 2009, Nissan is reclaiming its rich four-door sports car heritage with an infusion of emotional design, driving excitement and advanced technology – creating a silky, stimulating sports sedan like no other on the road today.”

Well, I’m not sure if the 2009 Maxima is unlike any car on the road today as I’m quite fond of its competition (Acura TL, Audi A4, Cadillac CTS, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Pontiac G8, Hyundai Genesis, Lexus ES350, Mercedes-Benz C Class and even Infiniti G35/37). However, at this price point and with this excellent design and superior handling, perhaps Nissan is totally right.

2009 Nissan Maxima SV Sport Exterior

The exterior design on the 2009 Maxima was very important to Nissan. The designers were asked to create a new “breakthrough personality, establishing a ‘wow’ level of style that would clearly distinguish it” from its huge roster of aforementioned competitors.

And Nissan did it! I was quite literally shocked when I first viewed the car as I found it to have true luxury appeal. The big, bold and kind of bulbous hood is striking even down to the exotic design of the headlamps. Chrome accents are everywhere, giving the 2009 Nissan Maxima even more of a luxe feel.

The side lines are undulating almost like a wave and the back side is handsome, as well. All in all, the total package definitely screams class, energy, strength, polish and performance.

“Maxima’s breathtaking new exterior gives it a commanding, almost coupe-like appearance, with plenty of driveway appeal,” said Castignetti. “It’s one sedan that will definitely be noticed by the next door neighbors, along with a lot of other people.” And that’s saying something when you stack up the 2009 Maxima to other good-looking sedans in its segment.

2009 Nissan Maxima SV Sport Interior

Yet again, Nissan’s interior design engineers were asked to update the 2009 Nissan Maxima with an “attractive, intimate, sporty cockpit with space.” And, yet again, Nissan designers definitely worked their magic. The interior is spacious, plush, comfortable and ergonomic.

The driver cockpit definitely makes you feel like taking the car for a spin with its sporty gauges, in-dash screen for audio and navigation, minimalist central console, handy cup holders and cozy arm rest/storage bin.

In my road test SV Sport model, I especially enjoyed what looked like pounded gunmetal as accents on the central console, doors and cup holder areas both in front and back. All the other materials, including textured plastics, saddle-stitched leather upholstery and touches of burnished chrome really added to the overall interior design.

In addition, Nissan designers focused much of their attention on the driver’s seat. This super comfortable chair includes manual thigh extension for long distance driving (yes!), side bolsters for additional support during sporty driving (nice!) and seat height adjustability (yeah!).

Sitting in the rear, I found the back seat delivers just as much comfort in leg room and seat cushiness. The trunk’s cargo area is also rather large with room enough to fit a week’s worth of luggage for a long family road trip.

2009 Nissan Maxima SV Sport Performance

So, the interior and exterior package on the 2009 Nissan Maxima is fabulous, right? What about performance? Well, I’m happy to report the 2009 Nissan Maxima shines bright there too. Yeah!

In my SV Sport road test model, I fell head over heels in love with everything about the performance, especially the kick ass acceleration, superb handling, responsive steering, super tight suspension and spot-on braking.

Based on Nissan’s new “D” front-wheel-drive platform, the 2009 Nissan Maxima’s 3.5-liter V6 engine is truly highly addictive with 35 more horses under the hood than the 2008 model. Surprisingly, the 2009 Nissan Maxima is rather fuel efficient at 26 mpg highway and 19 mpg city.

Besides all of the great driving dynamics, the 2009 Nissan Maxima also comes with paddle shifters, which allow for manual transmission shift changes while the driver’s hands remain on the steering wheel. “It’s like having an ‘automatic’ manual mode – with lightning quick gear ratio changes going into turns and auto gear hold out of turns. You’ve got to feel it to believe it,” says Castignetti. That certainly was my experience as I road tested my nimble and exhilarating SV Sport model over hills and turns.

2009 Nissan Maxima SV Sport Safety

The 2009 Nissan Maxima has tons of standard safety features such as advanced air bags, active head restraints, vehicle dynamic controls and a traction control system. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration awarded the 2009 Nissan Maxima its top marks with five stars in every crash test category.

2009 Nissan Maxima SV Sport Trim Levels, Packages & Options

The 2009 Nissan Maxima comes in two trim levels: S and SV. The base S model lots of standard features including: cruise control, sunroof, keyless ignition, 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, eight-way power driver seat, four-way power passenger seat, dual zone automatic climate control, a manual tilt-and-telescoping steering column, 60/40 split rear seat, trip computer, leather-wrapped steering wheel, cloth upholstery and a six-CD changer with auxiliary audio jack.

The Maxima SV has all of the base S equipment plus power lumbar support, leather upholstery, universal garage remote, compass, driver seat manual thigh support extender and a nine-speaker Bose audio system.

The SV can also be upgraded to either the “premium” or “sport” packages. Both packages come with xenon headlights, driver seat memory, power tilt-and-telescoping steering column, transmission paddle shifters, heated front seats, upgraded leather upholstery and trim, Bluetooth connectivity, satellite radio and rear bucket seats with center trunk pass through.

The “premium” package also includes a rear view camera, seven-inch LCD screen, dual panel sun roof, cooled driver seat, rear seat audio and HVAC controls, power rear window shade, wood trim and iPod interface. The “sport” package features 19-inch wheels, rear spoiler, metallic interior trim and a sport-tuned suspension. The “technology” package (also only available on SV models) comes with a voice-activated navigation with real-time traffic, rear view camera, auxiliary audio-video jack, satellite radio, 9.3 GB digital music storage, satellite radio and iPod interface. (Note: The “technology” package is cheaper when combined with the “premium” package.)

Overall, the 2009 Nissan Maxima is a good buy for those who are looking for a luxury sedan with tons of performance and great design.

Sheryll Alexander is a lifestyles writer based in Costa Mesa, Calif. Follow me! @sheryllalexande